TMDL Compliance Project Timeline

CITY OF CORVALLIS 
WILLAMETTE RIVER TOTAL MAXIMUM DAILY LOAD (TMDL) 
COMPLIANCE ALTERNATIVES PROCESS 

PUBLIC EDUCATION, OUTREACH, AND PLAN APPROVAL 
PROCESS AND SCHEDULE 

Prepared for the Urban Services Committee : October 12, 2009

Phase 1: Public Education and Outreach: 

1. Staff to present proposed overall Project Plan and Schedule to the Urban Services Committee (USC). 

2. More fully develop a tree planting/shading temperature TMDL compliance alternative. Conduct a public workshop on the alternative with assistance from the Marys River Watershed Council and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation. 

3. Prepare Informational Materials. Develop informational materials and disseminate them, including: webpage on City's Website; nontechnical discussion points and project messages; frequently asked questions; articles for The City newsletter; preparation of project display materials for use at public events and in public spaces; displays at Public Library and City booth at public events. 

4. Provide Briefings to Key Stakeholder/Interest Groups. Contact key stakeholder/interest groups, such as OSU Institute for Natural Resources, Marys Peak Group of the Sierra Club, Corvallis Sustainability Coalition, League of Women Voters, Corvallis Environmental Center,Cascade Pacific Resource Conservation & Development, Benton Soil & Water Conservation District, Marys River Watershed Council, and the Chamber of Commerce. Provide briefings to: discuss regulatory drivers for the project; provide current wastewater plant operational information; discuss TMDL Alternatives Evaluation Project report prepared by City's technical consultant; request comments on the alternatives; solicit alternative solution options. Consultant team will more fully develop a tree planting/shading option and present it along with the alternatives previously identified in the TMDL report. 

5. Conduct Public Meetings. Conduct public meetings. Provide the community with background information on regulatory drivers, current wastewater plant operational information; discuss TMDL Alternatives Evaluation Project report prepared by the technical consultant; request comments on the alternatives; solicit alternative solution options. 

6. Compile and Synthesize Public Input. Prepare a summary report of the discussion and suggestions derived from the stakeholder/interest group briefings and public meetings and present a report to the USC. 

7. Develop Additional Technical Solution Alternatives (if needed). Based on direction from the USC/City Council, direct the technical consultant to develop up to three additional TMDL compliance alternatives. 

Phase 2: TMDL Compliance Plan Approval Process: 

In Phase 2, the USC will act as the public advisory body to take community input on the proposed plan, decide on a final draft plan, and make a recommendation to the City Council for final plan adoption. 

1. Staff to provide USC with a report on solution alternatives. Staff will prepare a summary report on the solution alternatives (including those generated in step 7 above) and a recommended plan; develop briefing materials for USC review in preparation for public input. 

2. Disseminate Solution Alternatives Information. Staff will disseminate the solution alternatives summary report and recommended plan to the community and the media. 

3. Receive Public Input on Solution Alternative(s). USC will conduct a public meeting to receive input from the community. 

4. USC Deliberations. The Committee will deliberate on input received from the community regarding final draft plan recommendations to the City Council. 

5. USC Work Session. The Committee will hold a work session to develop their final draft plan recommendations to the City Council. 

6. Receive Additional Public Input (if needed). The USC may conduct another public meeting to solicit additional public input. 

7. Recommended final draft Solution Alternative(s) Plan. USC will present the final draft TMDL Solution Alternative(s) Plan to the City Council for consideration of adoption.

 

Update (March, 2013)

  1. December, 2011. Staff presented a recommended TMDL solution alternative to USC (East Alternative-golf course irrigation water for OSU Trysting Tree Golf Course; constructed treatment wetlands and infiltration ponds on the City-owned Orleans Natural Area). USC directed staff to present the East Alterative to the Parks, Natural Areas and Recreation Board (PNARB).
  2. June 11 and August 7, 2012. Staff presented the East Alternative to the PNARB. PNARB voted 5-3 to not recommend to the City Council use of the Orleans Natural Area to site the treatment wetlands and infiltration ponds for TMDL compliance.
  3. September, 2012. Staff reported the results of the PNARB decision to the USC. USC directed staff to investigate whether the OSU golf course would accept additional treated wastewater to enhance course water features in an amount equivalent to what is proposed to be pumped to the Orleans Natural Area (7 million gallons per day in the summer). OSU declined to accept more water than needed for golf course irrigation.
  4. September, 2012-January, 2013. Staff received input on potential temperature TMDL solutions options in place of the East Alternative. Some citizens expressed an interest in reassessing the use of the North Alternative (also known as the “Bean Field”) in lieu of the East Alternative to maintain the Orleans Natural Area as a park. The North Alterative called for constructed treatment wetlands to be located on farmland east of the Hewlett-Packard campus between the highway and the river. 

    Another alternative received would have the City pay a non-profit group called the Freshwater Trust to plant trees (riparian shading) in the Willamette River basin in lieu of reducing the temperature of the City’s wastewater reclamation plant. The concept is that cooling water upstream will offset the increase in river temperature from the reclamation plant discharge. This “trading” is allowed per Oregon DEQ rules.

The options outlined above and other pertinent information, including the current status of the temperature TMDL project can be found in the staff memorandum to USC dated March 5, 2013, which is located under the Staff Reports to Urban Services Committee section of the TMDL webpage.

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