Recent News

Regional Water Consortium Board Executive Committee to meet August 8, 2001.
The Executive Committee of the RWPC Board will meet on Wednesday, August 8, 2001 at 5:30 p.m.
The meeting will be held in the Portland Water Bureau Fir Creek Conference Room, 4th floor, 1001 S.W. Fifth Avenue in Portland. Agenda topics will include the Regional Entity Initiative, Regional Water Supply Plan Update, Summer Supply Coordination, and the Consortium Budget. The meeting is open to the public.

Citizens for Safe Water members to be featured on KBOO radio talk show, July 23, 2001
Tom Long (director of CFSW), and Frank Gearheart (President of CIBRI) are featured guests on the KBOO radio (90.7 fm) talk show Tuesday July 24 from 7:30 to 9:00 am. They will be discussing the drinking water issue and options for the Portland suburban customers.

Willamette River water testing shows DEHP at four times the maximum allowed contaminant level, July 21, 2001
Montgomery Watson engineering has reported that the late November 2000 testing sample of Willamette River water showed the organic compound DEHP whose technical name is Di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate detected at 26 parts per billion. The current EPA "Safe Drinking Water Standards" shows an MCL (maximum allowed contaminant level) of 6 parts per billion for adults. However the EPA "Primary Drinking Water Standards" (which apply to children and those who weight less than 150 pounds) show a maximum allowed level of zero, and are not mandatory to comply with. Thus, under the current law, the Willamette river treatment plant is only required to reduce the DEHP content to 6 parts per billion, and the children will be the Guinea pigs. DEHP is a common PVC plasticizer, but is also found in pesticides. It is also found in discharges from rubber and chemical factories. The EPA states that those who drink water containing traces of DEHP for a number of years may have problems with their liver, or experience reproductive difficulties, and may have an increased risk of getting cancer.

Regionalization to be topic of "Newsmakers" Saturday, July 20, 2001
Tomorrow night (Saturday, July 20) "Regionalization of the water systems will be the topic for the KPTV show "Newsmakers", which airs at 10:30 pm. Guests will be Frank Gearheart, Dr. Charles Scott, and Lorna Stickel.

Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water file second initiative petition, July 20, 2001
Today Wilsonville CFSW filed an initiative petition with the city, which, if passed, will change the city charter to require a future majority vote of the people before treated Willamette River water can be used as a drinking water source. Unlike their previous petition which changed their city charter, this one will require that the vote take place after the effective date of the city charter amendment, and also states the specific question which will be depicted on the ballot.
Several years ago CFSW gathered signatures and passed a measure which changed their city charter to require a vote. However, on the same election day, the city passed a revenue bond measure to fund the treatment plant, and the city has claimed that this vote satisfies the requirement of the charter amendment. CFSW challenged this in circuit court and lost, and an appeal is pending.

Tualatin Valley Water District swears in new board members, July 19, 2001
Last night Citizens for Safe Water members Gordon Martin and Lisa Melyan were sworn in as new commissioners of the TVWD. Richard Burke was elected board president, Jim Duggan vice president, and Jim Doane treasurer. Lisa Melyan was elected board secretary, and was appointed as an alternate to Jim Doane in his position as TVWD's representative to the Willamette Water Supply Agency and the Clackamas River Water District. Burke stated that Martin would not be given assignments pending the court decision of his candidacy challenge by former board member Robert Mitchell.

Clackamas River Water District ratepayers irate over district's water sales, July 18, 2001
Critics say the CRWD board violated state public meeting laws and its own policies when it signed an $8 million deal to sell up to 6 million gallons of water a day to Multnomah County. See the Oregonian article here.

Tigard City Council to hear report on ASR testing
At a Tigard City Council Workshop session this Tuesday July 17 at 6:30 pm, at Tigard City Hall, a presentation will be made on the results of aquifer storage and recovery feasibility testing during the last year. The presentation will include a staff report from the Public Works Dept., followed by a presentation by Joe Glicker of Montgomery Watson. The meeting is open to the public, however there is no public comment period at work sessions.
The feasibility study found no serious obstacles. "The study suggests that he city spend about $450,000 for one well to be constructed and operated as a test." According to Dennis Koellermeier, the city's utility manager, if
all goes well, the plan eventually would be to add nine more wells within city limits and bring the amount of water to 6 MGD. (Planning toward a $3 million ASR system.) "The City Council is expected to decide on construction of one well July 24."

Portland Tribune covers regionalization of Bull Run, and other water issues, July 3, 2001
Today (Tuesday, July 3) the Portland Tribune newspaper had three large articles (two of them full page) covering the drinking water issue. The first article, titled "Thirsting for water partners", by Jim Redden, covered the regionalization of the Bull Run issue. The second article, titled "Activists work for purity - and pride", by Ben Jacklet, covers the history of the preservation of the Bull Run reserve by Joe Miller and Ralph Crawshaw, and the tradeoffs of the construction of a third dam.
Another article titled "Water chief quits under pressure", by Jim Redden, covers the resignation of Portland water bureau administrator Mike Rosenberger.
The Portland Tribune hits the stands twice a week, on Tuesdays and Fridays. This Friday's issue will include part two of the Bull Run water issue. To locate your closest free copy of the Tribune, go to their website at www.portlandtribune.com and enter your zip code or town.

Mike Rosenberger, Director of the Portland Water Bureau quits, June 30, 2001
Rosenberg resigns amid concerns over a troubled computer billing system that so far has lost Portland $8.9 million, with outstanding accounts totaling over $50 million. Letter of resignation. See the Oregonian article by Courtenay Thompson here.

Hagg Lake residents voice concerns at Scoggins Dam raising meeting, June 21, 2001
Worried owners of property around Henry Hagg Lake want more details about the fate of their land and homes if Scoggins Dam is raised to satisfy the region's growing water demands. They pressed water officials at a two-hour meeting Tuesday night to tell them of the effect a 40-foot increase in the dam's height would have on their lives. See the Oregonian article by Henry Stern here.

Second Regional Water Initiative Exploratory meeting to be held
The second meeting of those elected officials and water agencies interested in pursuing the concept of creating a regional water agency will be held Thursday, June 28, 2001, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m., Gresham Civic Center - Barlow Trail Room, 1333 N.W. Eastman Parkway, Gresham. (on the max line). The agenda will be available at the meeting. There will be a public comment period.

Plan to raise Scoggins Dam subject of meeting, June 15, 2001
Clean Water Services (formerly Unified Sewerage Agency) will hold a meeting on June 19th at 7 pm for property owners and residents to discuss the possibility of raising Scoggins Dam by 40 feet. Nine cities, the TVWD and Clean Water Services are studying a higher dam for future water needs. The meeting is at the administrative building of Hagg Lake park headquarters, which is on the second left turn after the park's entrance gate off of hwy 47 north of Gaston. For more information call Tom VanderPlaat at 503-846-8758.

Tualatin Valley Water District Board votes to add an ordinance requiring vote before Willamette River water can be used. June 14, 2001.
Last night the TVWD Board of Commissioners voted to add an ordinance to their books requiring a majority vote of the district's customers before they could use Willamette River water in their system. Citizens for Safe Water are gathering signatures to require a similar ordinance. However, CFSW believes that a Board created ordinance can be deleted by a future TVWD Board much more easily than if the ordinance was established by a citizen initiative petition process. Citizens for Safe Water member and TVWD Commissioner Elect Gordon Martin asked the board to add language making it tougher for future boards to rescind the ordinance. Martin also suggested the district should be required to notify its water customers whenever the board was proposing to rescind the ordinance and then to hold a public hearing. He also said that if the rule were rescinded, the change should not become effective for a year, allowing voters time to start recall campaigns against board members. The current board ignored Martin's requests and approved the ordinance's second reading by a vote of 5-0. Chairman Jim Duggan said it was important to the current members to get the ordinance passed before the panel's lineup changes. ( two of the current board members will be replaced July 1 by Martin and Lisa Melyan (another CFSW member). See the Oregonian article here.

Court hears final arguments in lawsuit against Commissioner Elect Martin which was filed by Tualatin Valley Water District board member. June 14, 2001
On June 13th final arguments were heard in the lawsuit filed by lame duck incumbent TVWD Commissioner Robert Mitchell in his quest to oust Citizens for Safe Water member Gordon Martin. Martin won his Board seat in the March 13th election. Judge Allen Bonebrake did not indicate when he would state his decision.

Once again, a power failure puts thousands of gallons of raw sewage in Willamette, June 12, 2001.
Yesterday about 30,000 gallons of raw sewage flowed into Kellogg Creek and the Willamette River during a power failure in the Milwaukie area which shut down the Oak Lodge Sanitary District's Pump Station for about four hours.
This event is a frequent occurrence. On Jan. 20, 2000, a power failure caused about a half million gallons of raw sewage to spill into the Willamette, when the Oak Grove Sanitary District pump station was without power for 27 hours. The district has five outlying pump stations. None has backup power sources. Each year tens of millions of gallons of raw sewage "accidentally" discharge into the Willamette.

Tualatin Valley Water District conducts survey of its customers. June 7, 2001
The TVWD recently mailed a survey to many of its customers, asking their opinion of various aspects of the water supply. The survey, titled "Tualatin Valley Water District Community Attitude Survey", was conducted by "Western Attitudes" of West Linn, Or. The questions on the survey were similar to those used in a telephone survey of Tigard residents done by Davis and Hibbitts several years ago, before the Tigard City Council voted to go to the Willamette. One question asked the reader to rank eight factors to consider when evaluating a future water supply, in order of importance. The factors were: Ability to meet projected needs, Cost of building new facilities, Cost to customer, District Ownership of water sources, Effect on the environment, Multiple water sources, Tap water quality (after treatment), and Water quality (before treatment).

Court hears lawsuit against Commissioner Elect Martin which was filed by Tualatin Valley Water District board member. June 1, 2001
On Apr. 23, 2001, TVWD Commissioner Robert Mitchell filed suit against Gordon S. Martin, who recently won TVWD board position No. 1 in the March 13, 2001 election. Martin is a founding member of Citizens for Safe Water, and is against using the Willamette River as a water source, and has strong convictions on the citizens right to vote on the issue. In the suit, Mitchell claims that at the time of the election, Martin did not reside within the Tualatin Valley Water District area. Mitchell hired Steven C. Burke, an attorney at Rycewicz & Chenoweth, a second attorney, and a private investigator to prosecute the case. Martin said "Mitchell is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to invalidate my candidacy. The Willamette River water treatment plant supporters must desperately want to keep me out of office based on the intensity of their legal efforts". If Mitchell is successful in his election contest, he has completed the first step in shifting the board's control back to Willamette River supporters. This plan would undoubtedly include getting Jim Osborn, who lost to Martin, back in office. Osborn voted in favor of financing the Wilsonville Willamette River Water Treatment Plant.

The State Attorney General Office has taken notice of this case since there is no Oregon State case law dealing with election contests. Apparently, on many other election contests, the defendant resigns from the election or office, because the expense of defending themselves is prohibitive or is out weighed by the benefits of the elected position. This is especially true with volunteer positions such as the TVWD commission. Mitchell, who has held board position no. 2 for 10 years, did not run for re-election in March, and is a branch manager of Washington Mutual Bank in Wilsonville, where the Willamette water treatment plant is being built. He will be replaced in July by commissioner elect Lisa Melyan, another member of Citizens for Safe Water.
       Prior to running for the Board position, Martin suspected that his candidacy might be challenged due to the controversial issue of drinking Willamette River Water and the right to vote on it. In an effort to be completely above board with his candidacy eligibility, he met with the Director of the Washington County Elections division, and requested a hearing on the matter. He was assured that under his residency circumstances there was no grounds for a successful challenge. Both state and county elections officials said they cannot remember a suit similar to this one being filed in the past.
         Martin has hired an attorney, and is defending his candidacy so the customers of the TVWD will have the right to vote on whether they drink Willamette River Water, and other water related issues.
        On May 31st, Judge Allen C. Bonebrake - Washington County Circuit Court - heard arguments and testimony in the case for three hours. The case will resume at 9 am on June 13th.

EPA now says endocrine disruptors may be dangerous even at minute levels, May 19,2001
Chemicals that mimic male and female hormones may not be safe even at levels the government now labels safe, a government panel suggests. The chemicals are called endocrine disruptors, and studies show that some of these hormone-like substances may be harming the reproductive systems or the unborn in animals at levels well below the "no effect" ones defined by previous testing. To read the article, click here.

Regional Water Providers Consortium Board meeting cancelled.
The RWPC will not meet on June 6, 2001. The board will meet next on September 5, 2001.

Senate panel approves adding Little Sandy area to Bull Run, May 17, 2001
A bill that would add 2,890 acres of the Little Sandy watershed to Portland's Bull Run water supply system passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee by unanimous consent. The bill, sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Gordon Smith, R-Ore., is similar to one that stalled last year during budget negotiations. A companion bill remains in the House Resources Committee. The Bill would authorize $10 million for environmental restoration and would prohibit logging. The existing Bull Run Watershed Management Unit covers 95,382 acres.

Water districts don't have to tell anyone if their tests show problems, May 14, 2001
State Representatives Mark Hass and Charlie Ringo (both Washington County Democrats) have sponsored House Bill 3470 to require laboratories that analyze water systems to report all results immediately to the Oregon Health Division. Critics claim this would cost money or be too much of a burden. See the Oregonian "In my opinion" article by Mark Hass by clicking here.

Human error at river water treatment plant again causes deaths and illness, May 5, 2001
Just a year after seven people died in Walkerton, Ont., when E. coli made its way into the town water, the parasite cryptosporidium has been linked to three deaths and many more illnesses in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. Like the water treatment plant being built in Wilsonville, Or., this river water treatment plant is located downstream from a sewage treatment plant. It's believed the parasite entered the water supply in the three weeks following March 20, when the chemical filter used to trap it at the treatment plant underwent routine maintenance. This is another example of the fact that, when you are treating a polluted water source, it is only a matter of time before human error will allow untreated water to pass. See the story in the Ottawa Citizen by clicking here.

