Sutherlin Secures $10 Million For Water Infrastructure Project

SUTHERLIN, Ore. — The City of Sutherlin has been awarded a $10 million funding package for a water infrastructure project intended to strengthen the city’s long-term water supply.

The funding was announced during the March 30 Sutherlin City Council meeting. City officials said the money will support the Fall Water Basin intertie project, which is expected to provide Sutherlin with a third water source.

The project is intended to add redundancy to the city’s water system, helping protect the community if one source is affected by drought, system issues, or other disruptions.

According to city officials, Sutherlin applied for funding for the project and was awarded a 30-year loan at a 1% interest rate. Officials said $1.4 million of the funding is forgivable, meaning that portion will not have to be repaid.

The funding terms are consistent with Oregon’s Safe Drinking Water Revolving Loan Fund, which was identified in Sutherlin’s 2017 Water Master Plan as a potential funding source for water system improvements. The program is administered through Business Oregon and provides low-interest financing for eligible drinking water projects, with some projects qualifying for principal forgiveness.

The project comes as Sutherlin continues to address long-term water infrastructure needs identified in the city’s 2017 Water Master Plan. The plan stated that Sutherlin’s water storage system was expected to be deficient by 2026 and projected that an additional 0.53 million gallons of storage would be needed by the end of the planning period.

The plan also found that several mid-level and high-level storage areas lacked sufficient capacity, with the exception of the Forest Heights storage tank. It recommended adding tanks or replacing existing tanks with larger ones to address the issue. The plan said increasing storage capacity at mid- and high-level reservoir sites, including Schoon Mountain and Upper Umpqua, could reduce the amount of additional lower-level reservoir storage needed.

City Manager Kurt Sorenson credited city staff and The Dyer Partnership for their work on the application and planning process. Sorenson described the award as “very good news” for the city and for the project moving forward.

The project is not expected to begin construction immediately. Sorenson said the next phase will involve substantial engineering and planning before physical work starts.

Councilor Smalley called the funding announcement “great news” and described the water project as a significant step for the city.

During the same meeting, the city also recognized several employees for service milestones, including Public Works employee John McAfee for 10 years of service and Water Supervisor Alan Taylor for 15 years of service. Sorenson described Taylor as a highly knowledgeable water supervisor and thanked the employees for their work.

The April 13th city council meeting can be found below: