"Water Works"

WaterWorks | February 2010

Design concepts for future nature center

Friends of Powell Butte

Where is all that dirt going?

Clay Luper serves the Portland Water Bureau (PWB) as a Public Works Inspector. His field responsibilities are to ensure that the contractor's work conforms to the City's plans and specifications for the excavation phase of the project. Clay monitors the day-to-
day progress of the work, and logs information that determines how much to incrementally pay the contractor for work performed. Clay also ensures that the contractor complies with all stormwater and erosion-control measures.

On other major PWB projects, Clay served as lead field inspector on water system adjustments to accommodate TriMet's Light Rail Transit Mall project. On the Bureau's Conduit Trestle II project, he monitored work to replace and protect large-diameter supply pipelines in the Bull Run watershed.

Some of Clay's tools on this project are a Nephelometric Turbidity Unit Meter, a device used to measure the clarity of stormwater leaving the project site, and digital cameras to record project progress as well as document any issues that might arise.

Learn more

Portland Water Bureau/Powell Butte Reservoir

Portland Parks & Recreation/Powell Butte Nature Park

Friends of Powell Butte

Read past issues

Visit our archives to read past issues of WaterWorks.

Park design concepts come into sharper focus

PB Nature Park rendering jan2010

Conceptual drawing of the new park center, with parking in the center, a new interpretive center in the upper left, and a new caretaker's house and maintenance facility in the upper right.

The Portland Water Bureau is fine-tuning plans for new park features that will become the "heart" and "gateway" to the rest of Powell Butte Nature Park. Input from the public - through an online survey, open houses and meetings of the Project Advisory Committee - has been overwhelming supportive of constructing the new buildings using a traditional agricultural style - a nod to the butte's farming history.

The redeveloped parking lot will include 40 parking slots as well as an equestrian staging area. There will also be an outdoor teaching area with a great view of Mount Hood.

Open house - April 6

Work on the park center and trail concepts is continuing, and on Tuesday, April 6 there will be an open house during which the public can view and comment on refined concepts for the Park Center and trails. The open house will be held 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at Parklane Christian Reformed Church, 16001 SE Main Street, Portland.

Get more information and look at conceptual drawings of the buildings on the Portland Parks & Recreation website. (Click here to go to the page with information about the Park Design Concepts.)

Say hello to The Friends of Powell Butte

Every park needs a friend or two to help take care of it. The Friends of Powell Butte is committed to protecting and enhancing Powell Butte Nature Park, which encompasses nearly 600 acres of meadow and forestland in southeast Portland. The association works closely with Portland Parks & Recreation and the Water Bureau to plan and implement park improvements, as well as to provide PB trail from Friends volunteer services and citizen input. Since 1990, the group - in partnership with Northwest Trail Alliance and many other volunteers - has helped restore wildlife habitat, plant trees and maintain trails.

"Change is happening rapidly on Powell Butte, from reservoir construction to a new park center to re-constructing the trail system," said Tamra Dickinson, co-chair of the Friends of Powell Butte. Being involved with Friends' meetings gives citizens direct access to City staff to learn about plans and offer input.

Trail Maintenance Day is the second Saturday of each month at 9 a.m. Meet in the parking lot. Donations for park improvements and trail maintenance are always welcome. Monthly meetings are held the third Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the caretaker's residence near the parking lot.

"Powell Butte needs your volunteer help to take care of habitat and trails," says Tamra. "There are many ways to be involved; please join us!"

For more information or to find out how to get involved, go to Friends of Powell Butte.

Where's all that dirt going? Knife River!

Digging a Knife River quarry hole large enough to accommodate a 50-million gallon underground reservoir is no small task. And all that soil and rock has got to go somewhere. Nutter Corp. trucks are hauling the material to the Knife River Sand & Gravel facility, just three miles away from Powell Butte.

As of January 31, more than 100,000 cubic yards Knife River quarry of soil have been dug out of the site and trucked to Knife River. The excavated material is being used to fill in the previously mined areas of the property. When the excavation phase is complete, roughly 323,000 cubic yards of material will have been removed. Nutter Corp. expects to have the hole completed by mid-April (assuming normal weather conditions).

Clean wheels, clean streets
Trucks get their wheels washed as they leave the construction site and again after they dump their load at Knife River (below). This helps keep the roadway clear of debris and mud.

Knife River quarry

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
CONTACT TIM HALL, PORTLAND CITY WATER BUREAU | TimH@ci.portland.or.us | 503.823.6926