About Crooked River Wetlands Complex

Introduction

The City of Prineville’s successful Crooked River Wetland Complex is now complete and providing remarkable social, economic and environmental benefits to the community. Through this 120-acre, multipurpose project, the City is responsibly expanding its wastewater capacity, lowering residential and business System Development Charges, stabilizing monthly wastewater rates, created a new public hiking trail system with numerous educational opportunities and improving riparian and instream conditions in the Crooked River.

General Background

Due to increased residential growth in 2004-2005, the City of Prineville learned that their existing wastewater treatment system needed to be replaced with a $62 million mechanical treatment plant. In anticipation of the $62 million plant expansion, the City raised its Wastewater System Development Charges from approximately $3,800 per home to $9,147 per home. At the time, this was three times higher than the rates charged by neighboring communities and it was determined that these rates were hindering residential and commercial/industrial development.

System Development Charges only generate funds to upgrade treatment processes for future customers. The 3,600 existing wastewater customers would have been tasked with contributing funds to upgrade mechanical treatment as well. This mandate would have also increased the existing monthly wastewater utility rate, doubling what was already the highest rate in the region.

Seeking a more sustainable solution, the City in 2008 began exploring a more holistic and cost-effective way to expand its wastewater capacity. A $75,000 grant from the Economic Development Administration funded several groundwater studies and concurrently, two small wetland test plots were constructed. In January of 2011, the City Council shifted to embrace the 120-acre wetland complex plan rather than a traditional mechanical solution. Future treatment costs were reduced from $62 million to $7.77 million and the Wastewater System Development Charge was reduced from $9,147 per home to $3,875 per home, making the City of Prineville once again competitive for responsible residential and business development.

Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board and Pelton Fund grants totaling $280,000 and $75,000 respectively allowed the project design to begin in 2012. Multiple stakeholders engaged in the interactive design of the facility that resulted in the projects’ many ancillary benefits.

On April 22, 2016 (Earth Day), the City held a groundbreaking ceremony on the project, and a grand opening was celebrated one year later on April 21, 2017.

Sustainable Benefits

The Crooked River Wetland project provides the following benefits:

Civic Improvements - Future treatment costs were reduced from $62 million to $7.77 million. The City provided $4.75 million of the funding and secured over $3 million in grants to finance the project. These savings will stabilize future rates and attract new businesses to Prineville.

Recreational Opportunities - Amenities abound with over 5.4 miles of new walking, running and hiking trails, 3.25 miles of which are paved for use year-round. A covered pavilion and restrooms make for a wonderful gathering place prior to a birdwatching or recreational hiking tour.

Educational Values - Thirteen separate colorful kiosks present topics ranging from the Crooked River Watershed to macroinvertebrates. Local schools helped to design these informative kiosks and have taken ownership in the project. The facility is expected to serve many generations of schoolchildren to come.

Environmental Benefits - Over two miles of riparian improvements to the Crooked River have been implemented, as well as the construction of over 120 acres of wetlands, benefitting many species of fish and wildlife, including lower river temperatures.

The Crooked River Wetland Complex has innovatively solved many problems for the City of Prineville. This project is easily replicable in other communities that have the same geologic conditions.

Financial contributors include the following:

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development - $1,000,000 grant
Infrastructure Finance Authority - $750,000 grant
Oregon Department of Environmental Quality – Interim financing
Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs and Portland General Electric (Pelton Fund) - $75,000 design and $750,000 construction grants
Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board - $280,000 design and $258,417 construction grants
Oregon State Parks - $260,000 grant
Prineville Kiwanis - $2,500 grant
East Cascades Audubon Society - $2,000 grant
City low interest debt - $4,750,000

Project supporters include the following:

Crook County School District
Powell Butte Community Charter School
Bend Westside Magnet School
East Cascades Audubon Society
Crook County Parks and Recreation
Crook County Health Department
US Fish and Wildlife Service
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration