Water and Environment :: Environmental Planning and Compliance
Willamette Water Supply Program Preliminary Design and Permitting
Clackamas and Washington Counties, OR
The Tualatin Valley Water District (TVWD) and other Washington County municipalities are partnering to develop the mid-Willamette River at Wilsonville, Oregon, as the next water supply source for their communities. The Willamette Water Supply Program (WWSP), which is scheduled to be online by 2026, includes an expansion of the existing intake facilities, a new water treatment plant, treated water storage tanks, and the construction of approximately 35 miles of 60-inch to 72-inch treated water pipeline through rural and urban areas of Washington and Clackamas counties.
Natural resource-sensitive components of the WWSP include the intake on the Willamette River and the multiple crossings of environmentally sensitive areas such as the Tualatin River, streams, and wetlands. As part of the Preliminary Design phase of the WWSP, DEA met with the resource agencies, tribes, watershed groups, municipalities, and other environmental stakeholders; identified permitting requirements and risks; developed an effective agency and stakeholder communications plan; guided design choices to facilitate permitting; and prepared a permitting strategy to facilitate successful permit acquisition.
Through workshops and consistent communication with the design team and resource agencies, DEA fostered early engagement to facilitate a permittable design for the WWSP. DEA is now leading the implementation of the permitting strategy to obtain the necessary environmental and land use permits to support the construction of the WWSP by 2026.