Sean C. Morgan
The Sweet Home City Council last week received a draft copy of proposed updates to the city’s Water management, Conservation and System Master Plan.
Public Works Director Mike Adams presented the document during the council’s regular meeting on Jan. 26. It did not require council approval, but he wanted to request council review and comments about it prior to submitting it to the Oregon Health Authority and Water Resources Department prior to Feb. 16.
“The long and the short of it is our existing Water Conservation Plan is going to be 10 years old,” Adams said. Writing and updating the plan is part of the city’s water rights certification.
With the plan in place, “we’ve got a lot of water availability for growth, and it’s certified,” Adams said.
As a condition of certification of water rights, the Water Resources Department is requiring the city to provide an updated Water Management Conservation Plan by February, Adams said. Water
The state also requires each community water system to maintain a Water System Master Plan, which evaluates the needs of the water system, such as water supply facilities for at least a 20-year period.
The current master plan was completed in 1982, Adams said. It has been amended twice, in 1997 and 1999, so now is an appropriate time for an update.
The state will allow the two plans to be combined, Adams said. Both are tools to help water suppliers plan for the future.
The state charges $5,925 for plan review by the state. The city budgeted for the funding this year.
The draft plan describes the City of Sweet Home and its water system, regulatory requirements, planning considerations, current and future water demands and improvement options and recommendations.
It also outlines features and plans to support water conservation, financing and procedures for disasters and emergencies.
The updated plan includes updated information about Sweet Home and its water system along with recommendations for improvements and projects.
Population growth is projected at 1.17 percent per year in the plan, with a projected population of 12,259 in 2040. Based on the growth, the resulting peak daily water demand will be 2,757 gallons per minute in 2040, some 3.97 million gallons per day.
The city’s water right allows 4.167 million gallons per minute, which means the city has sufficient supply for the planning period ending in 2040, according to the plan.
The city has 4.61 million gallons of storage available in five reservoirs, more than adequate for fire flow and peak daily demands, according to the plan, but it leaves limited storage available for growth beyond 2040.
Proposed storage replacement and improvement in the plan will provide some additional growth capability.
The city’s water distribution system has few deficiencies and provides adequate flow and pressure throughout the system, according to the plan. The plan calls for minor improvements to maintain and enhance the system.
For water conservation, the plan calls for the city to continue a public education program, customer service meter testing and leak detection.
To further prepare for emergency situations, the city will update its water conservation ordinance, providing stages for alerts, which can limit the use of city water in response to issues with the city’s water source.
Among projects, the city will continue its mainline replacement program and construct some new water lines to improve efficiency, according to the plan.
The plan proposes additional reservoirs for different locations, particularly areas east of Wiley Creek and storage in the center of town. Most locations depend on property owner approval due to limited availability of land.
Meter systems and reading will be upgraded to provide increased user access and city knowledge of usage, leaks and responsiveness to customer requests.
The plan lists three options to ensure water is available to the Foster area.
The city has one 16-inch water main attached to a bridge crossing Wiley Creek. It serves the Foster area east of 49th Avenue. The water main broke in summer 2014, leaving the Foster area out of water until a temporary storage tank and system pressure pump could be temporarily installed.
One option is to add an 8-inch line on the north side of the existing bridge as a backup. A second option is to run an 8-inch line across on the railroad bridge downstream of the Highway 20 bridge. A third option is to bore a water line under Wiley Creek parallel to the existing raw water supply line, which leads from Foster Dam to the Water Treatment Plant.
The council took no action on the plan.
After submitting the plan to the state, the city will begin planning the recommended improvements, developing plans for responding to emergencies and setting up a 10-year review and update period for the plan.
Finally, the plan calls for a complete rate study to help set rates and assist with long-term planning goals.
Present at the meeting were Marybeth Angulo, Greg Mahler, Mayor Jim Gourley, Dave Trask and Bruce Hobbs. Jeff Goodwin and Ryan Underwood were absent.