The trails in Talking Water Gardens, like this one shown on Oct. 23, remain open to the public.
The City of Albany intends to maintain the constructed wetlands known as Talking Water Gardens as a place to enjoy nature even though the place no longer functions as part of the Albany and Millersburg wastewater treatment system.
As reported Saturday, City Manager Peter Troedsson announced Friday that the city was no longer pumping treated wastewater through the system of ponds and waterfalls in order to end a compliance case brought by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
I had questions about that and put them to Albany Public Works Director Chris Bailey. Here’s part of her reply on Monday:
“We recognize the value that TWG brings to the community and region, and we believe it will once again be used as part of our wastewater treatment system. We are making every effort to keep the system functioning as a wetland ecosystem in the interim by using other water sources that will not create a compliance issue with the state, such as recirculating water within the wetlands or using part of our municipal water rights.
“We have stopped pumping treated effluent to TWG but this is actually our normal operation at this time of year. The wetlands receive adequate rainfall in the fall, winter, and spring to maintain itself without additional water from outside sources. It is only in the hottest, driest months that we anticipate needing to supplement the system with additional water.
“The decision to stop using TWG as part of our wastewater treatment system was a very difficult one to make, and was certainly not our first or preferred option. It was a very hard decision and I remain committed to finding a path to return TWG to its original purpose. I have shared that goal with our elected officials, staff, attorneys, consultants, and with DEQ. We need input from all of these groups to develop a plan that will make that happen, and I am hopeful we can find that path.
“In the meantime, Albany and Millersburg staff are committed to keeping TWG a regional asset for recreation and environmental benefit.”
Where might the water come from to keep the ponds filled during the summer?
Bailey said the water might be pumped from Cox Creek. But that project is still being designed, and Bailey had no estimate for when it might be built.
Talking Water was completed in 2012 in order, mainly, to cool already treated wastewater before discharging it to the Willamette River. The problem was that since 2013, the system leaked water into the ground and on the surface to First Lake and Cox and Burkhart creeks. This violated state and federal law as an unauthorized discharge of polluted water.
How much did it leak?
Talking Waters has the capacity to treat 12.5 million gallons of wastewater a day. In a motion filed in its lawsuit against the designers and builders of the wetlands, the city quoted a consultant who concluded that “TWG currently leaks approximately 425,000 gallons per day of treated wastewater to groundwater and surface seeps that end up in the Willamette River.”
The lawsuit was filed in 2017.
This March, a note in the case file in Linn County Circuit Court said, “The parties request another CMC [case management conference] rather than trial due to mitigation action the City of Albany is going to engage in with DEQ. This may significantly alter the trajectory of this case.”
The case conference now is scheduled for the morning of Dec. 19. When it’s over, I’ll check again to see if the file says how the conference went. (hh)
Taxpayers spent $13-14 million to “clean already treated wastewater” before pumping it to the river.
Now only the artificial wetlands exist, given the primary purpose of the expenditure will not be met.
In other words, $13-14 million of public money has been flushed down the proverbial toilet for apparently nothing.
It may be time for an Albany citizen to report this waste to Oregon’s Division of Audits hotline 800-336-8218.
Maybe you should re-read things before you launch another anti-government screed.
First, it wasn’t to “clean already treated wastewater” (where did you get that?) because Hasso clearly wrote “Talking Water was completed in 2012 in order, MAINLY, TO COOL already treated wastewater before discharging it to the Willamette River.” You see Gordon the temperature of the effluent was an issue that DEQ was concerned about.
“The problem was that since 2013, the system leaked water into the ground and on the surface to First Lake and Cox and Burkhart creeks.” The leaking should not have occurred, thereby making the PRIVATE SECTOR engineering firm who came up with the operating design, and/or the PRIVATE SECTOR construction company who did the installation, either/or both, are in violation of their contract.
And…
“The parties request another CMC [case management conference] rather than trial due to mitigation action the City of Albany is going to engage in with DEQ. ”
Has not gone to trial, yet. It’s clear that the City has been appropriately working with the state and contractors to get it fixed without having to go to the more expensive trial, if possible.
I know Bob Woods is an expert on everything pertaining to the government but every water body, be it a pond, creek or river leaks water into the already polluted ground water unless it has concrete, pond liner, or some other water proof material under it. If you don’t believe me Bob, go out in your yard and pour a bucket of water on your lawn and watch it disappear. I have no doubt that everybody involved with this project knew a portion would leak into the ground water and a leakage rate of 3.4% is a minuscule amount when the intent is to cool the effluent going into the river. I live in the country and only a fool would drink ground water which is why ever well is cased.
Al, Talking Water Gardens was designed with some kind of liners, but they leaked.
Where is the waste water going now? Directly into the Willamette River or perhaps Waverly Lake or are they storing it somewhere else? The DEQ is an unfunny joke!
Lord, you can’t fix dumb.
First Lake and Cox and Burkhart creeks
On December 2nd, 2017 the Albany Democrat Herald printed a story about the cities of Albany and Millersburg’s legal action against CH2M Hill for damages caused by what they claim is defective work on their wastewater reclamation facility and the Talking Waters Gardens wetlands. The DH report state the cities take issue with a technology that “guaranteed to reduce the volume of biosolids by 90 percent for low cost land application of the remaining treated biosolids.” The report also cites an issue with measures CH2M Hill took to lower the temperature of treated water before its permitted release into the Willamette River. On June 12, 2024 you report on this website “Whether some of the water in the ponds leaks into First Lake doesn’t make a difference in nature. But it matters to the DEQ. And legal action grinds on, more slowly than the water seeping through the ground.” I’m curious if you question the consultant’s calculation of 425,000 gallons per day ending up in the Willamette River via groundwater and surface seepage or whether it is of no consequence? Also, does evaporation play a role in this calculation or is it of little or no consequence?
The biosolids part of the litigation was settled some time ago. As for the leakage, I didn’t know the estimated extent of the seepage until I saw it mentioned Monday, in a motion in the lawsuit. Whether it’s of consequence, I don’t know. But since the treated effluent goes into the river anyway, it’s hard to care a great deal about how it gets there.