EPA "safe" levels of lead reduce children's IQ's, May 1, 2001,
Since 1970 maximum allowed lead levels have been lowered from 60 micrograms per deciliter to 10. A new study by Dr. Bruce Lanphear tracked 276 children in Rochester, N.Y., from ages 6 months to 5 years, measuring blood-lead levels every six months and administering the Stanford-Binet IQ test at age 5. Children with lead concentrations of less than 10 had an I.Q. 11.1 points lower than those with lead concentrations less than 1, and found an average 5.5 point decline in IQ for every additional 10 mg/dl increase in blood-lead concentration. See the AP story here.

Study looks at chemicals in humans, Apr. 27, 2001
A new federal report on the potentially toxic chemicals Americans have in their bodies is the nation's first comprehensive attempt to measure environmental pollutants that affect health. For an Oregonian article by Oz Hopkins Koglin, click here.

Willamette Water Supply Agency 2001-2002 budget and membership allocation:
Tigard is still paying membership dues to WWSA. Click here to view.

EPA approved nitrate levels in tap water may increase bladder cancer risk in women, Apr. 24, 2001
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The limit set for a cancer-causing compound found in tap water may be too high, putting women at increased risk for bladder cancer, results of a study suggest. According to the report, women who drank tap water that contained levels of nitrates below the maximum level of 10 milligrams (mg) per liter set by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were still nearly three times more likely to develop bladder cancer compared with women who consumed much lower levels of the contaminate. See the article by clicking here.

EPA will reduce permitted arsenic in drinking water, Apr. 19, 2001
The Environmental Protection Agency, after setting aside last month a last minute Clinton Administration rule which lowered the arsenic standard from 50 parts per million down to 10, announced that it now will lower the standard from fifty down to a level between 3 and 20 ppm, with the decision being made next February.

Raising Scoggins Dam likely reply to water needs, Apr. 5, 2001
Nine cities, the Tualatin Valley Water District and the Unified Sewerage Agency are embarking on a two year, $834,000 study to find a long term water source other than the Willamette River or the Bull Run. One likely option would be to raise Scoggins Dam on Hagg Lake 40 feet. See the Oregonian article by David Anderson here.

Bull Run panel to determine water supply and treatment improvements, Apr. 5, 2001
On Wednesday Portland commissioner Erik Sten announce a citizens panel to study treatment options for the Bull Run system, and make a decision by summer 2002. Sten also tried to approve a $597,500 consulting contract which was rejected by the council, but which Sten said he would bring back to the council in two weeks after he re-examined the contract with Montgomery Watson. See the Oregonian article by Scott Learn by clicking here.

Toxic Site on Willamette goes uncleaned, Apr. 5, 2001
At least 20 corroded electric transformer casings leaking PCB's remain buried in the bank of a Willamette River slough in the Albany area, although state and federal environmental agencies have known about them for yearly five years. See the Oregonian article by Matt Sabo by clicking here.

Drinking Water Town Hall Meeting repeats on Cable TV, Apr. 2, 2001
Citizens who missed the Jan. 30 Town Hall meeting in Beaverton on treated Willamette River drinking water will get another chance to see the meeting during the month of April. The program features Oregon State senator Gary George, R-Newberg, Charles D. Scott, PhD, a toxicologist; Jim Hansen, co-founder of Citizens for Safe Water; and a message from Oregon State Senator Ryan Deckert, D-Beaverton. The 1 1/2 hour show airs on the AT&T Tualatin Valley cable system at the following times: Fri Apr 6, 5pm ch 22/28; Wed Apr 11, 5 pm ch 22/28; Tue Apr 17, 4 pm ch 6/21; Wed Apr 18, 2 pm ch 11 (CAN); Sat Apr 21, 6 pm ch 6/21; Sun Apr 22, 5 pm ch 21/30.

Tualatin City Council votes to connect city with Wilsonville water, Mar. 27, 2000
Last night the Tualatin City Council approved an Intergovernmental Agreement with the City of Wilsonville, in which each city could provide emergency back up water to the other. Wilsonville recently completed construction of a water reservoir next to Tualatin's reservoir. Under the agreement, the two cities will construct a connection between the two reservoirs, with a shut off valve. In addition, there is a proviso that use of any Willamette water from Wilsonville would have to be approved first by the Tualatin City Council (rather than the city engineer), and that Tualatin residents must be notified before any river water is pumped to their homes.
In a related issue, the council approved the formation of a future committee to study future long term drinking water sources. The committee will be composed of three council members and two members of the public - to be selected by a public process.

Tualatin may get it's water from the Willamette during emergencies, Mar. 26, 2000
Barring a specific resident or councilor request, tonight the Tualatin City Council will approve both a strategy for future water needs and an agreement with Wilsonville that could bring Willamette River water into Tualatin's pipes during an emergency. See the Oregonian article by Emily Tsao by clicking here.

New study verifies that EPA permitted arsenic levels cause cancer, Mar. 23, 2001
Last Tuesday, EPA Administrator Christine Todd Whitman said Clinton's proposal to lower the maximum allowed levels of arsenic in drinking water from 50 parts per billion to 10 ppb would be too expensive for drinking water providers to comply with. Her action sent max allowed levels back to 50 ppb for the time being. A few days later, a new study in the March issue of the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives, published by the government's National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, showed that arsenic appears to act as a new class of endocrine disruptor, and that levels between 25 and 50 ppb causes cancer. Citizens for Safe Water have always stated that EPA Safe Drinking Water Standards are too lax, because the cost of removing contaminants from water can be high. Therefore a water provider should use the cleanest water source available.

Citizens locked out of TVWD Board meeting, Mar. 22, 2000
Citizens who arrived after the 7:30 pm start time of last night's Tualatin Valley Water District Board of Commissioners meeting found themselves out in the cold. All doors were locked and knocks on the doors went unanswered. A staff member later said that they have had security problems. We would suggest that they review the Oregon "open meeting law", so that their meetings are not invalidated.

Portland drills three new wells to test injecting Bull Run water, Mar. 19, 2001
Portland could begin injecting Bull Run water into the ground under the city's well fields as early as December and could begin pumping the stored water into the regular supply for Portland and suburban customers by next summer.
See the Oregonian article by clicking here.

Citizens for Safe Water members gain two seats on TVWD Board, Mar 14, 2001
In yesterday's election anti Willamette River advocates and CFSW members Gordon S. Martin and Lisa Melyan won seats on the Tualatin Valley Water District Board of Commissioners. There were three seats up for election on the five member board. For Position No. 1, with three candidates running (including the incumbent), Martin won with 68% of the vote. For Position No. 2, with five candidates running, Lisa Melyan won with 30 %. For Position No. 3, with three candidates running, the incumbent and Board President Jim Duggan won with 43% of the vote. The 2 anti Willamette candidates running against Duggan for the third seat had a combined vote of 57%. Around 10,400 voters cast their ballots for each of the three Board members, which is about 12% of the 87,389 registered voters in the district. Overall, 73% of the total votes cast in the contest went to candidates opposing the Willamette River as a water source. The new candidates will assume their positions in July.

Sten hits another home run at Regional Water Providers Consortium, Mar. 8, 2001
Last night at the RWPC meeting, Portland commissioner Eric Sten hit another home run with his concept of regional ownership/control of the Bull Run water system. There were only favorable comments. Those in attendance asked that the concept be moved along quickly so that decisions could be made based upon outcome of the discussion. Sten suggested that the agreement of who is in the authority could be settled this summer. It looks like there will be a chance for public input, in the next few weeks, before the City of Portland adopts the resolution which Sten is drafting.

Portland City Council gives approval to pursue new "city-suburban" authority, Mar. 6, 2000
Today the Portland City Council unanimously approved Portland commissioner Eric Sten's proposal for the formation of a new independent authority to assume ownership of the Bull Run. This new authority would allow suburban water providers to share in the ownership and governance of the Bull Run water system. The authority's board would be elected or appointed by water providers. See the Oregonian article by Scott Learn by clicking on article.

Lawsuit against Tualatin Valley Water District initiative petition dismissed, Mar. 3, 2001
Yesterday the Washington County Circuit Court entered a judgment in the lawsuit (ballot title challenge) filed last August by Paul Mathews, a consultant under contract to the TVWD. The initiative petition, which is being circulated in the district, if passed, will require a vote of the TVWD residents before Willamette River water can be used. The lawsuit claimed that the petition is unconstitutional. The judgment was for dismissal, because the case was not docketed. See a later Oregonian article by clicking here.

New Clackamas River water arrangement discussed for Tigard, Mar. 2, 2001
At the Southfork Water Board's March 15 work session, the concept of forming a new organization separate from Southfork will be discussed. The new organization would include Tigard, Lake Oswego, and the North Clackamas County Water Commission, which would then make their own decisions and share water rights on the Clackamas river. See the Oregonian article by Dennis McCarthy by clicking here.

West Linn Council turnover dampens Tigard's hopes for Clackamas river water, Mar.1, 2001
Tigard and Lake Oswego's hopes in joining the Southfork Water board and expanding its Clackamas river water treatment plant as a long term water source may be fading. A complete turnover on the West Linn City Council this year has slowed down the negotiating process. Although some say the slowdown is a result of educating new members on the potential partnership, some say the new West Linn councilors want to slow growth and are not as eager to proceed with the arrangement created by their predecessors. The West Linn mayor says it is a political issue, and a matter of "control" of a water source. It appears to us that the real issue, once again, is politics and control of a water source, to the detriment of the water customers. This is all the more reason for establishing a "Regional Water Authority", utilizing the three primary water sources in the area - the Portland Bull Run system, the Joint Water Commission, and the Clackamas sources. See the Oregonian article by Emily Tsau, by clicking: here.

Low Willamette River water levels cause concern, Feb. 26, 2001
A dry winter has put the river at levels typical of August, creating potential problems this summer for people and fish. Industries and sewer plants that discharge their manufacturing waste water directly into the Willamette worry that a low-volume river would not dilute wastes sufficiently. "Flows are extremely important from a pollution-control standpoint," said James Sheetz, a senior environmental engineer with the state DEQ.

Sewage Spills into Tualatin River, Feb. 24, 2001
The Unified Sewerage Agency said its Forest Grove Wastewater Treatment Plant released about 1.3 million gallons of partly treated wastewater into the Tualatin River near Forest Grove on Thursday and Friday. The agency has posted four sites along the river with warning signs.

Bidding process for Sherwood reservoir questioned, Feb. 19, 2001
A Tualatin engineering company, Taurus Power and Controls, angered by a noncompetitive bidding process for part of Sherwood's new $3 million water reservoir, is questioning the way the bid was handled. The company was denied the chance to even submit a bid. In a written statement, Bill Butterfield, Taurus Power's vice president, said "My guess is that the city manager or someone associated with this project must have a relative or friend connected with this company from Washington (S&B Inc. of Bellevue) that has been awarded this portion of the project without having to bid on it." Sherwood's water system is managed by the Tualatin Valley Water District. The contract allows TVWD to annex Sherwood's district, making it part of the TVWD, by mutual agreement.

Town Hall Meeting Now Available on Video Tape
High quality VHS copies of the Jan. 30 Town Hall meeting, (edited to one hour for cablecast - see the news item below) are now available for a cost of $7.00 each, plus shipping if necessary. Contact us at drj@hevanet.com

Drinking Water Town Hall Airs on Cable TV
Citizens who missed the Jan. 30 Town Hall meeting in Beaverton on treated Willamette River drinking water may view the meeting's highlights in a one-hour cable TV show, The Water Spot, presented by Citizens for Safe Water at Tualatin Valley Community Access. The show will be repeated on cable channel 9, 23 and 33 (depending on your area) Saturday, Feb. 17, 7 am; Monday, Feb. 19, 7 am; Monday, Feb. 26, 7 pm; Saturday, March 3, 7 am; and Monday March 5, 7 am. The program features Oregon State senator Gary George, R-Newberg, Charles D. Scott, PhD, a toxicologist; Jim Hansen, co-founder of Citizens for Safe Water; and a message from Oregon State Senator Ryan Deckert, D-Beaverton.

Lawsuit filed against EPA over pesticides, fish, Jan. 31, 2001.
Environmentalists and commercial fishermen sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Seattle yesterday, seeking to force the agency to protect salmon against minute amounts of pesticides commonly found in rivers. New research has indicated that even tiny doses of pesticides are making it harder for salmon to survive.

Four new bills have been drafted by the legislative council, Jan. 29, 2001.
With help from Senator Gary George (R-Newberg), Citizens for Safe Water has written four bills which have been drafted by the Legislative Council for submission. One bill (SB576) directs a water supplier to examine alternative water supply sources if 10 percent of electors propose a satisfactory alternative water supply source. Another (SB577) restricts foreign ownership of water utilities. A third allows a person to bring legal action against the Oregon Health Division for failure to perform an act or duty required by the Oregon Drinking Water Quality Act. The bill awards attorney fees and certain expenses to the prevailing plaintiff. The fourth bill would place water rates (and their increases) paid by drinking water customers, under the control of the Public Utility Commission.
Another bill which was submitted to the Legislative Council for drafting is the "Fluoride Product Quality Control Act" which would provide minimum quality standards for fluoride added to drinking water. The Bill was written by Citizens for Safe Drinking Water (not to be confused with Citizens for Safe Water). The group is headquartered in San Diego, Ca., with a local chapter.

