Clean Water Services: Difference between revisions

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'''Clean Water Services''' is athe [[water resources]] management utility thatfor aimsmore tothan protect public health while enhancing the natural environment of the Tualatin River Watershed. Combining science and nature542,000 they workresidents in partnershipurban with[[Washington othersCounty, to safeguard the river’s healthOregon]] and vitality,small ensure the economic successportions of our[[Multnomah regionCounty, Oregon]] and protect[[Clackamas publicCounty, health for more than 560Oregon]],000 residents and businesses in urbanthe [[WashingtonUnited County, OregonStates]]. Clean Water Services operates four [[Sewage treatment|wastewater treatment facilities]], constructs and maintains flood management and water quality projects, and manages flow into the [[Tualatin River]] to improve water quality and protect fish habitat.<ref>Haight, Abby. Stream to get healthy helping of native plants. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', November 29, 2007.</ref> They are headquartered in [[Hillsboro, Oregon|Hillsboro]].<ref name=bio>Much, Justin. Farmers and neighbors debate use of biosolids. ''[[Statesman Journal]]'', November 7, 2007.</ref>

[[File:RCclarifierClean Water Services headquarters - Hillsboro, Oregon.jpgJPG|thumb|ClarifierThe atheadquarters of Clean Water Services' Rock Creekin facilityHillsboro]]

As population continued to grow in the service area of USA, the water quality of the Tualatin River worsened. In 1986, the Northwest Environmental Defense Center filed a lawsuit against the [[United States Environmental Protection Agency]], prompting [[Total maximum daily load]]s for the Tualatin River.<ref>[http://or.water.usgs.gov/projs_dir/pn356/pn356.html Oregon Water Science Center Active Projects]</ref> A [[Clean Water Act]] amendment addedadds regulation of storm-water runoff, and the Rock Creek Facility achievedachieves 99% removal of ammonia nitrogen. In 1988, the Tualatin Valley Water Quality Endowment Fund wasis established by the Northwest Environmental Defense Center lawsuit.

USA worked to maintain the quality of the Tualatin River by establishing Surface Water Management (SWM) utility for water quality and drainage in 1990, and began a $200 million facility expansion and upgrade program to meet compliance deadlines. That same year, the agency established the River Rangers program. USA beganbegins consumption-based rates and combines billing with water providers in 1994.

In July 2001, the Unified Sewerage Agency renamed itself as Clean Water Services at a cost of $60,000.<ref name=dubious>Highlights, lowlights and other dubious achievements of the year 2001. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', December 27, 2001.</ref> Clean Water Services' Field Operations Building opened in 2003, which is used as a showcase of low impact development, openedand inthe 2003. The AdministrationAdministrative Building Complex, locatedopens. adjacent to the Tualatin River and Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve, also opened in 2003 and consolidated staff from four facilities into a single, central water resources campus totaling 69,000 square feet. It wasis the first LEED Gold certified public building in Washington County. In 2004, the agency began a program to add shade along the watersheds streams and river by planting trees and shrubs to lower temperatures of the waterways.<ref name=plants>Arrandale, Tom. Trading for clean water. ''Governing Magazine'', April 2004. Pg. 32.</ref><ref>Delegation secures $640,000 for water supply project and title transfer process. ''Beaverton Valley Times'' January 3, 2008.</ref> This program received approval from environmental regulators and was in lieu of spending $150 million to build chilling systems at the four treatment facilities.<ref name=plants/>

The agency's Rock Creek facility won an EPA National Clean Water Act Recognition Award in 2006,<ref>County treatment site wins honors. ''Forest Grove News Times'' March 14, 2007</ref> and in 2008 the Durham facility's Influent Pump Station wasis the first to earn LEED Silver certification.<ref>LEEDing the Way. ''Treatment Plant Operator Magazine'' June 2010</ref> The following year, the Durham plant becamebecomes the United States' first wastewater treatment plant to produce commercial fertilizer.<ref>Ostara Nutrient Rocovery Technologies Inc.: Oregon Wastewater Treatment Plant Is the First in U.S. to Recycle Nutrients Into "Green" Commercial Fertilizer. ''Wall Street Journal Market Watch'' September 23, 2008</ref> In 2010, the Clean Water Institute was established by the agency.<ref>County spins off patented science biz. Christian Gaston, ''[[News-Times (Forest Grove)|Forest Grove News-Times]]'' March 4, 2010</ref>

As a wastewater utility, Clean Water Services cleans more than {{convert|60|e6USgal|m3}} of wastewater a day. The wastewaterwatewater treatment process uses physical, biological, and chemical treatment to clean wastewater to some of the highest standards in the nation. The cleaned wastewater is then released into the Tualatin River.<ref name=cons>Griffin, Jeff. Overcoming pipebursting challenges--on time, under budget; Rehabilitation TECHNOLOGY. ''Underground Construction'', February 1, 2007. Pg. 49(2) Vol. 62 No. 2 {{ISSN|1092-8634}}.</ref> The wastewater is collected by a vast network of more than {{convert|800|mi|km}} of sewer lines and 39 pump stations and routed to one of four treatment plants—Durham, Rock Creek, Hillsboro and Forest Grove.

Ten percent of the wastewater treated by Clean Water Services is used for irrigation and in area wetlands during the summer months.<ref>Mayes, Steve. Two-pipe system with fresh, recycled water taps into future. ''[[The Oregonian]]'', August 29, 2005.</ref> [[Biosolids]] recovered through the treatment process are sold to farmers in the region as fertilizer.<ref name=bio/> Additionally, the [http://www.cleanwaterservices.org/AboutUs/WastewaterAndStormwater/Ostara.aspx Durham Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility] wasis the first in the nation to recover fertilizer from a natural byproduct of wastewater treatment.<ref>Smith, Kennedy. Tigard treatment plant turns waste into fertilizer. ''Daily Journal of Commerce'', June 1, 2007.</ref> In 2007 the Durham facility began working with [http://www.ostara.com Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies] to construct a $2.5 million multi-reactor plant <ref>Smith, Jill Rehkopf. Kennedy lauds sewage plant's green setup. "[[The Oregonian]]", June 11, 2009.</ref> that allows the Durham facility to run part of its waste stream through special reactors that transform potentially damaging nutrients into a sustainable and environmentally friendly fertilizer, [http://www.cleanwatergrow.com/ Clean Water Grow], which isOstara soldsells commercially.<ref>Renfroe, Don. Clean Water Services to extract nutrients from waste for fertilizer. "[[The Oregonian]]", November 13, 2008.</ref> In 2012, The Rock Creek facility became the second, and world's largest, nutrient recovery facility.

Clean Water Services offers a classroom educational program called [http://www.cleanwaterservices.org/for-residentsResidents/community-resources/educationToolsAndTips/RiverRangers.aspx River Rangers] geared toward 4th-grade students.<ref>Sherman, Barbara. Durham students learn how to protect Tualatin Watershed. ''Tualatin Times'', December 5, 2005.</ref> Environmental educators interactively teach students about the water cycle, watersheds, surface water pollution, water conservation and wastewater treament. The 45-minute presentation is used to educate students about how people impact water quality through use of sewer and storm systems.

[[File:AerialhaggTualatin River - Oregon.jpgJPG|upright|thumb|Aerial shot ofUpper HaggTualatin LakeRiver]]