FAQs

While there is a lot involved under each item, here is a summary project scope:

• Convert the existing aeration basin to an equalization basin (EQB).
• Remove and dispose of all biosolids from the lagoons. 
  • Convert the lagoons to clean water holding ponds. 
• Add a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) structure... this is the main treatment works. 
• Add a new laboratory and control center. 
• Add a new screw press and room to process biosolids for disposal. 
• Add new piping to carry water from the EQB to the SBR. 
• Add a UV light disinfection system.

The total project cost for the new plant is $52,279,000 split between the following resources: 

• Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund (CWSRF) Permanent Loan - $11,250,000 
• CWSRF Grant - $500,000 
• Oregon Lottery Grant Funds - $5,000,000
• United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA-RD) Loan - $33,250,000
• USDA-RD Grant - $2,000,000
• City Capital Funds - $279,000

Molalla's wastewater plant, like every other community in Oregon (and most in the United States) operates under a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.  These permits are issued by state departments of environmental quality under their own rules, and rules promulgated by the Federal EPA.

Molalla's wastewater plant also operates under a consent decree with Bear Creek Recovery and a Memorandum of Agreement with DEQ.  These additional regulations are the result of a 2015 lawsuit brought against the city by Bear Creek Recovery.  They modify Molalla's operating limits and have several requirements for capital construction, communication, and violations. These documents will sunset when the new WWTP has been constructed and all biosolids removed from the lagoons. 

Molalla's wastewater operators are certified by Oregon DEQ.  

Like any major decision, it's hard to pin down one reason why the city is constructing a new wastewater plant now.  There are several reasons, some with more weight than others, but the crux of the matter came down to the following: 

• Memorandum of Agreement (MOA): In 2018 the city entered into an MOA with DEQ, part of which required the city to construct a new WWTP.  

Why the MOA? The crux of the matter is that when DEQ issued Molalla's NPDES permit, the Mass Load limits were set to Bear Creek, but the City discharges to the Molalla River, so the limits were inaccurate and very low. 

The City was in near constant violation of the permit due to this error (with the Molalla River limits, the city would not have been in violation), and was ultimately sued under the Clean Water Act by Bear Creek Recovery.  

The MOA was one part of the settlement of that lawsuit.  It provided increased Mass Load limits (closer to the basin standard, but still lower), and the requirement to upgrade the city's treatment facility amongst other things. 

• Population & Treatment Capacity: The City's activated sludge lagoons are sized for a population of about 10,000 people max.  They can keep up with our current population of 10,300, but will slowly become cost and capacity prohibitive as the community grows.