Tualatin Valley Water District signs agreement with US Filter to manage Willamette river treatment plant, Jan. 24, 2001.
On Jan. 17th the TVWD signed a 5 year management contract with US Filter to operate the treatment plant which is under construction in Wilsonville. The Wilsonville city council stated that they intend to sign the contract at their Feb. 5 meeting. The contract allows $13,506 for sludge removal, however if the sludge is determined to be "hazardous material", the cost could be in excess of $240,000. If electricity rates go up, Wilsonville and TVWD will pay the extra cost. USFilter is based in Palm Desert, Calif., and specializes in running water treatment facilities for municipal and other customers. The company has a particular interest in privatizing water treatment facilities owned by municipalities. It is wholly owned by one of the largest companies in the world - Vivendi - a French company with $23 billion in anticipated annual sales. USFilter's local offices are in Vancouver, Wash., and they will be involved in overseeing the construction of the treatment plant. A Jan. 24 Oregonian article can be seen at agreement. Some are speculating that USFilter, which specializes in the privatization of US municipal water systems, will end up owning the Willamette plant. See our web site at privatization.

Wilsonville water treatment plant will initially only produce 3 mgd., Jan. 19, 2001
In the past, Wilsonville and TVWD have stated that the $49 million water treatment plant being built on the Willamette will be completed in April, 2002, with an initial capacity of 15 million gallon per day (mgd) with Wilsonville getting 10 mgd and TVWD 5. When the plant is later expanded to 70 mgd, Wilsonville will get 20 mgd, and TVWD 50. They now say that when the plant comes on line in April 2002, the initial capacity will only be 3 mgd. The contract requires a guaranteed output of 15 mgd by July 2002.

Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water file appeal with Oregon Court of Appeals, Jan. 17, 2001.
Today Wilsonville CFSW filed an appeal to their previous lawsuit against the City of Wilsonville.
On Oct. 27, 2000, Judge Robert Herndon of the Clackamas County Court ruled against Citizens for Safe Water in their lawsuit against the City of Wilsonville. Each party requested a summary judgment by the court, to determine if Wilsonville Ballot Measure 3-59 (the revenue bond financing measure to fund the treatment plant) satisfied the requirements of Measure 3-58 (the city charter amendment which requires a vote of the people before Willamette River water can be used). Herndon ruled that it does. In his conclusions, Herndon did not discuss the primary argument presented by CFSW, regarding the timing of the vote, and whether it must occur after the City Charter was changed by 3-58. Also, at the hearing Herndon stated that he was in a time constraint and would not review findings or documents from the first hearing. That in itself is grounds for an appeal.

EPA reduces maximum allowed arsenic levels in drinking water by 80%
Since 1973, US residents have been drinking water which meets the EPA "Safe Drinking Water Standards." Citizens for Safe Water have always said that the "Standards" are too lax. In 1975 the maximum allowed levels for arsenic was set at 50 parts per billion. For the last 25 years, many have been drinking water with this elevated level of arsenic. The Safe Drinking Water Act, as amended in 1996, requires EPA to revise the existing drinking water standard for arsenic. EPA has finalized a new standard for arsenic in drinking water that reduces the maximum level allowed from 50 parts per billion (ppb) to 10 ppb. The EPA has stated that "any" amount of arsenic is a health problem, but reducing the level below 10 ppb would be a hardship on some water providers.
This is another argument that water providers should use the cleanest source of water which is available to them. For more information on the EPA's actions go to: www.epa.gov/safewater/arsenic.html

Eleven Candidates file for Tualatin Valley Water District board positions. Jan. 17, 2001
Those who filed by the 5 pm deadline yesterday are:
Position #1: Jim Osborne (incumbent), Gordon S. Martin, Tom Brenholtz.
Position #2: Ed Cleary, Lisa Melyan, Tom Cox, Ralph SaintRomain, Mark Poling.
Position #3: Jim Duggan (incumbent), Bruce Pollock, Beth King.
Of the above candidates, in their voter's pamphlet statements, Gordon Martin, Tom Brenholtz, Ed Cleary, Lisa Melyan, Bruce Pollock, Tom Cox and Beth King have stated that they believe that the TVWD should not participate in the Willamette treatment plant until after a vote of the residents within the district.
Jim Osborne, Ralph SaintRomain, and Jim Duggan wish to continue with the Willamette plant participation. The position of candidate Mark Poling, (Department Director of the Unified Sewerage Agency) was not stated.

Tualatin Valley Water District Commissioner Filing deadline Jan. 11.
Three positions (positions number 1, 2, and 3 - for a four year term) on the Tualatin Valley Water District board of commissioners will be voted on in the Mar. 13 mail in election. The new Commissioners will take office on July 1.
         Anyone wishing to run must submit their application by 5pm on Thursday, Jan. 11. The filing fee is $10.00. The applicant must be a resident of the Tualatin Valley Water District.
        Position #1, is currently held by Jim Osborne, who is running for reelection.
        Position #2 is currently held by Robert Mitchell, who is not running for reelection.
                            So far two applicants have filed to run for position #2, Tom Cox, and Ralph SaintRomain.
        Position #3 is currently held by Jim Duggan, who is running for reelection.

Tualatin Valley Water District initiative lawsuit set over, Dec. 23, 2000.
Yesterday the lawsuit filed by Paul Mathews (the consultant to the TVWD) which challenged the validity of the initiative petition to require a vote of residents in the TVWD before the district can use Willamette River water was heard in Washington County Circuit Court. The defendant - Chief Petitioner Doug Larson, appeared pro se (without an attorney). The judge wanted clarification on arguments submitted by Larson, and therefore will reschedule the hearing for the third week in January, probably in Multnomah County.

Tigard may not joint the Southfork Water Board for long term Clackamas River Water, Dec. 20, 2000. Last night at the Tigard City Council meeting Tigard Public Utilities Director Ed Wegner said that changes in the West Linn City Council might lead to not including Tigard in a joint venture to expand the Southfork Water Board's Clackamas river water source for Tigard's long term water. He said that representatives from Tigard are planning to meet with Oregon City officials in January to discuss their interest in expanding their facilities. He also said that Tigard will start to develop a memorandum of understanding with the Joint Water Commission, although that venture would be dependent on finding a new water source and expanding the current treatment plant. The Joint Water Commission currently serves Forest Grove, Hillsboro, Beaverton, and the Tualatin Valley Water District, and gets its water from the Trask River in the Coast Range, and the Barney Reservoir.

In a related matter, last night the Tigard City Council unanimously agreed to award a contract for an aquifer storage and recovery feasibility study to Montgomery Watson and Golden Associates. The first phase of the feasibility study is projected to cost $90,000. If the project is found to be feasible, the second phase would involve a pilot test beginning in the 2001-02 fiscal year and costing $210,500. The third phase, which would be a fully operational program, would begin in fiscal year 2002-03 and would cost $50,000.

New water Board Members to be elected. On Mar. 13, 2001, an election will be held for the purpose of electing Board Members for the following districts: Tigard Water District - Commissioners, two positions for a four year term. Tualatin Valley Water District - Commissioners, three positions for a four year term.

Recent Study shows Willamette River Newberg Pool Poisons Potent, Dec. 6, 2000
The report notes excessive health and cancer risks for people who eat fish from the Willamette between Oregon City and Salem. Article by Brent Hunsberger of The Oregonian staff. Click on: Article.

Study finds pesticide produces Parkinson's signs in rats, Nov. 6, 2000, article by Joseph B. Verrengia, The Associated Press. A new study, published in the December issue of Nature Neuroscience, strongly indicates what scientists have suspected for several years -- that the most common form of Parkinson's disease might result from toxins in the environment. The research study, using rats, suggests that long-term exposure to a widely used pesticide kills brain cells and triggers debilitating physical symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease. "This is more evidence that a class of compounds may increase the risk of developing Parkinson's," said J. William Langston, director of the Parkinson's Institute in Sunnyvale, Calif., who was not involved in the study.

Circuit Court rules in favor of City of Wilsonville, Oct. 27, 2000
Today Judge Robert Herndon of the Clackamas County Court ruled against Citizens for Safe Water in their lawsuit against the City of Wilsonville. Each party requested a summary judgment by the court, to determine if Wilsonville Ballot Measure 3-59 (the revenue bond financing measure to fund the treatment plant) satisfied the requirements of Measure 3-58 (the city charter amendment which requires a vote of the people before Willamette River water can be used). Herndon ruled that it does. In his conclusions, Herndon did not discuss the primary argument presented by CFSW, regarding the timing of the vote, and whether it must occur after the City Charter was changed by 3-58. Also, at the hearing Herndon stated that he was in a time constraint and would not review findings or documents from the first hearing. That in itself is grounds for an appeal. CFSW will be appealing the decision.

Willamette River study confirms fish deformities, Oct. 20, 2000
An article by Brent Hunsberger of The Oregonian staff states that this recent study offers the most compelling evidence yet that the water chemistry of the Newberg Pool causes the continuing fish deformities. To view the article, click on study.

Tigard votes to sign " Memorandum of Understanding" with SouthFork Water Board., Oct. 10, 2000. Today the Tigard City Council voted to sign a "Memorandum of Understanding" with the Southfork Water Board, for Clackamas River water. Lake Oswego and the North Clackamas County Water Commission are expected to do the same shortly, joining Tigard in purchasing a pro rata share of the SouthFork Water facilities, and expanding the treatment plant. Lake Oswego and Tigard will build a new water line across the Willamette, bringing water to Lake Oswego. Initially, Tigard will use its existing lines to bring up to 8 mgd to Tigard. At a future date, a new line will be built from Lake Oswego to the Tualatin-Durham area and connecting to the Tigard system for additional water. This would be an ideal situation for Wilsonville to join Tigard and Lake Oswego in going to the Clackamas for long term water. Sherwood and Tualatin could also join. Each participant will immediately be awarded ownership, water rights, and governance in the system.

Petitions now being circulated in TVWD, Tualatin and Sherwood., Oct. 3, 2000
Signatures are now being gathered in the Tualatin Valley Water District, and the cities of Tualatin and Sherwood. In all cases the petition measures will change the city charters (and the TVWD ordinances) to require a future vote of the people before Willamette River water can be used. If you can help get some signatures, for TVWD call Jim at 503-590-2818. For Tualatin call Kathie at 503-692-5227, and for Sherwood call Glenn at 503-625-1436.

Tualatin Valley Water District now managing Sherwood's water., Oct. 2, 2000
The TVWD started operating Sherwood's water system today. The TVWD will handle maintenance, customer service and billing, water quality testing and compliance, etc. The agreement will last five years, and the city has the opportunity to renew for two additional five year periods. TVWD has agreed not to use Willamette River water during the initial five year contract. The water will be supplied by Sherwood's wells, and the Portland Bull Run system. Sherwood residents are concerned about the contract because the TVWD owns 49% of the Willamette River treatment plant which is under construction. In addition the agreement states that the TVWD can annex Sherwood, making it part of the TVWD, by mutual agreement.

Little Sandy Protection Act makes progress., Sept. 20, 2000
The Little Sandy Protection Act passed the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee this morning. There was an amendment offered by Senators Smith and Wyden to deal with Clackamas County's "O and C" land issue. On the House side, Representative DeFazio has signed on as a co-sponsor, Representative Hooley has agreed to stay neutral and Representative Walden has agreed to help get the legislation passed through the House Natural Resources Committee. The Agriculture Committee still has some concerns about jurisdiction, but it appears that there is a good chance that this legislation will be signed into law.

Largest Sewage Spill in Nearly a Decade Pollutes Willamette River at Salem, Sept. 19, 2000
At least a half million gallons of raw sewage flowed into the Willamette river at Salem beginning Friday. What is important to note is that it was not detected nor reported to the DEQ nor the public which was swimming and fishing in the river until the following Tuesday. For the KGW News story, click on: story.

Judge Hears Arguments in Willamette Treatment Plant Lawsuit, Sept. 18, 2000
Today Clackamas County Circuit Court Judge Robert Herndon heard arguments in a lawsuit filed by Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water against the City of Wilsonville. The suit is based on the fact that the City is ignoring the City Charter requirement that a vote be held before Willamette River water can be used as a drinking water source, and has begun construction of the treatment plant. A decision is expected in three to four weeks. If Citizens for Safe Water prevails, a vote will be required which specifically asks the citizens if they want to drink treated Willamette River water.

Oregon Supreme Court Destroys Right To Collect Signatures at Shopping Centers and Stores, Sept. 14, 2000
In a stunning reversal, the Oregon Supreme court today reversed its earlier decisions which recognized a right of petitioners to collect signatures in the common areas of large shopping centers. "This is a devastating blow to democracy in Oregon," said Lloyd Marbet, candidate for Secretary of State. "The shopping centers have replaced the streets and sidewalks as the places for people to gather, and now the Court says these places are off limits to democracy." Marbet said this will add force to his Marbet Plan to enable petition sponsors to collect signatures by using the existing balloting process. Under that plan, a group of chief petitioners could place in a primary election Oregon Voters' Pamphlet the official ballot title for their measure, upon paying a fee that covers the cost. The vote-by-mail package sent to voters would then include a signature card listing these measures and allowing voters to check off the ones they want to sign. Marbet added, "I expect the politicians to oppose the Marbet Plan, because it would make signing petitions too efficient. They want petitioners out in the streets, getting arrested."

Court rejects challenges to Coffee Creek Women's prison construction, Aug. 31, 2000
The Oregon Supreme Court heard arguments from three different lawsuits which challenged the state's ability to override local land use laws and other environmental regulations with special legislation pertaining specifically to the prison. Today the court ruled against all three suits, allowing the prison construction to proceed. A fast-track construction process is aiming at an October 2001 opening of the prison's 324-bed minimum -security wing. The 432-bed medium-security wing is scheduled to open in April 2002.

Meeting Notice: The Regional Water Providers Consortium Board will meet on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2000 at 7 p.m. in the Metro Council Chambers, located at 600 N.E. Grand Avenue in Portland. The Board will consider adoption of the Draft Five-Year Strategic Plan and the Strategic Planning Committee recommendation regarding the formation of an Executive Committee.

Several recent Willamette River treatment plant construction site pictures are available
by clicking here: site.

Wreck Sends Herbicide into Creek, causing Huge Fish Kill. Aug. 22, 2000
On Aug. 22, a truck wreck on I-84 spilled 16,000 pounds of a herbicide highly toxic to fish into and near the mouth of Fifteenmile Creek (just east of The Dalles), causing an extensive fish kill. The spill dumped oxyflourfen, which is sold under the trade name Goal, onto the creek banks and into the creek about 500 yards upstream from where it flows into the Columbia river.

