Document text
Funds would help Medford check and map sewer system By DANI DODGE Mail Tribune Medford's sewers aren't exactly glamorous, but they are critical. Recognizing that, the area's representatives in Washington, D.C., dedicated $385,000 in an appropriations bill to updating the city's sanitary sewer master plan. The bill passed both houses of Congress, made it through a committee reconciling the differences between House and Senate versions, and is slated for final votes in both. Rep. Greg Walden said he expects the bill to pass and be signed by the president. "This will give them $385,000 to assist in the sewage system planning process so the city can deal with existing problems and be a step ahead of growth to deal with future needs," the Hood River Republican said in a phone interview from Washington. "Sometimes it's hard to get excited about sewers, but without them, you are really in trouble." Medford's sanitary sewer master plan was last updated in 1990, when the city only had enough money to look at pipes that were 10 inches in diameter or bigger. That meant that 85 percent of the city's pipes went without study, said utility engineer Larry Beskow. The city knows it has problems because a lot of rainwater gets into the sewage system, said Cory Crebbin, Medford's director of public works. "A lot of sewers are old, especially in the downtown," Crebbin said. "We can identify the problems (with the money we have), but a master plan can identify the alternatives for solving the problems." Also since 1990, the city's urban growth boundary has increased and areas have been annexed into the city, Beskow noted. The federal money will allow the city to look through all the city's sewer pipes with closed-circuit television and also to do a computer mapping of the system. "We're excited," Beskow said. "The sewage collection system is very, very important because of health issues. There's a lot of airborne pathogens in the sewer system and you try to prevent overflows and back-ups." "As Medford continues to grow, these sewers are getting too small, so we need to start planning." Walden said he and Oregon Sens. Gordon Smith and Ron Wyden were pushing to get money for Medford's sanitary sewer master plan into the Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill, one of 13 passed by Congress each year. "We work together as a team for these things," Walden explained. "That's what it takes back here." Reach reporter Dani Dodge at 776-4471, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.