News for those who live, work and play in North Santiam Canyon

Federal aid – Aumsville gets $1.25 million toward water treatment project

Aumsville has received another $1.25 million to help its effort to replace its water treatment facility.

In one of the last acts of his seven terms in Congress, U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader of the 5th District dispersed $33 million for 14 community projects in the district, including the $1.25 million for Aumsville.

“As my time in Congress comes to a close,” Schrader wrote in a Dec. 23 press release, “I am grateful that the rural communities that I’ve been honored to represent will receive these critical investments that will benefit its citizens for many years to come.”

The federal funds came from a $1.7 trillion federal spending package signed by President Joe Biden on Dec. 20.

The appropriation adds to the funding pile Aumsville has been accumulating to build a new water treatment plant that will meet state Department of Environmental Quality standards that were revised in 2019.

“The area of concern is the ammonia content and the fact that the city’s lagoon treatment facility could not meet the newer standards set by DEQ,” Aumsville City Manager Ron Harding told Our Town. “Many smaller communities in Oregon are facing the same issues.”

Failing to meet the standards means no shot at receiving the required National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System discharge permit that would allow the city to discharge its effluent into the North Santiam River, Harding said.

Aumsville has approved a capital facility plan that includes a new water treatment plant and now is in
the daunting fundraising phase that must come up with $28 million to do the work.

An earlier $1 million grant from Marion County, $1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, the new money from Schrader and $1.2 million in system development charges for new construction means Aumsville has about $4.5 million toward the new infrastructure, Harding said.

Harding said the city continues to seek funds from the legislature, grants, and funding programs offered by the state and federal programs, Harding said. The city is facing a 2028 deadline to meet the new requirements.

“The city is very optimistic about all of the programs from the ARPA and federal infrastructure bill, that we can meet this challenge and keep some or most of the cost of a new facility from impacting affordable housing in our community as the cost of utilities is just as relevant to affordability as the cost of a home,” Harding said. “We have always been an attractive community to live in because of our proximity to larger communities.”

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