Tigard Councilors pick Interim Mayor
Tigard City Councilors chose planning commission member Jim Griffith to fill the void left by Mayor Jim Nicoli's death. Griffith will be sworn in Sept. 12, and will serve until a new mayor is elected in March. (We expect Grifith to run in March, and be supported by the the City Council).
A strong Oregonian Editorial criticized the Tigard Council's action in selecting the mayor, stating that it should have been done by a vote of the people, not by the Council.

Anti-Willamette River advocates Running for City Council.
Gordon S. Martin and Tom Long (both CFSW members) are running for Tigard City Council in November.

In Wilsonville, anti-Willamette advocates CFSW member Gary Betts, Lee Reedy, and Eric Dillman are running for Council, and CFSW member Dolores Scott is running for mayor.

In Tualatin, anti-Willamette advocate Ed Truax is running for City Council.

All Sherwood City Council seats up for grabs in November.
With the resignation of City Councilor Scott Franklin, all seven City Council positions, including the mayor's seat, will be on the November ballot.

"Town Hall on the Environment" meeting scheduled in Newberg.
Willamette river water quality issues will be the primary topics discussed at a Town Hall type meeting to be held Saturday, Aug. 19th at the Newberg Senior Center, from 1:00 to 3:30pm. State Senators George and Wilde will provide an overview of session, SB 1028, other water quality issues. Dr. Charles Scott will talk about toxicology in Willamette river, Dr. Hausman to talk about immunology/deformed fish (Hausman's appearance has not been confirmed). Don Fell to present info on Mercury pollution, and DEQ to talk about Willamette River clean-up efforts. During the last hour of the meeting, air quality issues will be discussed.
To reach the Senior Center, go West on 99W through Newberg until you reach Hwy. 219 North to Hillsboro. (This is also College St. North.) Continue on College until you reach Foothills Drive. You will see a green sigh that says "Senior Center". Turn left onto Foothills Drive. The Senior Center is at 101 Foothills Drive.

Come celebrate Dr. Joe Miller's 90th birthday and his contribution to Bull Run
"Pure Water Appreciation Day" will be held August 19th, 2000, from 2 to 5 pm at the Portland Central Library, in the US Bank Room (on the right just inside the front doors). Thanks will also be given to other longtime volunteers who have worked to maintain the Bull Run Watershed.

Portland plans to tap wells to meet summer water need. Aug. 9, 2000
Beginning today Portland will blend 20% Columbia Southshore wellfield water with their Bull Run water. The Bureau says that it is a routine operation, in anticipation of continued hot weather into the month of September. Portland officials will use the well supplement until Aug. 28th, at which time they will re-evaluate the water supply status.

French firm selected to run Willamette treatment plant. Aug. 8, 2000.
A committee of officials from Wilsonville, Tualatin Valley Water District, and the plant's designer-builder, Montgomery Watson, has selected USFilter to operate the treatment plant. USFilter is based in Palm Desert, Calif., and specializes in running water treatment facilities for municipal and other customers. The company has a particular interest in privatizing water treatment facilities owned by municipalities. It is wholly owned by one of the largest companies in the world - Vivendi - a French company with $23 billion in anticipated annual sales. USFilter's local offices are in Vancouver, Wash., and they will be involved in overseeing the construction of the treatment plant.
Some are speculating that USFilter will end up owning the Willamette plant.

Lawsuit filed to stop Tualatin Valley Water District Initiative Petition. Aug. 3, 2000.
On July 18th CFSW filed an Initiative Petition in the Tualatin Valley Water District to gain the right to vote on Willamette River water as their drinking water source. On Aug. 3rd. a lawsuit was filed, listing Ginny Kingsley (Wash. County Elections Manager) and Washington County as defendants. The suit was filed by Paul L. Matthews, senior vice president of Integrated Utilities Group. The firm is helping the water district negotiate a new long-term contract for buying water from Portland. The water district's law firm - Cable Huston Benedict Haagensen & Lloyd is handling the suit.
The suit seeks to determine the sufficiency of the ballot title and seeks a declaratory judgment on the validity of the Initiative Petition, claiming that it is unconstitutional based on the plaintiff's opinion that seeking a new water source is an Administrative, not Legislative decision of the board. (this is an old legal argument which never worked in Tigard last year). For more information see the Oregonian article at:
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/news/oregonian/00/08/metrosouthwest/o3_water08.frame

Tualatin Valley Water District Board members pressure Chief Petitioners. Aug. 3, 2000
Last week all three Chief Petitioners of the measure were contacted by TVWD Board Chairman Jim Duggan, who tried to convince them to drop the petition.
On Aug. 3rd Duggan and another TVWD board member (Richard Burke) met with one of the Chief Petitioners - Doug Larson - at a Cedar Mill restaurant for 2 1/2 hours. An Oregonian article on Aug. 4 stated that Larson felt pressured and possibly threatened by Duggan and Burke. The article said that Duggan acknowledged that he or Burke told Larson at one point that if the initiative wasn't halted, "we're going to explore all our options."
It's interesting to note that TVWD commissioner Richard Burke, when campaigning for his current TVWD board position last year, indicated strong opposition to drawing from the Willamette. His election web site included bold-face type to that effect. He also proposed--and promised to support--more PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT in the decision making process. In fact when the TVWD Board voted to go to the Willamette, Burke was the only member of the four who voted against it (the fifth board member was absent). Burke claimed that he voted no because there had not been enough public input.

CFSW Files Initiative petition in Tualatin. July 28, 2000
Today Tualatin Citizens for Safe Water filed an Initiative Petition in the City of Tualatin. If approximately 1500 valid signatures are gathered, an election will be held to determine if a new section should be added to the Tualatin City Charter which would require a future vote of the people before Willamette River water can be used as a drinking water source.

Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water file 2nd lawsuit. July 27, 2000
Today Wilsonville CFSW filed a 2nd lawsuit which seeks to enjoin the City from proceeding with construction of the Willamette river water treatment plant until it submits, and receives approval of, a master plan addressing the use of Willamette River surface water, including a description of water quality and an engineering evaluation of the facility's ability to meet current and proposed safe drinking water regulations for all members of the public, including children. The lawsuit was filed against the Oregon Health Division, which approved the construction plans for the treatment plant without a community master plan for surface water, which is required by law as part of the application process. The city of Wilsonville has moved equipment on to the plant construction site, and is preparing to commence construction.
A previous lawsuit filed by CFSW against the city to require compliance with the City Charter which states that a vote of the people must occur before Willamette river water can be used as a drinking water source is scheduled to be heard on September 18.

Willamette river ranked 13th worst in the nation. July 25, 2000
Over 15% of Oregon's largest industrial, municipal and federal facilities were in serious violation of the Clean Water Act at least once during a recent 15-month period, according to a review of EPA records by OSPIRG. The Willamette river ranked 13th in the nation for total toxic pollution. Wacker Siltronic Corp., Oregon Metallurgical Corp. and Ore-Ida Foods facilities were some of the facilities discharging the most toxic waste. ....."our report shows that the government is allowing polluters to continue to use Oregon's waterways as dumping grounds for toxic chemicals," said OSPIRG's Maureen Kirk.

CFSW Files Initiative petition in Sherwood. July 24, 2000
Today Citizens for Safe Water filed an Initiative Petition in the City of Sherwood. If 935 valid signatures are gathered, an election will be held to determine if a new section should be added to the Sherwood City Charter which would require a future vote of the people before Willamette River water can be used as a drinking water source. Sherwood residents are concerned that the city is contracting with Tualatin Valley Water District for their water. Tualatin Valley recently acquired a 49% interest in the Willamette treatment plant, and signed an agreement with Wilsonville which will eventually give TVWD controlling interest in the plant, and the right to sell their share of the plant to outside interests.

CFSW Files Initiative petition in Tualatin Valley Water District. July 18, 2000
Today the Citizens for Safe Water filed an Initiative Petition with the Washington County Elections Division. If 7339 valid signatures are gathered, an election will be held to ask voters in the water district if a new ordinance should be added to the TVWD governing ordinances which will require the District to hold an election before the District can use treated Willamette River water as a drinking water source. There is no time limit on the signature collection, but CFSW is aiming for the March 2001 election.
On July 6th the City of Wilsonville signed an agreement conveying a 49% interest in the existing land and future development of the Willamette river water treatment plant to the Tualatin Valley Water District.

Wilsonville Spokesman Editorial - "New water treatment plant will serve us well"., July 12, 2000
An editorial in the Wilsonville Spokesman today stated some key opinions which we would like to respond to. We would not be surprised if this editorial was precipitated by a press release from the City, because they are trying to justify a continually escalating treatment plant cost, saying it is good for the citizens.
The editorial states:

A. "Some have claimed that the election was confusing, but the measure the city put forth was fairly simple. Vote yes, and you're voting to spend up to $25 million dollars to build a plant and treat Willamette River water. Vote no and it won't happen."
Our response: Many Wilsonville voters have told us that they voted yes on both measures, thinking that if measure 3-58 (which required a future vote before the river water can be used) was not approved, the city would have the bond financing for the plant approved by the passage of 3-59 and could then proceed with the plant construction without delay. This is verified by the fact that both precincts 202 and 206 actually passed both measures. There was also confusion with the signs which read "Safe Water for Wilsonville", urging passage of measure 3-59, which approved the revenue bond measure. We believe many people voted in favor of 3-59, thinking that they were voting against Willamette river water. If only 128 people had voted differently, revenue bond measure 3-59 would not have passed.
This issue will be resolved in the near future by the courts. While this court decision is pending, we think it would be gross negligence on the part of the Wilsonville City Council members, and the Tualatin Valley Water District board members, to start construction of the plant and possibly wasting taxpayer money knowing that the courts may allow a future vote of the people. We feel confident that if a future vote is held, and the citizens of Wilsonville are given an accurate representation of the different water options available to them, that they will vote against Willamette river water.

B. "......the plant is coming in cheaper than expected, and the end is in sight."
Lets look at some past articles in the Wilsonville Spokesman:
Jeff Bauman, Spokesman, 12/31/97: City officials have estimated that a 20 mgd water treatment plant would cost around $30 million to construct."
Jeff Bauman, Spokesman, 6/3/98. "Bauman said a 10 mgd treatment plant on the river would cost an estimated $18 million to $22 million."
Thus one would assume that a 15 mgd treatment plant would cost somewhere between $18 and $30 million, not $47 million.

C. "If Wilsonville had chosen Portland, it would now be bearing the full brunt of bringing a new, lengthy and expensive pipeline to the region. Who knows when it would be completed?"
The Washington County supply line could have been extended from Tualatin to Wilsonville for between $2 and 3 million. Sherwood recently built a 24 inch 4.5 mile long line from Tualatin for $2.4 million. The plans had been drawn up years ago, and Wilsonville was planning to do it before they decided on the Willamette. They could still do it, and (according to Montgomery Watson Engineering) have it built in about two years, probably faster than they can build the Willamette treatment plant. There is excess water in the Washington County Supply Line. It also appears that the Clackamas River water line will be built in the future, bringing that water to the Tualatin area for distribution. Wilsonville could then tap into that source as a long term water source.

Tualatin Valley Water District purchases 49% interest in Willamette treatment plant. July 7, 2000.
Yesterday the City of Wilsonville signed an agreement with TVWD conveying a 49% interest in the existing land and future development of the Willamette river water treatment plant in Wilsonville. One of the Recitals in the agreement (F) states: Wilsonville and TVWD wish to provide the opportunity for other local governments in the region (as may participate through TVWD and as may otherwise be provided for in this Agreement) to participate in the ownership of the property and the ownership, development, operation and maintenance of the Supply Facilities. Another provision in the agreement allows TVWD to convey its interest to the Willamette Water Supply Agency.

Initially a 15 million gallon per day (mgd) plant will be built, with Wilsonville getting 10 mgd and TVWD 5. When the plant is later expanded to 70 mgd, Wilsonville will get 20 mgd, and TVWD 50. The estimated cost of the initial 15 mgd plant has increased $6.6 million since last November, and is now projected to cost $46.9 million. This makes it one of the most expensive 15 mgd capacity treatment plants ever built. Of the total cost, Wilsonville will pay $29.9 million, and TVWD $17 million.

Meeting Notice: Strategic Planning Committee
The Strategic Planning Committee of the Regional Water Providers Consortium Board will meet on Thursday, July 20, 2000 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. The meeting will be held in the Portland Water Bureau Fir Creek conference room, 4th floor, 1001 SW Fifth Ave. in Portland (next to Portland City Hall). At this meeting, the Committee will review the proposed changes to strategic goals in the draft 5 year plan for water and discuss next steps. The meeting is open to the public.

The "WATER SPOT" television cable show, sponsored by Citizens for Safe Water, will air its second show this Thursday (July 6) from 8 to 9 pm on cable channel 11 in the Portland metro area. The show airs live the first Thursday of each month, and allows viewers to call in. This month the subject will be the Willamette river water quality issue. Dr. Charles Scott, Environmental-Industrial Toxicologist, will lead the discussion, along with other panel members. Due to a programing conflict the first Thursday in August, the next show will be the first Thursday in September.

Four cable TV cameras were installed at the Tigard Town Hall room at Tigard City Hall. The cameras and an improved sound system will allow expanded TV coverage of City Council meetings, which will now be cablecast live the second and fourth Tuesday of the month on Channel 22. CIT meetings will be shown the first Thursday of the month at 7pm. In the future, Planning Commission meetings and possibly Hearings Officer hearings will also be cablecast live.
In contrast, the Sherwood City Council refuses to even make a listenable audio cassette available of its council meetings, despite repeated requests thruout the last year.

