CORVALLIS – The Springfield High School girls basketball team wasn’t surprised to find itself facing Crescent Valley in the 5A state championship game – the same matchup as last year.…
CORVALLIS – The Springfield High School girls basketball team wasn’t surprised to find itself facing Crescent Valley in the 5A state championship game – the same matchup as last year.…
SPRINGFIELD – When Lani Moku Grill owners Brittany and Lacy Hunt first met at Round Table in Thurston, they couldn’t have known this building would come to mean so much.…
SPRINGFIELD – When Lani Moku Grill owners Brittany and Lacy Hunt first met at Round Table in Thurston, they couldn’t have known this building would come to mean so much.…
Toni Staff of McMinville and Bob Green of Pleasent Hill finding some gems in the cooking section of the book sale. Tammy Salman, a Library volunteer working the registers. Library…
Toni Staff of McMinville and Bob Green of Pleasent Hill finding some gems in the cooking section of the book sale. Tammy Salman, a Library volunteer working the registers. Library…
Chief, Captain engaged in racist language, sexual harassment, other acts in the workplace COTTAGE GROVE – Five months after the sudden resignations of former Cottage Grove Police Chief Scott Shepherd…
Chief, Captain engaged in racist language, sexual harassment, other acts in the workplace COTTAGE GROVE – Five months after the sudden resignations of former Cottage Grove Police Chief Scott Shepherd…
10 Mar 2023
In case you missed it…
Creswell’s growth stunted by old sewage system
The City of Creswell’s sewer system and lagoon treatment plant on Meadow Lane, pictured above, is out of compliance with DEQ clean-water standards. A new agreement with DEQ will restrict the number of sewer connections city-wide to a mere 15 until nearly $25 million in upgrades are completed. BOBBY STEVENS / THE CHRONICLE
CRESWELL — On its surface, Creswell is much like any other small city in Oregon: rural, friendly, laid back.
It’s below the surface where the real problems lurk.
A labyrinth of sewer lines stretching about 20 miles is so old and deteriorated that the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) tasked Creswell with an administrative consent order to fix its entire sewer system back in 1998.
This year, DEQ is taking a stronger approach to regulation and compliance, updating an existing agreement with the City — restricting the number of new connections to just 15 until the City upgrades its system.
The improvements will cost the city more than $25 million – a price tag that will trickle down into residents’ sewer bills.
The east side of town is not affected, as it is served by a private system; however, “this will tremendously impact the growth and economic development of the City on the west side of the freeway, which is served by the City’s water treatment plant,” said Michelle Amberg, Creswell city manager. “It’s not something we’re happy with, but it’s something we want the community to know about.”
There’s an old saying in the sewer industry: “Dilution is the solution to pollution.” And Camas Swale Creek, which holds the treated runoff from the Creswell sewer pipes, is feeling the years of impact.
Ryleigh Norgrove is an Oregon-based journalist and photographer. She grew up in the Bay Area before graduating from Willamette University with a degree in English. At The Chronicle, she covers local government, homelessness and breaking news. She’s passionate about starting thoughtful community conversations, solution-oriented reporting and, most importantly, hiking with her dog.
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