Front Page > Issues > 2004 > January

Community pressure wins reservoir reprieve

City puts brakes on reservoir project to allow independent review.

The City of Portland finally listened to the public’s cry for reconsideration concerning the historic reservoirs. In May 2002, the Portland Water Bureau announced plans to redesign Mt. Tabor Park and bury the historic reservoirs located at SE 69th and Belmont. Construction would last up to five years and cost taxpayers $77 million, all of which would be derived from an increase in the individual water bill.

All of that went on hold on December 8th when City Commissioner Dan Saltzman, Commissioner of the Portland Water Bureau, publicly stated he was going to put together an independent review board to discuss alternatives to burial.

“In response to several concerns about the public process leading to City Council’s May 2002 decision to cover the City’s open drinking water reservoirs. I am setting up an independent review panel to look at the City’s options for addressing the public health and public safety needs of these aging facilities,” Commissioner Saltzman said.

The Water Bureau, The Mayor’s office and the City Council all supported the open reservoir being underground because they fear serious contamination. However, the public did not. Friends of the Reservoirs, an organization formed to protest the burial of the Portland reservoirs, won an up hill battle to stop construction in its tracks. It is something many activists thought nearly impossible.
Protests began when it was stated that the reason for this drastic and expensive construction was because of contamination. Following Sept. 11, Portland’s open reservoirs have been an alleged threat for anthrax and/or cryptosporidium, a microcopic parasite.

Since then, the only security measures our City has taken to protect these open reservoirs is adding only two more security guards to watch the grounds. This is leading the public to believe that there has to be other cards at play. Experts have even published reports arguing that it would be impossible for a major public water supply to be poisoned, making it more difficult to fathom $77 million and maybe more to complete the project.

“They [open reservoirs] are vulnerable to contamination from birds (feathers and droppings), insects, animals, trash, air pollution, pollen, sunlight (which breaks down chorine used to disinfect the water), and deliberate human contamination,” the City of Portland Bureau of Water Works website said.

The Independent Panel will consist of 11-15 members that are not affiliated with the current construction plans. They will have 90 days to come up with an alternative to the burial. This action allows the city to halt a project that may have been unnecessary before too much time and tax dollars are spent.

“During the review process, I have directed the Water Bureau to postpone Council consideration of any new contract related to the reservoir burial project,” Saltzman said.
Many opposing parties, such as the Friends of the Reservoirs, are surprised with the decision, but still have valid questions.

“We were pleased to hear about the decision, but we still have questions concerning the process,” Floy Jones with Friends of the Reservoirs, said. “We know this decision had a lot to do with the amount of pressure this organization has put on the Mayor’s office. We have been in and out of there, calling, writing letters and are currently awaiting a decision on the revenue bond case that was filed in October against the City Council,” said Jones.

Seventy percent of Portland’s water goes through the Mt. Tabor reservoir and intentional contamination through terrorism is one reason the construction process has been expedited by the city. However, the Friends of the Reservoirs have found four other more reasonable and cost efficient ways to avoid contamination and keep the reservoirs open. Saltzman, understanding this, has allowed the public to have a say in what will happen.

“This project is very important to the future of Portland’s water system and an independent review will provide the best opportunity for community understanding.”

The options that will be discussed, researched and produced by this panel are: place treatment at reservoir outfalls, create specific risk mitigation proposals for the State of Oregon review, taking the reservoirs offline, covering the reservoirs and making park improvements (current city proposals) or covering the reservoirs without making any park improvements. A decision must be made so that construction may begin as scheduled this spring.

The city council has been reported as being supportive of the city’s decision to rebuild the historic reservoirs. In fact, when the decision was made to create the Independent Review Panel all members needed to make an incredibly difficult political decision. Most, knowing they would need public support, supported Commissioner Saltzman’s decision.

“I am supportive of Dan’s decision to let this issue be discussed further, I believe that this is a public safety issue as well and a political decision that I had to make,” Commissioner Randy Leonard said. “Before this decision the majority of the city council was in favor of burying the reservoirs and still are. This just allows the city to make sure that all the ideas have been thoroughly discussed.”

The City’s action to second-guess a decision that was already made is the reaction of a long 14 months of harsh criticism from the supporter’s of the historic reservoirs. It is an example that should be praised. It goes to show that if someone truly believes in a cause and is willing to consistently work towards it, the City will listen. This is still the beginning of the initiation of the panel, so it will be confirmed later if the city will follow through. Also, the opposition believes that there are a lot of questions that the city will need to answer.

“While the new possibility of independent review is an improvement over the Commissioner’s previous steadfast refusal to reconsider, serious questions remain: 1) will this process equal the protections afforded by the statute for a proper evidentiary hearing, 2) why not follow established state law; 3) will the panel be truly independent and representative of the most important stakeholder — the rate payers; 4) if the panel reaches a decision the Commissioner doesn’t like will he follow it — he certainly isn’t obligated to do so.” Friends of the Reservoirs and Arlington Heights Neighborhood Association representative, Jeff Boly said.

As this issue goes to press, board member Tom Walsh and Portland Alliance editor Dave Mazza have been recruited for the panel.

Heather Ziegenbein is a volunteer journalist with The Portland Alliance.