City of Tigard continues to study options for long term water supply. July 2, 2000

The City of Tigard is continuing its study and negotiations with three different sources for its long term water supply.
    (1)The South Fork Water Commission, which currently serves Oregon City and West Linn, and gets its water from the Clackamas river. At this time, this source appears to be the most likely one that Tigard will choose. A consultant has been hired to review permitting and other regulatory rules to ensure that the plant expansion could become a reality. Other consultants have been hired and are preparing for a staff workshop in mid-July to discuss issues and criteria for each agency which would belong. In mid September an elected officials workshop will be held to discuss these needs and begin developing a memorandum of understanding (if possible) with this source.
    (2) The Portland Water Bureau with Bull Run water. The Integrated Utility Group has reviewed reports on water rates, demands and forecast. They have developed a model to use in assessing the Portland proposal, as far as it's economic impact. Portland should be providing Tigard with a first draft outlining contract concepts soon.
    (3) The Joint Water commission which gets its water from the Trask river in the Coast Range, and Hagg Lake. EES reviewed the Joint Water Commission (JWC) Facility Plan with the IWB. The cost allocation portion of the study is ongoing. A JWC partnering meeting has been held with Tigard staff, and it is anticipated that in July 2000 the JWC will be making a preliminary decision on the feasibility of allowing Tigard into the JWC, for both short term and long term water supply. Integrated Water Resources Group is actively exploring various options of which Tigard has been included.

An article by Emily Tsao in the Southwest Neighbors section of the Oregonian today summarized the current position of the SW cities in their quest for water. The article also mentioned that for cities such as Tigard, Sherwood and Tualatin, by citing lax federal standards for drinking water and a lack of resident participation in the decision-making process, Citizens for Safe Water successfully led to the downfall of the Willamette plan. However the article went on to say that the Willamette plan seems to be dormant in most communities today, but it doesn't mean the option has gone away. Some officials still think the Willamette is the most logical answer to the area's water problem. The article quoted Tigard Public Utilities Director Ed Wegner as saying "Our timing was wrong. The best time to sell water problems is when there is a water problem. The day you tell people you can't wash their cars or wash their clothes on odd numbered days, it starts to make an impact.....We were ahead of our time." The article also quoted Wilsonville spokesman Dave Kanner as saying: "Over time, the river will only get cleaner, and the need for water is only going to get greater. Twenty to 30 years from now, who knows what is going to happen then and how people will view the river as a water source."

Sherwood plans to contract with Tualatin Valley Water District for water. Sherwood, Or.

In an article in the Sherwood Gazette, Sherwood mayor Walt Hitchcock stated that "We've rejected going to the Willamette because the $20 million-plus price tag would result in a likely tripling of our water rates, as we've seen in Wilsonville, in spite of that city receiving $10 million from the State and having essentially no pipelines to build." Hitchcock went on to say that Sherwood has activated their water supply contract with the Tualatin Valley Water District for water during the next five years, and has directed city staff to negotiate an operating agreement with TVWD. Some of the water system functions would be contracted out immediately, and some would be phased in over time. If the two organizations are compatible, they may merge their water system with TVWD on a long term basis.

Smurfit Paper may get reduced penalty for dumping. Oregon City, Or., June 19, 2000.

An Oregonian article today by Brent Hunsburger revealed that the former owners of Smurfit Paper may benefit from policies that reduce criminal and civil penalties if companies voluntarily report environmental violations. The Oregon DEQ is considering reducing Smurfit Newsprint's civil penalty from nearly a half-million dollars to less than $100,000. The company, which owns plants on the Willamette River at Newberg and at Willamette Falls, voluntarily reported last year that its environmental manager falsified compliance reports about pollution levels in its waste water which empties into the Willamette river. The report stated that compliance reports had been altered 58 times between 1994 and 1999 to make regulators think its waste water discharges were legal. State Officials said those false reports led to 26 occasions in which the mill's water, discharged at a rate of as much as 15 million gallons a day, exceeded its permit limits for total suspended solids.

OHSU receives $11 million grant to open new Superfund basic research center. Portland, Or.

CROET, the Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology, has received a five year, $11 million federal grant to establish a Superfund basic research center in Oregon. The new research center will be comprised of a consortium of biomedical and non-biomedical scientists drawn from OHSU, Oregon State University and Battelle in Richland, Wash. The center will explore nervous system impacts of widespread environmental pollutants that commonly contaminate water used for bathing and drinking. Scientists will determine how these chemicals circulate in the body and enter the brain. Researchers also will study the adverse actions chemicals may have on the brain during development and throughout the aging process.

Joint Water Commission continues expansion of conduits. Hillsboro, Or., June 8, 2000

Construction has begun on a 6.3 mile, $23 million waterline between Forest Grove and Hillsboro.
The 72 inch line should be completed in two years, and will ultimately allow Tualatin Valley Water District to reduce their dependence on the Portland Bull Run system. TVWD currently gets about 90% of its water from Portland, but has stated that in a few years this and future pipeline improvements will allow it to reduce its demand on the Portland system from the current 85% to 60%. The Joint Water Commission gets its water from the Trask River, and Scoggins Dam at Hagg Lake.

Watershed of Little Sandy may gain Federal Protection, Portland, Or., May 31, 2000

At a press conference today a bill sponsored jointly by Democrats Sen. Ron Wyden and Rep. Earl Blumenauer and Republican Sen. Gordon Smith was introduced. The bill would prohibit logging, roadbuilding and public access in the 2,890 acre Little Sandy River watershed, immediately south of the Bull Run watershed. The Little Sandy river feeds into the Bull Run downstream of the reservoirs, which supply Portland's water - its protection will not affect the city's current water supply. City officials call the protection of Little Sandy important because the river could supply Portland water in the future and because the area could become a stronghold for salmon and steelhead. Jeremy Hall, Northwest field representative for Oregon Natural Resources Council, called the proposal "a model for watershed protection in the Northwest." "Our national forests are the anchors for clean drinking water across much of Oregon," Hall said. "Continued logging and road construction puts drinking water for most Oregonians at risk."

Cost of sludge removal from Willamette River treatment plant calculated, May 30, 2000

Dr Charles Scott, Environmental-Industrial Toxicologist, calculated the cost to dispose of the waste created by the Willamette treatment plant. To see this summary, click on: Cost.

Ontario officials investigate deadly outbreak of E. coli in public water system, May 26, 2000

Today police in Ontario launched an investigation to determine whether criminal negligence was responsible for one of the deadliest outbreaks of E. coli bacterial infection ever in North America. The epidemic in the small farming town of Walkerton, has killed five people and made more than 1000 terribly ill. Authorities think the runoff from farm fields washed into Walkerton's public water supplies during heavy rains and flooding in the middle of May. Even then, the germs should have been killed by the chlorination process routine for water treatment systems.

But the machine that injects the chemical into Walkerton's system was broken, although the public apparently was not advised. "We could have prevented all these deaths," said Dr. Murray McQuigge, a Harvard-trained public health officer." He repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of Walkerton's water supply as area residents started falling ill. He said utility officials disregarded repeated warnings that the water was contaminated for at least five days after lab reports showed dangerous levels of E. coli germs. High-powered lawyers flocked to Walkerton in anticipation of lawsuits against municipal authorities.

The lesson to be learned from this is that any unprotected water source is vulnerable to contamination, and to human error from those running the water treatment facility. With Bull Run water (from a protected source) there is very little chance for this type of problem occurring.

The Wilsonville CFSW won a court challenge by the City of Wilsonville to throw out the CFSW lawsuit which had been filed against the city to compel the city to honor the City Charter and allow a vote of the people on the Willamette river water issue. On May 22nd. Judge Eve Miller heard the case at the Clackamas County Courthouse. She ruled on May 25. The City was represented by their City Attorney - Michael Kohlhoff, who had filed the motion to throw out the lawsuit. The Citizens for Safe Water were represented by Linda Williams (who in our opinion did an excellent job). The case will now be heard at a future date to determine if the Wilsonville citizens will be able to vote on their water source.

EPA proposes stricter standards on arsenic in tap water, Washington, DC, May 24, 2000

Today the Environmental Protection Agency proposed strict new regulations of arsenic in tap water, reducing by 90% the public's maximum exposure to the chemical, which causes cancer and is found at harmful levels in at least one out of 10 of the nation's community water supplies. Citizens for Safe Water have always claimed that the EPA "Safe Drinking Water Standards" are too high. The current EPA standards for arsenic in drinking water are 50 parts per billion (where it has been since 1975). The EPA now wants to lower the standard from 50 to 5, claiming that any level above 5 is harmful.

CFSW is launching a Tualatin Valley Community Access series of public interest television programs about safe drinking water to be aired live on cable in the Portland Metropolitan area the first Thursday of the month on Channel 11. The program will repeat on channel 9 and 33 thru out the month on the west side (Tualatin Valley) area only. See the schedule by clicking on SCHEDULE.

On Thursday, June 1, 8-9 pm, the first program debuts with a discussion about alternative water sources that will meet the future drinking water needs of the southwest cities. A portion of the program will be dedicated to answering questions called in by viewers. For more information call Tom Long, at 684-5183.

A Tigard Times article today (by Jennifer Bent) related that Tigard is still considering both the Joint Water Commission (Trask river - Scoggins Dam, Hagg Lake) water sources and also the South Fork Water Board (Clackamas River source) as their long term supply. If Tigard joins the Joint Water Commission, it would require raising Scoggins Dam. This would require about 7 years construction time and about $60 million for Tigard's share over the next 40 years, Tigard Public Utilities Manager Mike Miller stated. Tigard has also commissioned an engineering study along with the South Fork board to determine what plant expansions and pipeline improvements would be needed, how much they would cost, and how to get the water from the Clackamas river to Tigard. It is expected to be finished in December. "The direction of our council has always been ownership (of a water source)," said Miller. "They want the ability to actually have control so we're not having the big city telling us what we'll be paying. Both of these options would give us that."

Tualatin voters decidedly defeated the Tualatin Revenue Bond measure to authorize $5.5 million for Tualatin's initial share of the Willamette River water treatment plant. 4636 Washington County voters residing in the City of Tualatin cast their votes, with 3374 voting no, and 1262 voting yes. Thus 73% voted against Willamette River water. An additional 300 or so Clackamas County voters also living within the City of Tualatin also voted, with similar results. Thus Tualatin citizens join Tigard, Wilsonville and Sherwood in voting against the Willamette.

Today the four Citizens for Safe Water chapters in Tigard, Wilsonville, Tualatin and Sherwood submitted a formal statement to the Regional Water Providers Consortium Board. The statement conveyed the CFSW position regarding future water sources for the SW cities, and requested that a fifth scenario (which does not include the Willamette River treatment plant) be added to the existing four scenarios in the "Regional Transmission and Storage Strategy" report. The statement is posted on the CFSW website and can be seen by clicking on STATEMENT.

Today the Tualatin Citizens for Safe Water group filed a complaint with the Oregon Secretary of State's office concerning a brochure produced by the Willamette Water Supply Agency about drinking water . The agency represents seven different cities which are considering the Willamette as a water source. However the brochure was only sent to Tualatin residents (who are voting on May 16 to authorize 5.5 million dollars for Tualatin's initial share of the Willamette treatment plant). CFSW claims that the brochure's timing, content and audience (Tualatin) make it political in nature and violate a state statute prohibiting political activity to influence an election by public employees during their work time. The brochure also used a City of Tualatin bulk mailing permit. The brochure contained several inaccurate statements, including the statement that the EPA and DEQ have stated that treated Willamette River water will be safe to drink. Inquiries to the EPA and DEQ have verified that they made no such statement.

Other earlier complaints filed with the Secretary of State's office regarding electioneering in the Wilsonville election, and the conduct of an illegal Wilsonville funding committee (H2OK) are still pending.

The Technical Committee of the Regional Water Provider's Consortium will meet on Tuesday, May 16, 2000 at 1:30 pm at the City of Tigard Water Department, located at the intersection of Hall and Burnham in Tigard. At this meeting, the Technical Committee will discuss changes to the Draft Regional Transmission and Storage Strategy Report. A public comment period will be provided.

The Regional Water Providers Consortium board will meet Wednesday June 7, at 7 pm, at the Metro Council Chambers in NE Portland. The board will probably vote on and adopt the recommended plan from the Regional Transmission and Storage Strategy Report. A public comment period will be provided. Citizens for Safe Water is requesting a fifth scenario be added to the plan, which would allow for the possibility that the Willamette plant is not built.

An Oregonian article today by Greg Nokes described Portland's plan to begin testing Aquifer Storage and Recovery in the Columbia Southshore Wellfield. Bull Run water would be pumped into most of the city's two dozen wells during water-surplus winter months and stored in the underground basalt aquifers. It would then be available to augment the regular Bull Run supply during any water-short summer months, or during emergencies. The five wells near Blue Lake would not be used. The water drawn from the wells would be almost all Bull Run, all the time. The tests will take from two to five years. The Portland project could produce an additional 50 to 60 million gallons a day of water.

An article in the Los Angeles Daily News described comments from experts regarding the proposed plan to derive drinking water from recycled sewer water. The experts stated that biological and chemical contaminants in waste water in the so-called "toilet-to-tap" program pose a threat to human health because of the difficulty of detection and filtration. The project (now on hold) could start producing recycled water for use in about five years. "They're always inventing new chemicals for all kinds of purposes, and they end up in the waste water," said water reuse consultant Daniel Okun. "We don't know how to measure them because they don't tell us what's there, they're trade secrets. There are thousands and thousands of these chemical in the water," he said.

After several more hours of public comments against the Willamette treatment plant, the Wilsonville Development Review Board approved a Conditional Use Permit and Site and Design Plans for the treatment plant. It is interesting that the approval includes an access road, which they do not yet have permission to use. The Resolution included a statement that the Women's prison will be provided water from the City of Wilsonville pursuant to a Cooperative Intergovernmental Agreement between the Oregon Department of Corrections and the City. It says that "Permitting of the Water Treatment Plant is necessary for the construction and operation of the Women's Prison and Intake Center; therefore, action on this application was taken within 29 days of filing in order to allow for complete processing within the 60 day time limit established in SB 686 (Chapter 982, Oregon laws; ORS 421.635 et seq.)."

