High Demand, Significant Revenue Potential for St. Helens Lagoon Proposal

New report finds repurposing wastewater treatment lagoon could generate up to $137 million

ST. HELENS – A market analysis report released by the City of St. Helens (the City) provides new insight into how the City might repurpose a wastewater treatment lagoon. The report, prepared by Maul, Foster, & Alongi and ECONorthwest, demonstrates that there is strong demand for a non-hazardous sediment-disposal facility in the region.

The full report is available at www.ci.st-helens.or.us under the “What’s Happening” section.

In response to community interests, the City is creating a long-term waterfront redevelopment plan.  Filling in its centrally-located wastewater treatment lagoon would add 39 acres of land for public amenities, water access and other development opportunities. Using the site as a commercially-viable sediment and soil disposal facility could generate revenue to cover redevelopment costs and potentially support other City services. Only non-hazardous sediment, sludge from its wastewater treatment plant, and soil would be used to fill the lagoon.

The report estimates the net present value of repurposing the lagoon as a sediment-disposal facility could range from $56 million to $137 million, depending on whether the lagoon is partially or completely filled and other factors.

The analysis reveals significant demand for sediment disposal in the Portland metro area. Estimates suggest there is a need for 4.5 million cubic yards of disposal space over a 20-year period in the region. The lagoon site could accommodate between 2.2 and 4.0 million cubic yards of material. Facility operations could be phased to align with demand over time. 

While there are several sites in the area that can also accept material from upland facilities, the lagoon’s location near the river would allow it to directly offload sediment from barges, significantly reducing transportation costs. It could also accommodate deliveries by rail or truck—only two other landfills are able to accept deliveries in three ways, and the St. Helens facility would be the only site with barge-transfer infrastructure immediately adjacent to operations. The St. Helens facility is also located much closer to several sediment-producing sites, giving it a strong market advantage over competitors further afield and reducing environmental impacts. 

The City is in the process of gathering public input about the best reuse of the site. As plans are further developed, the City will begin discussions with the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality about the solid waste facility permitting process, which is expected to take two to four years. Filling the entire site would likely take 10-20 years once the permit is received.

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