Finding Enough Water to Meet Future Demand

Hillsboro, OR — January 2, 2002 — Clean Water Services and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will host four open houses to kick off the Tualatin Basin Water Supply Feasibility Study. The Feasibility Study is a two-year technical evaluation of potential water supply sources to meet the growing demands of river flow, municipal and industrial needs, and agriculture in the Tualatin Basin. A range of possible water supply sources will be examined and a preferred option selected. Clean Water Services, its municipal partners and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will conduct the study.

Four public scoping meetings have been scheduled so individuals and organizations may present their ideas, views and comments on the study and the impacts to be considered. The dates, times and locations of the meetings are:

• Tuesday, January 8 at Hillsboro, Oregon, in the Clean Water Services Water Quality Laboratory, 2550 Hillsboro Hwy (HWY 219) from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, January 8 at Hillsboro, Oregon, in the Clean Water Services Water Quality Laboratory, 2550 Hillsboro Hwy (HWY 219) from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 9 at Portland, Oregon, in the Metro Council Chambers, 600 NE Grand Avenue from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 9 at Portland, Oregon, in the Metro Council Chambers, 600 NE Grand Avenue from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.

This Study will also complete the investigation and analysis necessary to develop a "Planning Report and Environmental Impact Statement"(PR/EIS). A PR/EIS is needed because the preferred water supply option package may involve a Federal action. One option under study includes a proposal to raise Scoggins Dam, which is a federal facility owned and operated by the Bureau of Reclamation. In this case, a draft PR/EIS would be prepared pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and presented to the public for comment.

Clean Water Services' partners in this study include the Cities of Beaverton, Hillsboro, Tigard, Tualatin, Forest Grove, Sherwood, Cornelius, Banks, and North Plains and the Tualatin Valley Water District. The study will be led by Clean Water Services in cooperation with the Bureau of Reclamation.

The Tualatin Basin Water Supply Feasibility Study is being conducted separately, but in coordination with, the Bureau of Reclamation's Resources Management Plan for Hagg Lake and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Wapato Lake Project. The projects are cooperating to share information and findings.

The meeting will take place in facilities meeting accessibility requirements outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Citizens with disabilities which may require special accommodations to participate in or to understand the meeting, should contact Mike Relf, Bureau of Reclamation Activity Manager at (208) 378-5106 or Tom VanderPlaat, Clean Water Services Water Resource Program Manager at (503) 681-5107 in advance so arrangements can be made.

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