On Sept. 21, 1999 Wilsonville voters approved a measure which changed the City Charter to require a vote of the people before Willamette River water can be used as a drinking water source. The city refuses to allow this vote, claiming that a revenue bond funding measure which was also approved on the same date satisfies the required future vote of the people. Wilsonville CFSW filed a lawsuit to force the city to comply with the Charter amendment, and allow a vote of the citizens. The Wilsonville city attorney filed a motion with the court to throw the lawsuit out. On May 1st, 2000, CFSW's legal council filed a response to the city attorney's action. The response is posted on our website. To view it click on: Response.

A March 9 memo from the Division of State Lands to interested parties regarding the Willamette Treatment plant stated that comments on the removal and fill permit application must be received by April 7, 2000. Numerous individuals and groups submitted their comments prior to this deadline, requesting a full public hearing on the Willamette plant.
Mr. Stephen Purchase, assistant Director - Field Operations, recently stated that the Wilsonville City Attorney has stated that the requests for a public hearing were not submitted in time, and that the DSL legal staff agrees with him, stating that the April 7 deadline given by DSL for public comments or requests for a hearing was in error. They therefore do not intend to allow a public hearing.

An article in the Oregonian today by Brent Hunsberger stated that according to EPA records, industries discharged 4.1 million pounds of pollutants in the Willamette River in 1997, up from 2 million pounds in 1995. The report indicated that metal producers, high-tech firms and pulp and wood products industries accounted for the bulk of the discharges. Wacker Siltronic in Portland and OremetWah Chang and Oregon Metallurgical in Albany topped the list, each discharging about 1 million pounds in 1997.

The mid Willamette Valley's third reported fish kill in the past week has been blamed on a metal manufacturing plant in Millersburg - OreMet Wah Chang, which discharges wastewater into a creek which flows into the Willamette River. The OreMet plant is already listed as a Superfund site because heavy metals and solvents used in the plant have contaminated groundwater near the Willamette River.
Last week several thousand fish were killed in Pringle Creek in Salem when a tank leaked sulfuric acid into wastewater and ground water at a Mitsubishi Silicon America plant.

Last night a public workshop on the Regional Water Providers Consortium Draft Regional Transmission and Storage Strategy Report ( RT/S) was held at the Tualatin Valley Water District building. In the past, the consortium commissioned Montgomery Watson (the engineering firm that is also designing and building the Willamette water treatment plant) to do the RT/S study. (Sound like the fox guarding the chicken coup?) The workshop was led by Montgomery Watson - Willamette treatment plant project director Joe Glicker. Glicker was assisted by Portland Water Bureau planner Lorna Stickel. In his summary, Glicker stated that each water provider should have a primary supply from one of six major sources (identified as having a capacity in excess of 10 mgd). He identified the six sources as the Portland Bull Run, the Portland Well Field, the Joint Water Commission utilizing the Trask river (in the Coast Range), the Clackamas River utilized by four water suppliers, local groundwater, and the Willamette River supply currently under design and construction. Glicker also stated that each provider should have access to a secondary source of supply that is another of the six major sources, as an emergency source.
      He said that the Portland Bull Run expansion is currently being investigated for an additional 120 mgd, the Joint Water Commission (Trask River ) can be expanded to 120 mgd, the total output of the four suppliers on the Clackamas could be expanded to 140 mgd.
      It is important to note that when asked where the SW cities such as Tigard, Tualatin, Sherwood and Wilsonville would get their water for the next 50 years if the Willamette treatment plant is not built, Glicker stated that the Trask and Clackamas expansions would provide enough water.
      Stickel provided her usual support to Glicker and the Willamette plant by continuing to degrade the Bull Run option. For example when she was asked about increasing the supply from the Portland Bull Run system, her reply was " It's not a matter of increasing the supply, it's can we keep what we have." We will not be surprised to see Stickel going to work for Montgomery Watson in the near future, as did Tualatin Valley Water District employee Kevin Hanway, who left his firm with 15 days notice.
      This June the report will be presented to the Consortium, which will probably adopt it. It will then be up to each individual water provider to follow the recommendations of the report if they choose to do so.

A story today titled "EPA reworks water rules" stated that this summer the US EPA will issue new tighter rules on water-quality standards, discharge permits, and pollutant loads in streams. The draft rules, issued in August 1999, brought a flurry of protest from agriculture trade groups. Among controversial items is a proposal to make confined animal feeding operations subject to federal discharge permits, similar to those issued to community sewage treatment plants.

As of 10pm today (Election Day) the Sherwood Revenue Bond measure 34-9 was going down in defeat by 81% to 19%. CFSW has campaigned against this funding for Sherwood's share of the Willamette River treatment plant. Voter turnout was high for a special election, with 2446 (40%) of the city's 6138 voters returning their ballots in this vote by mail election. This should send a strong message to the Sherwood City Council that Sherwood residents do not want to drink Willamette River water. Tualatin will have a similar vote on May 16.

Michael Rosenberger - Administrator of the Portland Water Bureau - will be the featured speaker at a Public Informational Meeting to be held Tuesday, April 18, 7:30 pm at the Tualatin High School. The meeting will be in the lecture room across from the main office. For further information call Kathy Newcomb, 692-5227.

The Washington County Elections Division reported that as of today 1638 ballots out of about 6000 have been returned for Sherwood measure 34-9, which is the Revenue Bond funding for Sherwood's share of the Willamette River treatment plant. The deadline for returning ballots is March 14.

In a last minute attempt to sway voters, the City of Sherwood included an insert in the city's latest water bills, titled "Water Bond Election Fact Sheet." The insert made some claims which we believe are not an accurate representation of the facts to the voters. The insert states that the supplemental Bull Run water Sherwood has been getting from Tualatin is available only when Tualatin has a surplus, and that there may not be a surplus and therefore there may not be extra water available to Sherwood, starting this summer during high usage periods. Our response is as follows: At this time Tualatin has a contract with Portland for 10.8 million gallons per day (mgd) of Bull Run water. Last summer Tualatin had a peak usage of about 7.5 mgd. Tualatin has a contract to supply Sherwood with 1.0 mgd. Sherwood still has its four producing wells to provide water. It is highly unlikely that the demand this summer or next summer will exceed the supply. In addition. late last year the City of Portland in several letters told Tualatin that a new contract for an additional 6 mgd could be negotiated. But neither Tualatin nor Sherwood has pursued this offer because they both want to go to the Willamette River.

The insert also stated that Sherwood has several significant internal improvements that must be done to provide adequate pressure and quantity in several areas of the city. The Vineyards and Woodhaven developments have low pressure, as will the new elementary school. This situation mandates that we build several new pipelines and reservoirs. It went on to say Last year the City Council approved issuing enough bonds to construct the internal improvements and to pursue a new water source. The city is ready to proceed with the internal system improvements. But without the water revenue bonds, these projects will not be able to proceed without finding another funding source, which is unlikely.

Our response to this is as follows: This is the first we have heard of this. During the many months of discussion leading up to the Oct. 12, 1999 City Council meeting at which they agreed to approve the revenue bond to finance the Willamette River project at the next meeting, the Council never mentioned needing funding for internal improvements. In fact, at the Oct. 12 meeting one of the Councilors asked the City Finance Director if they had to approve the bond funding at that time, and his answer was not unless they wanted to go to the Willamette River for their long term water. In addition, at this same meeting, the mayor mentioned that the City had 6 or 7 million dollars in revenue bond authority which they have had for many years, and have not used. These could be used to pay for any internal system improvements, which the City estimates should cost less than 4 million dollars.

The insert also stated that Without the water revenue bonds, these (internal system improvement) projects will not be able to proceed without finding another funding source, which is unlikely.

Our response to this is as follows: If this ballot measure is turned down by the voters, and the city wants additional funding for internal improvements, or for a water source other than the Willamette River, all they have to do is pass another resolution, stating in the resolution that the revenue bond funding will not be used for a Willamette River water source. It is highly unlikely that the citizens would oppose this.

In conclusion, Citizens for Safe Water is of the opinion that this insert is in violation of State Election Law. The Oregon Department of Justice, in a direction to the Elections Division of the Secretary of State Office, stated that "Public bodies generally may provide information to the public concerning their activities. However, when the information relates to a measure before the voters, special care should be taken to ensure that the information is fairly presented and is not used to lead voters to support a particular position in the election. In view of the potential financial penalties for violation of ORS260.432 and 294.100, we urge agencies to consult with counsel before embarking on any informational program related to a ballot measure."

Tonight the Intergovernmental Water Board (composed of representatives from Tigard, King City, Durham, and the unincorporated area) met and was briefed by Tigard Public Utilities Director Ed Wegner on the options Tigard is looking at for a long term water supply. They are looking at three options:

1. The Joint Water Commission. Tigard consulted with them in the Fall of 1999 for a 50 year water source. If Tigard goes with them, the first few years Tigard would be wholesale customers, rather than having an equity ownership, until the Scoggins or Barney dam is raised. (The USA is considering raising Scoggins Dam for their water needs). A 72 inch line is now being built from Barney to Sexton mountain in Beaverton. The Tigard proposal would involve extending the line from Sexton mountain to Tigard. Tigard could get about 5 mgd beginning in 2002, 8 mgd by 2005, and 15 mgd by 2010. CH2M-Hill is the consultant doing the cost calculations. Tigard's share would cost about $51 million. The Joint Water Commission will probably let Tigard know what they want to do by the end of March (this month).

2. The South Fork Water Board. The South Fork Water Board supplies water to Oregon City and West Linn. They get their water from the Clackamas river. The existing Clackamas water treatment plant can be expanded by 60 mgd. On Feb. 24 the South Fork Board voted 4 to 1 to adopt a policy to offer water to other cities. This would require an expansion of the existing treatment plant, and a new Willamette river crossing (underwater). The existing river intake is adequate in size to serve additional cities, and the existing transmission lines to Tigard are large enough for 11 mgd. Other cities interested in participating along with Tigard in joining the South Fork expansion are the North Clackamas Water Commission, Gladstone, and possibly Lake Oswego. As opposed to the Joint Water Commission scenario, the South Fork proposal would provide an immediate guarantee of water rights to its new participants. It appears that Tigard is leaning toward this proposal.

3. The City of Portland Bull Run. Wegner said that last year the "oversight committee" (composed of representatives of the SW cities) was meeting periodically to discuss the terms of a new long term contract with Portland. But he said that since the Tigard election on Sept. 21, 1999, the City of Portland has "dropped the ball" in negotiating with the southwest cities regarding Bull Run water, and has not had a meeting since Dec. 17. He said that Portland does not want to meet with Tigard, and that a lot of the SW wholesale customers are getting "edgy" about Portland as an ongoing supplier of water.

Wegner also stated that Tigard's projected water rates will be increasing about 73% during the next 10 years to pay for improvements to Tigard's existing water system (includes two new reservoirs). The projected rate will increase from $1.32/ccf in FY 2000 to $2.28/ccf in FY2010. The rate will be higher if they participate in a new water supply project.

Last night the City of Wilsonville and Montgomery Watson Engineering held an open house and community workshop revealing their plans for the water treatment plant. Most of the time was used to discuss the design, architecture and landscaping design. Public turnout was relatively low. Some points mentioned: Montgomery Watson Constructors Inc. is the prime contractor for the project. They plan to begin construction in July 2000, and finish in Apr. 2002. The water intake will still be 120 mgd, but the maximum plant capacity at buildout (on this site) will be 70 instead of 120 mgd. Initially the plant will produce 10 to 15 mgd. The plant will not operate at night. They will have 3 or 4 employees. The sludge removed from the water will be trucked out to a landfill (possibly one approved for hazardous waste). For the first 5 years there will be about one truckload per day - later (at 70 mgd) 3 to 4 trucks a day, daily. The initial cost is estimated at $36 million. When asked what the cost contribution allocation would be (how much of this the city would pay, Dept. of Corrections would pay, etc) amazingly Wilsonville PR point man Dave Kanner said they did not know yet. But they will begin construction this July.

Today the Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water filed their lawsuit against the City to ask for a declaratory judgment on whether the city can build the Willamette treatment plant without having a vote of the citizens as is required by their city charter.

An Oregonian article today by Dana Tims stated that in March Wilsonville plans to approve the first of numerous water rate increases to pay for a $36 million water treatment plant. (Our comment - voters approved bond funding up to $25 million) The article said that by the time the plant comes on line in Apr. 2002 the average residential water bill in the summer will be $74 for water alone.

The Regional Water Consortium Board will meet on Wednesday, March 1 at 7 - 9 pm in the Metro Council Chambers, located at 600 N.E. Grand Ave. in Portland. The Board will hear a presentation and discuss the Draft Regional Transmission and Storage Strategy. A public comment period will be provided.

On Feb. 22nd. the Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water group will be filing a lawsuit against the City of Wilsonville. The suit will ask for a declaratory judgment on whether the city can build the Willamette treatment plant without having a vote of the citizens as is required by their city charter. The city has formally stated they will not allow a vote.

On Tuesday, Feb. 22, the City of Wilsonville is having an open house and community workshop revealing the plans for the water treatment plant. It is expected they will have a model or mock up of the plant layout. The city has been running adds asking citizens to attend and give their input. The meeting is at the Living Enrichment Center, 29500 SW Grahams Ferry Road. The open house segment will be from 6 to 7 pm, and the workshop from 7 to 9 pm. The city plans to break ground for the treatment plant in July. Those wanting more information can call 570-1505.

Today the Tualatin Citizens for Safe Water group turned in about 825 signatures to the city, assuring their referendum on the revenue bond funding at the May 16 election. About 525 signatures were required. Their measure number is 34-11.

An article in the Oregonian today stated that Tigard may become a partner in the South Fork Water Board that supplies water to Oregon City and West Linn. An engineering report on the concept is due from Murray Smith & Associates on Feb. 11.

