The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Sisters’ population is growing every year and the city’s water and sewer systems are not expected to withstand the increased growth unless something is done to expand the existing infrastructure.

The sewer system is predicted to reach capacity in three years. The same is true for the water system, which will not accommodate further growth in the next three years unless a new well and reservoir are constructed.

“As the community grows, it’s natural to take a look at your water systems and see where it needs to be expanded,” City Manager Eileen Stein said.

A master plan, prepared by the city’s engineering firm HGE, Inc., calls for updating current sewer and water systems and constructing new systems to keep up with growth.

The sewer master plan has generated the most problems because of the proposed method of disposing the wastewater.

According to the master plan, the city would purchase a filtration system that would treat its wastewater to a Level 4 standard, which is the cleanest level with the fewest pathogens. Currently, the city’s wastewater is only treated to a Level 1 standard.

“Level 4 gives us more flexibility to be able to dispose of our wastewater a number of different ways,” Stein said.

Under the present wastewater system, the waste is sprayed out onto the forest floor in a designated 160 acre parcel owned by the city. With wastewater being treated to a cleaner Level 4 under the proposed plan, the city will have more options for disposing the wastewater, Stein said.

“What the wastewater master plan recommends (is that) if we can get Level 4 effluent (wastewater) treatment we could contemplate discharging the effluent into nearby Whychus Creek and I know that that will be a controversial recommendation,” Stein said.

Stein expects some citizen resistance against discharging the wastewater into the creek and she said many organizations are working on reintroducing salmon and other fish species into the creek.

“That’s the reason why our wastewater master plan is being held up right now because we are trying to figure out how we are going to dispose of this effluent over time…Are we going to discharge it into the creek…can we discharge it into the creek?” Stein said.

Another suggestion for disposing of the wastewater, according to the master plan, is to discharge the wastewater into a local irrigation canal or to buy another 80-acres from the Forest Service to expand the spray irrigating method of disposing the wastewater.

According to Stein, the vacant 80-acre parcel of land that could be used for spraying the wastewater could encroach on a bike trail that is held sacred to many community members.

“There is no one simple solution here — it’s going to take public discussion, public dialogue and public hearings and nobody’s going to be happy,” Stein said. “If nobody can agree then maybe you can effectively shut down development in this community.”

According to the less problematic water master plan, three main solutions will be pursued so the water system will sustain growth for the next 20 years.

Under the proposed plan, a third municipal well will be established, which must be in place in the next year; a water reservoir needs to be constructed on the northeast side of town for additional water storage; and the water distribution system will be upgraded by replacing four-inch pipes with six- and eight-inch pipes.

The only problem with the water master plan, according to Stein, is finalizing where the new reservoir can be constructed. Because the reservoir needs to be at a high elevation to function properly, the city wants to build the reservoir on the northeast side of town on McKinney Butte Road.

“We have begun to identify a site and now the lot owner, who was initially willing to work with us, has sort of backed away and doesn’t know what his homeowners association will think,” Stein said.

The city council will be meeting with the homeowners association this month to address any concerns the neighborhood may have about the proposed reservoir.