ASTORIA HONORS DR. KING Marchers stand with candles outside the Liberty Theater before taking part in a candlelight walk to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Monday. More than 75 people participated in the walk, which is in its fourth year. See more photos at DailyAstorian.com JOSHUA BESSEX — The Daily Astorian TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2015 SHAPING UP 101 Port of Astoria reveals stormwater treatment r upgrade plan ive R a b The Port’s proposed plan to treat storm lum o C water includes pumping the runoff to a settling pond and bioswales Outfall 1 before it is discharged into the Columbia River. Area in detail 101 Youngs Bay i BUS 101 Pier 1 Outfall 2 ue Pier 3 Settling pond with pre-treatment forebay eg Or Water flow 101 e Dr Shellfish provide filtration and buffering Centralized stormwater would be appropriate for both The Port met the DEQ re- quirements for the new Tier II designation and need to reduce copper pollution. But Rob Evert, the permit and projects coordinator at the Port, said the agency is using this opportunity to plan a cen- tralized stormwater treatment facility for the entire central waterfront. “What sort of technology the copper that is required for treatment, but also the current activities here at the Port?” asked Banasik. The Port’s new plan in- volves pumping stormwater from catch basins throughout its central waterfront, through force mains, to a single treat- ment center located on a strip of Pier 3 owned by the Oregon Department of State Lands. ive Foster Alongi to create the plan for a centralized storm- water treatment facility. on C oast H wy. Tay lor Ave nue t Gabion biofilter PVC coated basket ri n Ma W. skeletons to pull out copper, to treat storm runoff before it enters the Columbia River. The Port falls under the its permit, the Port reported quarterly samples that were on average 50 to 100 percent above the DEQ’s benchmarks for copper at sampling points at the end of Pier 3 and in be- tween piers 3 and 2, just north of the maintenance shop. sense danger, and affect oth- er aquatic invertebrates and algae. The Port staff worked on the issue. And before the Dec. 31 deadline, the Port Commission contracted with environmental engineer Ada Ind et tre y S e tre In August, the Oregon De- partment of Environmental Quality served notice to the Port of Astoria and 20 percent of all industrial stormwater permit-holders in Oregon: Clean up your runoff and make it operational by June 30, 2016. The Port submitted its plan to DEQ Dec. 31 to install a DEQ sent a letter Aug. 8 mandating the Port meet the more stringent Tier II Cor- rective Action requirements to reduce the amount of cop- per making it to the water- ways Copper can inhibit the en Av r ust dS En Biofiltration swales The Port of Astoria joins a parade of agencies cleaning up stormwater runoff DEQ’s requirements, needing a 1200-Z industrial stormwa- ter permit to discharge storm runoff from its industrial lands. In 2012, DEQ reissued new industrial stormwater permits with lowered benchmarks for a number of pollutants, including 0.02 milligrams per liter allowed for copper. y wa te Ga EDWARD STRATTON — The Daily Astorian By EDWARD STRATTON The Daily Astorian 202 Pier 2 Existing drainage basin Proposed storm forcemain Proposed pump station The Port of Astoria submitted a proposal to create a centralized stormwater treatment facility on a strip of land owned by the Oregon Department of State Lands on the western edge of Pier 3, overlooked by the Astoria Riverwalk. 30 Astoria Legend Source: Port of Astoria Alan Kenaga/EO Media Group River ia Columb r Youngs Rive STORMWATER ONE DOLLAR Avenue Ala m eda 142nd YEAR, No. 145 N 400 feet The system would begin with an initial reservoir to pretreat stormwater, settling out suspended solids and retaining floating effluent, such as tree bark and oil; then a settling pond to re- move other suspended solids and contaminants such as metals and organics by sed- imentation. See PORT, Page 10A Neawanna by the Sea under new management Area assisted-living to address concerns By ERICK BENGEL EO Media Group SEASIDE — Neawanna by the Sea, a retirement and assisted-living facility in Seaside, is trying to im- prove its operation after an unfavor- able 2014. After a September inspection by nna’s ability to admit new residents because of its ongoing failure to be in compliance with the Oregon admin- istrative rules for residential care and assisted living facilities. It was the third state inspection in 2014 — following others in February and July — to show a lack of “substan- tive compliance” on Neawanna’s part. “Because things were not heading in the right direction, (the restriction) is an effort to say, ‘You need to circle the wagons and not bring new peo- ple into the community and focus on getting your service back into compli- ance,’” said Cory Oace, manager of the community-based care licensing unit that oversees Neawanna. unusual, though, Oace said. Though Neawanna may lose its li- inspection, the business is in no great- er danger of losing its license than many of the nearly 500 community See NEAWANNA, Page 10A ERICK BENGEL — EO Media Group Neawanna by the Sea on North Wahanna Road in Seaside is under new management to address deficiencies found in state Office of Licensing and Regulatory Oversight inspections.