Last Monday arguments on the ballot title challenge for Sherwood and Tualatin regarding the Referendum on the Revenue Bond authorizations of each city to fund their share of the Willamette River treatment plant were heard by Judge Mark Gardner of the Circuit Court. The petitioners, who were members of the Citizens for Safe Water organizations in Tigard and Tualatin appeared pro se (without legal council).

Today (Thursday) judgment was rendered. The petitioners prevailed in each case. Thus each city's ballot title, as rewritten by the judge, now has references to the Willamette river in the Caption, Question and Summary sections. In addition, the petitioners were awarded "reasonable costs and disbursements".

The measure will be on the Mar. 14 mail in ballot for Sherwood. If the Tualatin CFSW group turns in enough valid signatures by Feb. 1, theirs will be on the May 16 ballot. The Tualatin group claims they should have enough signatures at this time to comply.

Today the Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water filed an objection with the LCDC “Periodic Review Specialist” stating that the City’s adoption of Ordinance No. 514, adopting a Public Facilities Water Strategy for Development in the City (and ending the moratorium on new construction) is flawed because it fails to provide a source of water for the City in the event that the construction of the Willamette River Treatment Plant is delayed or stopped.

Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water recently obtained a copy of a letter dated March 10, 1999, from the manager of the Clackamas River Water District to the Public Works Director of Wilsonville, with copies to Tigard and Tualatin. The letter stated that the Clackamas water treatment plant could be expanded by 60 mgd, and that they could supply water to Wilsonville, Tualatin, Tigard, etc. on a long term basis. The letter also included an engineering drawing by Black & Veatch depicting two possible routes for the transmission lines.

Last Fall Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water filed a complaint with the Secretary of State Elections Division because the City of Wilsonville said that there were only two options available to them for water - The Willamette river and the Bull Run. The City did not mention additional wells, or the Clackamas River as available sources. The Elections Division will be addressing this case shortly.

Last week the Sherwood City Council tried to abandon the Ballot Title Challenge which is scheduled to be heard by the Circuit Court on Jan. 24. The Ballot challenge was previously filed by Tigard CFSW member Gordon Martin. Amazingly, at their Jan. 11 City Council meeting, the Council wrote a new ballot title, and the following day filed it with the County Elections division for the Mar. 14 election, and filed a notice in the Oregonian on Jan. 17, thus starting the process all over again. CFSW asked the Secretary of State for a legal opinion of their action. Their response was that the Council's action was illegal. The city then dropped it and continued with the original ballot title.

An article in the Times today by Jennifer Bent quoted Tigard City Manager Bill Monahan as saying “At this time we are not a contributing part of the construction of the (Willamette water treatment) plant, and they are not building capacity for us”.

An Editorial in the Times today stated that serious accounting problems were revealed by auditors of the City of Sherwood’s financial records. The fourteen findings included a 20% error rate for posting expenditures; quotes were not received on 40% of the city’s purchases, proper authorization was not received before change orders were implemented, and bank reconciliations were not completed on a timely basis. The editorial commented that no one really seems to know the depth of Sherwood’s financial sloppiness. (A number of months ago the City Council fired the city manager, and following this eight key city staff members quit. Since then the city has been floundering in its leadership and decision making capability).

An Oregonian article stated that a power failure caused about a half million gallons of raw sewage to spill into the Willamette river. The Oak Grove Sanitary District pump station was without electrical power for 27 hours. The district has four other outlying pump stations. None has backup power sources. Each year tens of millions of gallons of raw sewage “accidentally” discharge into the Willamette. A specialist with the DEQ said that the district was not required to have backup power at the pump station.

A story today by Emily Tsao stated that Tigard is having discussions with other water providers for their long term drinking water source. They are negotiating with the Joint Water Commission for Trask river water (from the coast range), and with the South Fork Water Board (West Linn and Oregon City). The South Fork Board is looking at expanding the Clackamas River facility. Aside from these two options, Tigard officials say they are continuing efforts to discuss long term water plans with Portland.

In response to a letter from Wilsonville CFSW’s legal council, the Wilsonville City Attorney stated that the City does not intend to allow the citizens to vote on using the Willamette as a drinking water source. On September 21^st, CFSW’s measure 3-58 passed, thus changing the City Charter to require a future vote before Willamette water can be used. But at the same election, the city measure 3-59 for revenue bond funding for a Willamette treatment plant also passed. The city claims the passage of 3-59 takes the place of the required future vote mandated by measure 3-58. A court will decide the outcome of this issue.

Today the Sherwood Citizens for Safe Water delivered 461 signatures to Sherwood City Hall, to force a vote on the $18,000,000 revenue bond approved by the city to finance their share of the Willamette treatment plant. About 315 valid signatures are required. The measure may be on the May 16, 2000 ballot. Those wanting to assist in the Sherwood campaign can call 625-3908.

Today the Tualatin Citizens for Safe Water filed a petition in Circuit Court to review the ballot title as prepared by the Tualatin City Attorney. The attorney deleted the reference to the Willamette river from the "Question" part of the ballot title, which is what residents will be reading when they vote on the revenue bond funding for the Willamette treatment plant. Help is needed in gathering 700 signatures by Feb. 1. Call 692-5227 if you can help get some signatures.

The City of Wilsonville is challenging the required vote by the citizens' measure, saying that the passage of the Revenue bond funding measure takes the place of the vote required by the City Charter Amendment. The Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water are seeking a court interpretation of this.

Tualatin and Sherwood city councils have each passed a resolution of approval for a Revenue Bond offering to fund their share of the treatment plant. In both cases, the title of the Revenue Bond does not mention the Willamette river. Citizens for Safe water chapters in Tualatin and Sherwood have each filed a petition, and are gathering signatures to force a vote on the revenue bond. A challenge has also been filed to the Ballot Title as written by the City of Sherwood attorney because he dropped the reference to the Willamette river from the ballot title. A similar challenge is expected for Tualatin. Sherwood needs to gather about 400 signatures by Dec. 30th, Tualatin needs about 700 by Feb. 1st. Those wishing to help get some signatures can call Sherwood - 625-3908; or Tualatin - 692-5227.

Portland, Or., Oct. 14, 1990

A 24 inch water main burst Wednesday afternoon in SW Portland, shutting down Capitol Highway and Bertha Blvd. near SW Vermont St. for more than two hours. The pipe carries water from Portland's supply to Tigard. There was no service interruption in Tigard because the line was not in use Wednesday, said Ross Walker, Water Bureau spokeswoman.

Wilsonville, Or., Oct.8, 1999

An attempt to recall Wilsonville mayor Charlotte Lehan failed Thursday. The recall effort, sponsored by Oregonians for Health and Water, required at least 609 valid signatures of registered voters residing in the City of Wilsonville. The group turned in 709 signatures. However a final count showed that only 477 belonged to registered voters. Thus, fully one third of those signing the petition, who, when asked if they were registered voters who lived in the City of Wilsonville and indicated that they were, were not. This is not within the parameter of chance.

Tigard, Or., Oct. 7, 1999

An article in the Tigard Times today, by Jennifer Bent indicated that as a result of the strong Tigard voter approval of measure 34-8, and also the strong voter turnout, the other cities (along with Tigard) are now in limbo in deciding whether to pursue the Willamette option. Without Tigard's participation, the plant will have to be scaled down in size, and may cost more for the other cities. Regarding the Intergovernmental Agreement Tigard has with King City, Durham, and the Unincorporated areas which contract water from Tigard, and the threat of a lawsuit against Tigard for not participating in the Willamette option, Tigard mayor Nicoli was quoted as saying "Some people's interpretation is that because of the (agreement), we have no other options, regardless of the voters. Other people feel that a court might not interpret it that way."

Portland, Or., Oct. 2, 1999

An Editorial in the Oregonian (Metro NW Edition) stated that Wilsonville voters wisely chose the Willamette, and that other cities should follow their pragmatic lead. Astoundingly, in his wisdom as a "self appointed water quality expert", this editor included the statement "And despite opponents' scare tactics, , there is no question that the water can be made safe to drink."

In response to this editorial, Dr. Ralph Crawshaw wrote a letter to the editor, stating that to dismiss health concerns of so many water drinkers as "scare tactics" places The Oregonian in the position of the media 30 years ago, when it was popular to dismiss health concerns for the lack of immediate connections between tobacco smoke and lung cancer, between damaged children and the Love Canal, and between nuclear testing and radioactive citizens.

Sherwood, Or., Sept. 28, 1999

Monday, the City of Sherwood completed construction of it's second water line bringing Bull Run water from Tualatin to Sherwood (they have an existing 12 inch line) .This one is a 4.5 mile, 2.4 million dollar 24 inch line, and with the elevation gradient between the two cities, there is about 180 PSI pressure, which would allow up to 12 million gallons a day of capacity. However the present contract with Tualatin is for about 1 million gallons per day average. If Sherwood votes to go to the Willamette, the line will then carry Willamette river water instead of Bull Run water.

Tigard, Or., Sept. 23, 1999

An Oregonian article today in the Metro NW edition, by Emily Tsao, was titled: TIGARD VOTE DIMS HOPES OF TAPPING WILLAMETTE. She stated that some Tigard officials say the issue in Tigard has not yet been decided, and that others say the voters have spoken against drinking from the Willamette. Strong support on the charter amendment, according to some, does not bode well for the Willamette proponents in the second vote that will ask residents whether they want to drink from the Willamette.

Tigard, Or., Sept. 22, 1999.
Ballot measure 34-8, sponsored by Tigard Citizens for Safe Water passed decidedly last night, with a vote of 7540 to 1431. The measure changes the city charter to require a future majority vote before Willamette river water can be used as a drinking water source. The voter turnout was strong for a special election in Tigard, with 41% returning their ballots. This vote should send a strong message to the Tigard City Council that the citizens, which are presently getting 90% of their water from the pristine Bull Run source, have not been presented with any logical arguments to justify changing to a questionable water source, which will ultimately cost more money.

Wilsonville, Or., Sept. 22, 1999.
Ballot measure 3-58, sponsored by Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water passed with a vote of 1826 to 1597. The measure changes the city charter to require a future majority vote before the Willamette can be used as a drinking water source.

However, the City of Wilsonville sponsored ballot measure 3-59 also passed, with a vote of 1868 to 1614. This measure approves $25 million in revenue bond funding if the filter plant is actually built. The City of Wilsonville attorney claims that passage of 3-59 takes the place of the required future vote by 3-58. Our interpretation of the Ballot Title is that it does not. The answer to this question may ultimately be answered in a courtroom. It is also interesting that about the same number of voters approved measure 3-58 that approved 3-59. It is very possible that many voting for 3-59 thought they were voting against the Willamette. The PAC LAWN, of which Wilsonville councilor Allen Kirk is Treasurer, strongly campaigned for 3-59. Their signs simply said "Safe Water for Wilsonville", vote Yes on 3-59.

Wilsonville, Or., Sept. 15, 1999
At a press conference today, Oregonians for Health and Water representatives Dr. Marvin Hausman, Dr. Michael Feves, and two State Senators revealed that 7 of 8 Pike Minnow fish caught during the last week had tumors and or lesions. The fish were about 10 inches long. A biopsy was done on the fish, and samples of the tumors, and internal organs were flash frozen and sent off to an independent laboratory for analysis. Pictures of these fish are available on this web site under the section The Water Quality Issue. Select the bullet “Recent Stressed Fish Picures.

Hillsboro, Or., Sept. 1, 1999
An Oregonian article today titled Ratcheting up water delivery system revealed that the Tualatin Valley Water District is laying five miles of 48 inch diameter water pipe along the south side of Sunset highway from Cornelius Pass road east to just past NW 158^th avenue where it will connect with another main. The article states that currently about 90% of the TVWD water comes from the Portland Bull Run system, and about 10% from the joint water commission, which draws from Barney reservoir in the Coast Range. The article also indicated that as the district expands its pipes in the years ahead, the share from Portland should drop from 90 to about 60 percent. This will free up Bull Run water for other West Side users.

Tigard, Or., Sept. 1, 1999
The results of an Economic study of water options for Tigard and Wilsonville was revealed today at a press conference outside Tigard City Hall. The study was commissioned by Tigard and Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water. Michael Sheehan, of the firm Fisher, Sheehan & Colton concluded that Tigard would be foolish to change to the Willamette. He also stated that Wilsonville could build a line to Beaverton for Bull Run water, or construct new wells in the Troutdale Aquifer south of Wilsonville. Each of these options would cost less than the proposed Willamette treatment plant option. The report is posted on this web site under COST COMPARISON.

Tigard, Or., Aug. 31, 1999
Today Jim Hansen (Tigard Citizens for Safe Water) filed an elections complaint against the Wilsonville based group H2OK. The complaint claims that H2OK has engaged in campaign activities without registering as a political committee or filing contribution and expenditure reports as required by State law. Hansen cited H2OK’s role as the sole contributor to Tigard Citizens for the Safest Water which is opposed to Tigard Citizens for Safe Water’s ballot measure 34-8. Tigard Citizens for Safe Water are also considering a lawsuit against Tigard Citizens for the Safest Water, to obtain an injunction to force them to stop using their name, which almost identical to theirs. The name is registered as a service mark.

Portland, Or., Aug. 26, 1999
An Oregonian article today titled Portland, Clackamas districts might tap each other’s water revealed that the Portland Water Bureau and the Clackamas River Water District are having serious discussions of an exchange that would send Clackamas River water to Portland households in the summer and Bull Run water to Clackamas County water customers in the winter. The exchange would require a new minimum 42 inch pipeline to be constructed connecting the Portland Powell Butte reservoir with Clackamas. Clackamas could supply Portland with about 30 MGD of water during the summer. The Clackamas treatment plant would be shut down in the winter while the district receives about 12 MGD of Bull Run water. The line will probably be built within 5 years.

