Willamina lift stations need $7M in repairs

City of Willamina officials will speak with prospective funders about sewer lift replacements on Friday, Sept. 26, at city hall.

This will be an internal meeting and not open to the public.

The meeting is deemed “one stop” as city officials hope to tell Willamina’s story just once before potential funders and city partnering agencies at the meeting. The goal is to obtain as much grant funding as possible for the estimated cost of $7.3 million for replacement.

Wastewater improvements are becoming a necessity because of recent residential and commercial development growth and anticipated future housing.

Currently, the city’s sanitary sewer system consists of two main basins, one in the north and one in the south. Both have their own lift stations that transport flow to Willamina’s wastewater treatment lagoon system.

After treatment, the water is discharged into the South Yamhill River, where the cities of Sheridan and Amity also draw and discharge water.

After an evaluation, Willamina found both lift stations have deficiencies. Their electrical systems, emergency power and controls are outdated, and fail to meet the Department of Environmental Quality capacity. As population grows and development continues, capacity will need to be increased.

Within the application for the One Stop Meeting, Willamina City Manager Bridget Meleney wrote, “during severe storm events, the lift stations have even overflowed raw sewage into the South Yamhill.”

Meleney noted that should no action be taken, further deterioration and capacity problems could persist, and the city may face fines from DEQ.

Meleney told the News-Register the results of the meeting will be presented at a forthcoming Willamina City Council meeting.