Inside Talking Water Gardens Wednesday: No sign of homeless encampments on this or other paths.
Talking Water Gardens, the wetlands Albany built in 2012, was all but deserted Wednesday afternoon, empty and almost completely clean. But that’s not the whole story.
The bike took me there to check on a post I had seen on Facebook that claimed the place was overrun with homeless encampments. When I saw only two abandoned shopping carts but no camps, I was prompted to record this:
My statement in the video about the absence of encampments was true as far as it went. But it didn’t go far enough.
I got back on the bike and toured the loop of pathways along the Water Garden’s back side. And there, just outside the chain link fence, was not just one encampment but a series of several, surrounded by the obligatory piles of random trash.
Two guys I had seen walking earlier when I first came into the gardens looked like they might have belonged to one of those encampments.
Looking at those dumps above First Lake, one of the oxbows that empty into the Willamette River, made me wonder what if anything the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality makes of the situation.
The DEQ forced the city of Albany to shut down the water-cleansing operation of Talking Water Gardens because of underground leaks of treated wastewater.
Why aren’t state regulators similarly concerned about whatever actual pollution, untreated, may be coming from those camps close to the water’s edge? (hh)
This was one of the sites just outside the fence on the northwest side of Talking Water Gardens on Feb. 18, 2026.
A muddy foot path leads from this gate in the fence to the camping sites above First Lake.
First Lake on the Willamette River provides the backdrop for this site just outside the Talking Water Gardens fence.
Waiting to see Cartman’s idiotic comment.
I use to go there every day. Early mornings, afternoons and even evening with my son or alone feeling safe. I use to hunt and leave painted rocks there. I have tons of pics through the years. But now I don’t bother. One of the last times I was there was when a homeless guy caught or set it on fire. It is taken over by the local human wildlife that doesn’t make me feel wanted or safe there.
Should drop rent prices and u would not have this problem but u all r money hungry and just want to be rich u blame it on the homes when it u rasing rent prices where no one can afford to live in houses or apartments no more so they force to live on the streets u people made them homeless u blame him when it u that put them out on the streets and homeless by rasing the rent so dam high no can afford to live in Oregon besides the rich they say by 2030 must everyone will move out of oregon becuz we will not be able to afford to live in Oregon with all the prices on everything going up u people made them homeless then u blame the homeless when it your fault for wanting more money
“…and just want to be rich ….”
You prefer to be poor? BTW, punctuation has a purpose.
That is one heck of a run-on sentence.
For sure they need to lower the rent,no body can afford rent anywhere…So yeah that is why there is so many homeless people.I know people that have full time jobs,and have to live in their car because of high rent..
That is where the Albany Police Department told all the camps to go to from simpsons because benton county is in charge of that side and so they can’t do anything to them. There is a lot of theft from the railroad and tons of garbage. The city needs to figure out where to put them besides destroying parks and areas of public access. I am scared to walk that area at night due to the. People who are violent and like to jump people that walk the paths.
Don’t you mean Linn County?
You want a mega encampment…? Check out along the R/R mainline about a 1/2 mile north of the R/R office out front. I see it when we check on our RV at All Secure Storage on Salem Ave. in Millersburg. We have a view thru the fence & across the main-line. Good gawd, it looks like a mega city amongst the trees & brush.!!! All colors of tents, tarps & what not.
I’ll confirm that there is a very large camp and quite a few others on the north end of the garden. I walked out there today to see for myself.
now as for the camps across from the storeage place aalot of the camps back there have been abannond. And those of us that do have our camps back there have bee working to clean up the trash and abanndoned camps. alot of you think that everyone back there are drug users but we arent. i cant speak for all of us back there. Alot of us are just down on our luck and cant find places that will hire us . we are all just doing the best we can. Albany looks down on the homeless and really doesnt even try to help qith anything unless ur rich and its bullshit.
Why is there a “gate” in the fence? invites camps
What about making the largest state park, Bowers Rock State Padk, just west of Bryant drive into a manageable homeless refuge.This state park remains inaccessible by foot or vehicle. It can only legally be accessed by floating across from Hyak Park boat ramp. This park is enormous and could be cordoned off into sections, with one of them being a homeless campground, with bathroom, shower and electricity like Sunnyside Park campground near Sweet Home. A plan should be proposed and an environmental study made to facilitate the opening of this area to the public at large. It is shameful this area has remained inaccessible and is treated like some kind of Area 51. What is really the reason for its designation as a State Park, in the first place, yet no State or Federal funds are allocated to open up the area for the use by the Public to use and enjoy!?! Something stinks in Denmark about this reality. And it should be exposed for what it IS and, finally be opened up as such. Just saying. Good place to start? I very much think so.
Hey John, this is an awesome suggestion, but then the city would probably vote against it because # 1. It wasn’t their idea, # 2 . It would actually minimize a huge problem that we are facing, and then the funding would stop being so much because the problem wouldn’t be near as bad. The more that the homelessness problem continues, the more grant money the city gets, and I don’t know where it’s going. But it sure isn’t going to help the cause. Great way for thinking out of the box, hopefully somebody important read your suggestion..
Curious about the thoughts of property owners down Bryant Way. LOL
But it is not part of the City.
Also why is it the police. Put all of us here told us to move over here just to be out down ran into the ground by ppl who have no idea what it is like to be in our shoes.. sure you think you do but until you or your family hits out here don’t out us down.. what if it was your son daughter or mom dad would u allow ppl to continue to put down disrespect them like this hell no you would not .if only ppl put more effort into trying to help instead of being mean hurtful and not Christian like makes us myself included feel less than and not welcomed by normal ppl. I myself don’t kike being stared at like I am nothing cuz just like u guys we are trying to survive.. so please help and not be rude..this is my home and has been for several years..
those of is that r back here have been working to clean up the camps that have been left trashed and destroyed. ppl look down on us cuz qe r homeless they think that they r better than is back here. we r some of the nicest ppl you could get to know