Evaporation had shrunk the lowest pond at Talking Waters on June 6, 2025, when I visited the place on my bike.
Albany’s Talking Water Gardens has been out of operation since last December, and this dry spring it really shows. The water level in the lower pond is way down, and the upper ponds are completely dry.
City Manager Peter Troedsson reminded the city council of the situation in his weekly Friday report. After I read it, I took the bike to the Water Gardens on Saturday to take a look:
Troedsson told the council that as a temporary measure, the city plans to pump water from Cox Creek into the Water Gardens. I first heard of this idea from Public Work Director Chris Bailey last December, and I wondered about the status of that plan.
I had some other questions too, and Kristin Preston, operations manager in Albany Public Works, responded via email:
“We are still putting together the scope to bid this project, so we don’t have a start date but hope to be able to get water pumping by September or as soon as we can for this summer season. The pump will pull from Cox Creek just downstream from the bridge, but the details of where exactly the pump and equipment will sit are still being developed. The plan for now is a temporary installation with a pump rental, temporary power, fish screens, connection to underground piping, etc., so we can evaluate how it works as we run it until the rainy season. The engineer’s estimate for this project is approximately $170,000. “
The main idea behind the Water Gardens, completed in 2012 at a cost of $13-14 million, including $8 million in federal funds, was to cool the wastewater before discharging it to the Willamette River. This was to comply with the DEQ’s “total maximum daily load” (TMDL) limits on water temperature to benefit fish.
So what happens with the temperature rule as long as the Water Gardens remain idle?
Preston replied: “The City continues to work with DEQ on renewing our wastewater discharge permit which will include meeting TMDL temperature targets, but it’s unclear if/how TWG can be used for this goal in the future.”
If not, then what?
Meanwhile, though, the trails through Talking Waters remain open to the public.
And as Troedsson told the council, “It might look different from previous summers, but we hope visitors will still enjoy the miles of trails the Gardens have to offer. Look closely, you may see a turtle taking a summer nap in the mud.” (hh)
I don’t understand why it’s not being used n kept up? It was nice walking through w gKidz n dogs ,gKidz would hide rocks they painted. And people came from all over. I want it back
DEQ rules?
Your Democrat led state government pretending to work.
And yet another ill-considered, unresearched comment from Bill Kapaun.
And another ankle biter without enough guts to use their full name.
What about all the wildlife that lived there? $170,000 for a place people actually want to visit on a daily basis is nothing compared to the amounts spent on the cities other projects. I know people that came to Albany just to go to the Talking Water Gardens. Creating that area for people to walk was the best thing that Albany has ever done. Toedsson’s flippant remark is par for the course. Amazingly bad decisions seem to be the common theme. Too bad, now there is one less thing to love about Albany.
Agreed, while being taxed even more for less! But hey, at least there’s a divisively partisan flag displayed “proudly” this month (again) at the people’s City Hall, right? Just that accomplishment alone should count for at least something Albany taxpayers are proudly funding, right?
Does Mr. Kapaun know how many cities depend on the Willamette River for water? His snarky comment makes me think that he is not aware of how much each city above us supplies Albany, and how much Albany supplies water downstream. The Department of Water Quality may have hired bureaucrats, perhaps, but that clear water we have comes inspected and safe, by, Yes!, the DEQ’s supervision.
Albany’s water comes from the Santiam, not the Willamette, and a leaky Talking water gardens actually cleans the water more before it goes into the Willamette. It is called a sand filter.
Isn’t it shut down because it leaked to Creek and city was fined. Didn’t the city sue CH2MHill and won a lot of money. They should have installed a liner but the Engineer company didn’t require it. If it had a liner the treated wastewater could be sent through there. The city wasn’t only one using it as Wah Chang was also using it also. Wah Changs waste water was supposed to be cooler and mix with cities.
True Dala, but the fact that it is leaking means that it is being filtered thru the ground before going into the creek, and should have less bad particulates if there are any in it by the time it gets there.
Has this pump and all that goes with it been budgeted for or are we going to get stuck with another “FEE”
So many questions, so few answers. Thank you for your reporting, but I now want to know… was the idea a failure that didn’t work, and was this a waste of money if they are not using it?
Why waste another $170K plus whatever energy it is going to cost to pump water into it if it is not functioning as designed?
What are other cities along the Willamette doing to meet TMDL temperature targets, what makes Albany unique?
The city is already proposing fees on our utilities for streets, should be expect more sewer fees to solve a problem that we wasted millions on prior?
Answers:
1. Yes
2. Because it’s “spending”, that is what government’s do best, at any cost.
3. Nothing
4. Yes
Some ex-employees and bureaucrats will blame a private consultant and the contractor who built the euphemistically named “Talking Water Gardens.”
But the real blame lies with the multiple layers of government who demanded that many millions be spent on what turns out to be…nothing of benefit.
The very name ‘Talking Waters Gardens’ is proof that-
“A euphemism is a polite word or expression that people use when they are talking about something which they or other people may find unpleasant, upsetting or embarrassing.”
It took years, but embarrassment is now the reality, assuming city and federal taxpayers recognize it.
Why not find a person who wants to raise fish, and have them put in some bucks and make some money from it with the sale of the Fish?
Shouldn’t be diverting water from a natural waterway to a place that obviously can’t even hold water. Surprised it would be allowed. Especially shouldn’t be paying $170,000 (plus future maintenance $) to do so!
‘excellent post, Hasso.
I’d like to know how to cool water by sending it through a series of shallow pools. Something doesn’t seem quite right about that.
Wow…great reporting Hasso! I’ve been wondering for months what’s going on with the water situation. My question is what happens to all of the wildlife that has.made this their home for YEARS!!! It just breaks my heart…oh well, I’m sure the homeless will just claim it. That situation is completely out of control down there.