St. Helens Receives $2.5 Million for Sewer Infrastructure Upgrades

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 30, 2023

St. Helens, Ore. – The City of St. Helens has been awarded a $2.5 million Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) from Business Oregon for sewer system improvements. The funds will be used for design, engineering, environmental review, and permitting for the St. Helens Sanitary Sewer Capacity Improvements Project.

In November 2021, the City of St. Helens updated its Wastewater Master Plan. The City’s previous master plan was developed in 1989, and the update was long overdue. Cities use master plans as a road map to evaluate their current infrastructure, prioritize necessary improvements and deficiencies, and plan for future growth.

The City’s 2021 Wastewater Master Plan analyzed the St. Helens sanitary sewer collection system and concluded that the majority of the City’s sewer mains are currently operating at or above capacity. The sanitary sewer collection system has a finite capacity to carry wastewater based on the size of the system’s infrastructure such as pipes and manholes. When a sewer exceeds 85% of its flow depth to pipe diameter, it is considered undersized. Inadequacies in the sewer system increase the risk of potential sanitary sewer (sewage) overflows in the system.

After reviewing the data, it was clear that to continue to provide safe and effective sewer service and protect public health and St. Helens waterways, sewer deficiencies would need to be immediately addressed. City staff and the St. Helens City Council launched the Sanitary Sewer Capacity Improvements Project to perform critical capacity upgrades.

The project will achieve several objectives, including:

• Reducing the risk of potential sanitary sewer overflows in the collection system which will protect public and environmental health.
• Reducing inflow and infiltration in the collection system which will lower the costs associated with having to treat stormwater along with wastewater at the City’s Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Providing capacity for commercial, industrial, and residential growth.

The project will focus on three existing sanitary sewer basins in need of critical upgrades as identified in the Wastewater Master Plan.

Sanitary Sewer Basin Six capacity upgrades will upsize over 10,000 feet (1.9 miles) of sewer mainlines on Sykes Road, Port Avenue, Gable Road, and Old Portland Road at Kaster Road. These improvements are considered high priority because of impacts for future development.

Sanitary Sewer Basin Five (The Interceptor) capacity upgrades will upsize the sewer mainline on Fourth Street from Wyeth Street to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The Interceptor upgrade is high priority because it is the main wastewater collector for four of the City’s six sewer basins, collecting a significant percentage of the City’s wastewater as it travels to the Wastewater Treatment Plant. Improvements to the Interceptor will be based on evaluating the sewer flow improvements of Basin Six and Basin Four after upgrades have been completed.

Sanitary Sewer Basin Four (The Middle Trunk) capacity upgrades will upsize and reroute approximately 4,700 feet of sewer mainline. The Middle Trunk upgrade is high priority because it is the City’s most problematic trunkline for inflow and infiltration. Inflow and infiltration is stormwater and groundwater that enters the City’s sewer system through breaks or cracks in sewer lines or illegal stormwater connections. Because of this, Basin Four is also more likely to experience sanitary sewer overflows compared to any other sewer line in the system.

The Business Oregon funding will assist with the design and review of the three basin upgrades. The City plans to first complete Basin Four and Basin Six upgrades. With improvements to these basins, City staff can then evaluate the improved collection loads to Basin Five and properly size any necessary upgrades to the Interceptor Basin. By waiting to upgrade Basin Five until the impacts from the other project improvements are measured, it may be possible for the City to create a more cost-effective project and reduce the loan amount needed for construction.

The City has already applied for and received a loan through Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) Clean Water Revolving Loan Fund for construction with a budget up to $16.4 million with up to $4.5 million in loan forgiveness. It is anticipated that project design will begin in late 2023 with permitting completed by late 2024. Construction will begin once permitting is complete.

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For further information regarding the Business Oregon grant, please contact Communications Officer Crystal King at cking@sthelensoregon.gov.