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.