Earth Day is the perfect time to stop and appreciate one of our most valued resources – water.

One of the District’s three services is transforming wastewater into clean water. The transformation process happens at the District’s Water Reclamation Facility in Oak Grove. The District collects wastewater from homes and businesses so the water can be cleaned and safely returned to the Willamette River. The facility cleans an average of 2.8 million gallons of wastewater per day.

During the cleaning process, solids are removed but they do not go to waste.  The solids are processed further to produce a nutrient rich product called biosolids. Each year, the District’s water reclamation facility produces more than 2,100 tons of Class B biosolids that are beneficially reused as fertilizer. The District has a great partnership with a Central Oregon farmer who applies the biosolids to enhance the soil to grow their livestock crops.

The District’s plant superintendent, David Mendenhall, oversees the day-to-day operations and maintenance of the water reclamation facility. A critical role of the staff is ensuring our treatment system complies with the high water quality standards set by federal, state, and local regulatory agencies.  

On Earth Day and every day Staff is working to keep local streams and rivers clean with sustainable solutions.