Tiffany:
I am writing this email to confirm our conversation this morning. Due to the record rainfall Molalla and the rest of Oregon have experienced this month, which shows no sign of letting up, Molalla is experiencing an upset at its wastewater treatment plant. As we discussed that upset is causing us to need to discharge partially treated wastewater into Bear Creek to ensure that the wastewater treatment ponds do not overtop. If the ponds were allowed to overtop, it would likely cause significant structural damage, up to and including the potential failure of one or both Lagoons and serious damage to the remainder of the treatment plant. To ensure that this discharge will have as little an effect as possible, Molalla will take the following steps, as we agreed to on our call:
- Complete the 24-hour and 5-day reporting as required in Section D.5 of the City’s NPDES Permit;
- Notify residents and owners of wells adjacent to Bear Creek within one mile downstream of the discharge, by phone, email, or door-to-door contact;
- Post public notification on the City’s website;
- Monitor the volume of the discharge;
- City staff will observe and document carefully that Bear Creek is not overflowing its banks; and
- City staff will conduct sampling upstream and downstream, both before and after the discharge.
We will keep you posted of all further developments.
J.W. Ring - Managing Partner
[T] (503) 964-6723 office direct
[T] (503) 841-9380 mobile one
[T] (503) 841-8415 mobile two
email: jwring@ringbenderlaw.com
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Ring, Bender, McKown & Castillo LLLP: Portland, Or. - Orange County, Ca. - Miami, Fl. - Pittsburgh, Pa. - Seattle, Wa.
Best,