CRESWELL – During the first Springfield City Council meeting after winter recess, officials representing Creswell and Lane County asked the council to consider expanding the regional wastewater system to connect to Creswell.
Creswell has been under a development moratorium on the west side of Interstate 5 since July 2023. The moratorium prohibits new development, effectively putting the city, with a population of about 5,600, in a housing and business standstill until criteria set by the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) are met.
For the moratorium to be lifted, Creswell must expand its wastewater services, as the current infrastructure does not support additional wastewater hookups. However, projections indicate that this process could take another five years as the city upgrades its sewer system to comply with regulations.
The City of Creswell is exploring building a pipeline and pump station to connect Creswell via Goshen to the Metropolitan Wastewater Management Commission (MWMC) system. The commission is a partnership between Eugene, Springfield, and Lane County that provides regional wastewater treatment for over 200,000 residents.
Lane County Public Works Director Dan Hurley and Creswell City Manager Vincent Martorello asked the Springfield Mayor and council to consider an amendment to the Metro Plan, a governing document for Eugene and Springfield that does not extend wastewater services beyond the City’s Urban Growth Boundary (UGB).
Creswell staff have met with the MWMC, who, Martorello said, is supportive of the regional connection and was willing to write a letter of support.
Extending sewer lines beyond the Eugene-Springfield UGB would require a “Type III” Metro Plan amendment. All Metro Plan amendments are complex agreements, but Type III amendments are the most involved and time-consuming. Amending the plan could take six to 12 months, Martorello said.
The amendment requires approval by both the Springfield City Council and the Eugene City Council, as well as the County.
During an interview with The Chronicle in mid-December, Martorello said that since MWMC supports the action, he believes the city councils will as well.
According to Hurley, several options were considered, including looking at lagoon systems and connecting into the MWMC systems, but “ultimately it was decided that connecting into the existing Eugene-Springfield system was the most economically viable and had the best outcomes environmentally,” he said.
Martorello explained the cost of the new extension, noting that alternatives were considered, such as building a new wastewater plant, which would cost around $70 million. Another option is connecting to the Metro Waste, which would cost around $40-45 million. With Lane County putting together a finance package, it is delaying Creswell’s agreement with DEQ.
If Creswell were to take on that financial commitment to expedite the process, it would add roughly $12 million, bringing the total for this option to roughly $52 million.
However, by entering into an agreement with Lane County, Martorello said the county would repay the money advanced.
What does this look like for residents? According to Hurley, this proposal would increase housing in Creswell. There will be greater environmental benefits from managing the arrangement through a single system.
“There will be a rate increase for Creswell, and it is going to be moderate to significant,” Martorello said. “We are going to be looking at programs to minimize that, but that’s the reality. Also, we don’t have a choice. It’s going to be what it is, and we’re going to make the best of it.”
No action was taken at the work session. The group meets with the Eugene City Council on Jan. 21.
