Due to mechanical failure of one of the pumps in the NW 48th Street Wastewater Pump Station located west of Highway 101 at NW 48th Street, the station began overflowing on January 20th into the creek located at Lucky Gap and ultimately into Big Creek. One of motors for the two pumps failed completely and needed to be rebuilt. The other motor was also in poor condition and was not running at 100%. The City installed a temporary diesel pump to help supplement flows which stopped the overflow condition.
On February 1, 2016 City crews had to remove the temporary pump to install the newly repaired pump and remove the other pump for service. It was necessary to allow this station and the upstream Schooner Creek Wastewater Pump Station located at the end of NW 68th Street to spill for a period of 3 hours while the repair was being made. The temporary pump is still on site and will continue to operate until the second pump is reinstalled at the 48th Street pump station.
During the afternoon of February 3rd, the Big Creek Pump Station began spilling 10-15 gallons per minute at 9:30 am which lasted for approximately 3 hours. This spill was caused by heavy rain. The Big Creek Pump Station receives wastewater from 5 upstream pump stations and is susceptible to sudden overflows as a result of heavy rain bursts. This station is currently being replaced with a new station. The new station is scheduled to be online before next winter.
Signs warning of the sewage overflows are posted at the affected areas. Contact with water contaminated with bacteria can increase the risk of disease. Please avoid contact with these water bodies until further notice. The City has had continued equipment and capacity problems with the sewer pump stations located at Big Creek, Schooner Creek, and NW 48th Street. Because these three pump stations pump from one to the other, a failure at one often creates a failure at the upstream stations.
In 2010 the City began a program to replace these three pumps stations, associated force mains, and gravity sewer pipes. This program, estimated to cost $9 million, began in 2014 with the construction of the force main for the Big Creek Pump Station. The construction on the Big Creek Pump Station began in the fall of 2015 and is currently under construction. Construction on the Schooner Creek Pump Station is estimated to begin in the summer/fall of 2016 with the remaining system beginning soon after.
Information and photo provided by City of Newport Public Works. Call 541-574-3366 with any questions.