Beaverton, Or., Aug. 18, 1999
Today the Tualatin Valley Water District board voted 3-1 to join Tigard and Wilsonville in participating in the Willamette river treatment plant. TVWD provides water to about 150,000 residents in Washington County, and is the second largest water district in the State. Thus, if the filter plant is built, in a few years residents in Aloha, Cedar Hills, Orenco, Rock Creek, Progress, Metzger, Cooper Mountain and parts of Portland, Hillsboro, Beaverton and Tigard will be drinking Willamette river water.

Tigard, Or., Aug. 14,
Hoffman Research Group has begun calling Tigard residents, asking them if they have an opinion (favorable or unfavorable) of certain members of the Tigard Citizens for Safe Water. They began this in Wilsonville last week.

Wilsonville, Or., Aug. 12, 1999
Wilsonville mayor Charlotte Lehan sent a stern letter to Portland Commissioner Eric Sten, criticizing him because the Portland Water Bureau responded to a specific set of questions asked by Wilsonville resident Stan Wallulis. For the complete story, go the Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water section of this web site, and click on "Charlotte Lehan - Communications Gestapo"

Wilsonville, Or., Aug. 11, 1999
Hundreds of Wilsonville residents are being called by the Portland survey firm Hoffman Research. Questions asked are "Would you drink Willamette river water if the city provided you with information telling you it was safe", etc. They are also naming specific Wilsonville Citizens for Safe Water members, and asking questions regarding them. For example, they asked if you had any favorable or unfavorable opinions of Dr. Charles Scott and his wife. They also named other CFSW members. It is obvious that the city is desperate and has started its "hardball and dirty tricks" stage of the campaign.

Tigard, Or., Aug. 10, 1999
At the Tigard City Council meeting today, Tigard Water Board Chairman Norman Penner stated that if the Citizens for Safe Water ballot measure passes, and the voters refuse to go to the Willamette river, it would put the City of Tigard in default under the Intergovernmental Agreement. He states that Tigard’s failure to participate in the purchase of the Wilsonville property, and construction of the water treatment plant, transmission lines and operation of the plant would result in damages in excess of 25 million dollars to Tigard Water District ratepayers for separation of the systems.

He further states that it is the opinion of their legal council that there are a number of flaws in the proposed initiative, which would make it unenforceable. The TWD requested that the City of Tigard take all necessary steps to stop any barriers to proceeding with the Willamette option. Should Tigard fail to proceed with the Willamette option, the TWD will initiate legal action against the City, to protect its ratepayers from the results of the City of Tigard’s default.

Citizen's for Safe Water Response: CFSW has been expecting a legal challenge from those trying to build the filter plant. The City knows that it cannot win at the polls, (which is why there were no ballot measure arguments filed against us for the voter's pamphlet.) The City is hoping that the citizens cannot afford ongoing litigation to higher courts on this issue. Our position is that if they try to force this to higher courts, we will have no choice but to recall the entire city council and replace them with individuals who will listen to the will of the people.

Beaverton, Or., July 28, 1999.
On July 22, 1999, Kevin Hanway - (Tualatin Valley Water District employee, and Director of the Willamette Water Supply Agency) announced to his TVWD boss (Jesse Lowman) and also to others involved in the Willamette River project that on August 6th he will be leaving both TVWD and WWSA for a new position with Montgomery Watson's Portland office (the engineering firm designing the filter plant). Although he only gave 15 days notice to his employer, he said he will try to coordinate activities he performed until a replacement can be hired.

Tigard Or., July 27, 1999,
Two former Tigard City Councilors - Bob Rohlf and Wendi Hawley- today filed a Statement of Organization for a Political Committee to oppose ballot measure 34-8 sponsored by the Tigard Citizens for Safe Water. The name they filed (Tigard Citizens for the Safest Water) was obviously chosen to confuse the public during the campaign. In the past, Mr. Rohlf and Ms. Hawley campaigned in favor of the Willamette River as members of the group "H2OK", or "Safest Drinking Water Coalition".

Portland, Or. July 27, 1999
At a "workshop" session attended by the Portland City Council and Portland Water Bureau staff, Commissioner Sten announced that the Portland Southshore Wellfield will not be used at all this summer, since there were sufficient rains during the Spring. (The Wellfield was not used last Summer either). The wells have been used 10 times since 1985.
A recent plan for routinely using wellfield water each summer was abandoned, because of recent press about pollution near the wellfields, and the resulting public opinion pressure. The Water Bureau maintains that no pollution has ever been found in any of the producing wells, and that the 60 "Test Wells" sited around the producing wells have been working well to detect any pollution long before they can get near the producing wells. If contaminants are detected by the test wells, hydraulic action is taken to stop the migration of the contaminants.
Sten also commented that if needed, Portland could augment their supply by connecting with other water systems (such as the Clackamas) for short term use in the summer.

Wilsonville, Or., July 26, 1999
The ethics complaint against Wilsonville mayor Charlotte Lehan has been dismissed. The complaint, filed by Joe Leary, claimed that Lehan had a conflict of interest when the city was negotiating with her cousins to buy a parcel of land for use as a water treatment plant. The land was purchased for $2.1 million, about $900,000 more than the land's appraised value.
The ethics commission said that the complaint can't be pursued because it's allegations involve Lehan's cousins rather than immediate family members.
Still facing Lehan is a recall effort headed by Wilsonville resident Lee Reedy.

Salem, Or. July 19, 1999
Senate Bill 1028 was defeated on the Senate floor today by a vote of 17-11. The engineering firm Montgomery Watson (which is designing the treatment plant on the Willamette) lobbied strongly against the bill. However the "compromise" pesticide tracking bill (House Bill 3602), endorsed by Governor Kitzhaber, was approved by the Senate on a 26-2 vote. In this bill, the pesticide use reported by commercial applicators will be kept confidential.

Salem, Or. July 16, 1999
Senate Bill 1028 Ordered by the Senate July 16 Including Senate Amendments dated May 28 and July 16 Sponsored by Senators GEORGE, WILDE

SUMMARY - Changes hazardous substance (including pesticide and herbicide) reporting, notification and registration requirements. - Directs state agencies to administer specified programs. - Requires State Fire Marshal to modify Internet database on hazardous substance possession. - Directs State Department of Agriculture to investigate reports of aquatic animals showing signs of toxic or hazardous substance exposure.

On July 15, Tigard City Manager Bill Monahan, and Tigard City Councilor Paul Hunt (who is also the Chairman of the Willamette Water Supply Agency which is trying to build the treatment plant on the Willamette) sent a letter out to numerous organizations and individuals, urging them to fax their provided letter to all the Senators urging them to vote against the above Bill. They object to a part of the bill which directs the Department of Agriculture to investigate reports of aquatic animals showing signs of toxic or hazardous substance exposure. They state that if the Department confirms that the signs or symptoms may be the result of toxic or hazardous substances in the water, the Department could prohibit the use of water from the watershed as a new source of drinking water until sanitary surveys of the watershed indicate that the water is suitable as a source of drinking water. They state that this will jeopardize their plans to build a treatment plant on the Willamette.

Sherwood, Or. July 15, 1999.
Sherwood began a month long process today to examine its water supply options. Today they held an open house, and formed a "citizen committee". (sounds like the Tigard Citizen Task Farce, in which the vast majority of those selected to serve were in favor of the Willamette River.) On July 22 there will be a presentation on the Willamette River and city wells at 7pm. On July 29 a presentation on the Portland system at 8pm. On Aug. 5 a Town Hall at which residents can express their views at 7pm. On Aug. 10 the City Council will hear recommendations from the citizen committee. All meetings are at the Sherwood Senior Center, 855 N. Sherwood Blvd.

Beaverton, Or. July 15, 1999.
The Tualatin Valley Water District will host a public hearing on Wednesday July 21^st to discuss its participation in the Willamette River Treatment Plant. The meeting will start at 7:30pm at the district’s office, 1850 SW 170^th Ave., Beaverton. TVWD holds the water rights to the Willamette River, and (along with Tigard) formed the Willamette Water Supply Agency to act as a holding company to distribute the water rights to those cities which join them in going to the Willamette. They installed one of their employees - Kevin Hanway - as director. The Chairman of the WWSA is Tigard City Councilor Paul Hunt.

7-1-99 Wilsonville, Or.
A group called "Oregonians for Health and Water" marched on City Hall in Wilsonville Thursday morning, and initiated a recall petition to remove the mayor (Charlotte Lehan) from office. Lehan was quoted as saying that what petitioners are really unhappy about is her support for tapping the Willamette River as the city's drinking water source.

The group has 90 days to collect the 609 valid signatures needed to qualify the recall for the ballot. The signatures may be collected in time for the November election.

6-30-99 Tigard, Or.
At a city held "water forum" meeting at Tigard City Hall, about 20 residents queried the panel in favor of the Willamette river. The panel consisted of a representative from each of the two engineering firms designing the filter plant, Tigard Councilor (and Chairman of the Willamette Water Supply Agency) Paul Hunt, and Tigard Director of Public Works Ed Wegner. An Oregonian article the following morning was titled: FOES ROIL TIGARD'S FORUM ON WATER. THE FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND MEETING GIVES OPPONENTS A TELEVISED OPPORTUNITY TO ATTACK THE CITY'S PLANS. According to the article, "Members of Citizens for Safe Water used the televised meeting on cable access to their advantage, asking questions about the adequacies of the proposed water treatment plant's filtration process and whether federal drinking water standards are too lax."

June 28, 1999 New US Geological Survey News Release :

Many Contaminants Found In Nation's Streams, But Few Drinking-Water Standards Exceeded, USGS Report Shows. In a look at water-quality conditions of 20 of the country's largest and most important river basins, the U.S. Geological Survey announced today (June 28, 1999) that streams in areas with significant agricultural or urban development almost always contain complex mixtures of nutrients and pesticides. The complex nature of those chemical mixtures and the lack of current human and aquatic health criteria to determine risk of exposure, make addressing these issues a top national priority. For the complete story, click on the following link: http://www.usgs.gov/public/press/public_affairs/press_releases/pr853m.html

6-25-99 Tigard, Or.
The Citizens for Safe Water Ballot Measure Title was filed at Washington County Elections office this morning. The measure number is 34-8.

6-22-99 Tigard, Or.
The Tigard City council approved Resolution No. 9948 to place the Citizens for Safe Water initiative on the Sept. 21 election ballot. They did not discuss a competing ballot measure during the public portion of the meeting.

6-21-99 Wilsonville, Or.
The Wilsonville City Council unanimously voted to join Tigard in tapping the Willamette River. The city will have two water related measures on the Sept. 21 ballot. The first is the Citizens for Safe Water measure which, similar to the Tigard Citizens for Safe Water measure, if passed will change the City Charter to require a future vote of the people before Willamette river water can be used as a drinking water source.

The second measure will be voter approval for the Revenue Bond funding for $25 million authority to build the Willamette filter plant. An Oregonian article on June 22 by Dana Tims states: The apparent legal standoff that would result if both measures pass is not as complicated as it seems, said Mike Kohlhoff, Wilsonville’s city attorney. "Voting for the city’s (revenue bond) measure indicates you would be in favor of using the Willamette", he said. "Since that is what the other measure asks, passage of both measures makes it a done deal."

Conversations with city staff revealed that Wilsonville plans to build a water line from Tigard to Wilsonville, and using this line to provide Bull Run water (provided thru an agreement with the Tualatin Valley Water District) to Wilsonville until the filter plant is built on the river. After the plant comes on line, the same line would be used to carry water from the plant in Wilsonville north to Tigard and other cities such as Tualatin, Sherwood and the Tualatin Valley Water District.

6-7-99 Portland, Or.
The City of Portland will be holding an "Oversight Committee" meeting today, with the potential wholesale water customers such as Tigard and Wilsonville. The purpose of the meeting is to address concerns and costs for the Portland Bull Run option as their long term drinking water source.

6-3-99 Wilsonville, OR. City Council Agenda for June 7, 1999.
Outdoor Watering Restrictions (staff - Bauman)
The City Manager, pursuant to Resolution No. 919, does hereby declare that landscape water restrictions are in effect, effective at 9 a.m., June 7, 1999.

Resolution No. 1557 -- Scheduled for City Council vote on June 21, 1999.

A Resolution Selecting The Willamette River As The Long Term Source Of Water For The City of Wilsonville Authorizing The Sale Of Up To $25 Million In water Revenue Bonds And Referring The Authorization to Issue $25 Million In Revenue Bonds To Treat and Use The Willamette River As A Long Term Water Supply To The September Ballot For Voter Approval. (Staff - Bauman)

Resolution No. 1558 – Scheduled for City Council vote on June 21, 1999.

A Resolution Selecting The Blended Portland Bull Run-Columbia Wellfield As The Long-Term Source Of Water For The City Of Wilsonville; Directing Staff To Expedite Negotiations With The City Of Portland And Other Potential Partners, Concerning Construction And Financing Responsibilities For The Transmission Mains From Wilsonville To Powell Butte; Directing Staff To Review City of Wilsonville water Utility Operation To Initiate Changes to Ensure Compatibility Of Water; Authorizing The Sale Of up To $93 Million In Revenue Bonds For Use Of The Portland Bull Run-Columbia Wellfield As The City’s Long-Term Water Source To The September Ballot For Voter Approval. (Staff – Bauman)

Citizen Testimony On Long - Term Water Source For The City Of Wilsonville. (3 minute time limit).

5-25-99 Tigard, Or.

The City Elections Officer filed with the City Council the Initiative Petition by Citizens for Safe Water, which will require a vote of the people before Willamette River water can be used as a drinking water source. The Council has 30 days to Certify it to the Sept. 21^st ballot. The Council will address it at the June 22^nd Council meeting. The Council indicated that at this same meeting it may introduce a competing Ballot measure of its own, to also be on the Sept. 21^st ballot.

5-19-99 Tigard, Or.

The Tigard City Elections Officer announced that Tigard Citizens for Safe Water has collected enough certified signatures to qualify for the Sept. 21 election. CFSW turned in 4000 signatures on Apr. 27, and two weeks later turned in another 400.

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