For immediate release
Region has solid option for increasing supply of safe, clean water
Hillsboro, OR — August 4, 2009 —
Henry Hagg Lake, in Western Washington County, can be expanded to serve the region's long-term water supply needs, an engineering report released today by the Tualatin Basin Water Supply Partnership says.
The Dam Raise Appraisal Study is an important benchmark in the region's efforts to expand its supply of abundant and clean water to serve its environmental and economic needs. The study concludes that the Hagg Lake reservoir behind Scoggins Dam may be safely expanded to produce 50,000 acre-feet of new water for the region—nearly a doubling of the existing reservoir.
The authors of the study, Kleinfelder Engineering of San Diego, CA., identified four construction options for the project, all of which are designed to meet current seismic standards.
• Downstream replacement dam. This "no raise" option will have extensive costs and produce no additional water for region.
• Raising Scoggins dam by 40 feet; and,
• Two options for a new dam located slightly downstream of the existing facility.
The study's authors indicate that "doing nothing is not an option" because the existing dam will likely need to undergo improvements to meet current seismic standards. Such improvements may be more expensive than new construction.
The study includes cost estimates for meeting current seismic standards for the design and construction of the four dam options. The Partners have also updated cost estimates for the expanded pipelines, pumping facilities and water treatment capacity necessary to delivery the needed water.
The Partners' study estimates that the cost for meeting current seismic standards for each of the options is $389 million. The 1984 Congressional amendment (P.L. 98-404) to the Reclamation Dam Safety Act (P.L. 95-578) requires a 15 percent local share for seismic improvements necessary for the existing dam. The Partners will work closely with Reclamation to secure federal funding for the remaining share (85 percent) of the seismic modifications necessary for the existing dam.
The Partners' study estimates the local share at $58 million and the federal share at $331 million. The estimated total costs for the local share of the dam raise and expansion of the water delivery and treatment system range from $696 million to $978 million. Reclamation is currently in the process of developing its own cost estimates for the various alternatives under consideration.
The Dam Raise Appraisal Study took one year to complete. It will be used to guide regional policy makers as they make decisions about how and where Tualatin Basin communities will secure their future water supply.
"The engineering report tells us the project can be built," says Beaverton Mayor Denny Doyle. "Now we must work with our federal partners to address the dam safety improvements and meet our region's water needs in a timely manner."
Hillsboro Mayor Jerry Willey says: "We know we need to find new sources of water to meet our future needs and it makes sense to develop these resources together, as a region."
Tualatin Basin Water Supply Partnership will consider the study's findings in the coming months as its members consider all the region's water supply options. The Partnership's goal is to make the best and most cost-effective decision for our region in order to produce the safe and abundant water resources we know we will need.
The Tualatin Basin Water Supply Partners include Clean Water Services, the Tualatin Valley Water District, and the Cities of Beaverton and Hillsboro. While the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is working with the local Partners to evaluate alternatives for meeting future water supply needs, Reclamation is also underway in its own evaluation of the need for seismic upgrades at the current Scoggins Dam and expects a decision in early 2010.
The local Partners have invested more than $5.4 million in studying the needs and options for meeting future water demands. These Partners plus Tualatin Valley Irrigation District, Washington County, the City of Forest Grove and Lake Oswego Corporation are also exploring Title Transfer of Scoggins Dam and Hagg Lake from the federal government to local ownership. The Partnership is working to deliver new water for the Tualatin Basin to sustain the region's watershed, economy and community.
Links:
Tualatin Basin Water Supply Partnership: www.TualatinBasinWaterSupply.org
Kleinfelder: www.kleinfelder.com/index.php/about-kleinfelder
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