Meet the team
|
|
As a supervising design engineer for the Bureau of Environmental Services (BES), John Houle is responsible for seeing that stormwater is managed effectively during the entire reservoir construction project.
Designing stormwater and erosion control facilities relies on a variety of information obtained from ground surveys, soil studies and rain data. After collecting all relevant information, John and the other BES engineers use a hydrologic/hydraulic model to evaluate the effects of the work and to design needed facilities to mitigate and manage the resulting stormwater and to control erosion.
As part of the reservoir project, John designed two massive stormwater retention ponds, one measuring 400 x 30 feet and 10 feet deep, and another 200 x 30 feet and 7 feet deep. These facilities were designed to handle even rare 100-year rain events, holding water from flowing into nearby Johnson Creek. These rainwater management measures are a collaborative effort between Portland Water Bureau and BES.
|
Read past issues
|
|
Visit our archives to read past issues of WaterWorks.
|
|
|
Reservoir hole is 75% complete!
Nutter Corporation's digging crews and dump truck drivers continue to make steady progress in the excavation of the Powell Butte Reservoir 2 site. As of March 25, more than 250,000 cubic yards of material have been removed, which means that excavation of the site is over 75% complete. When the hole is finished, 323,000 cubic yards of soil and rock will have been removed and transported by Nutter to Knife River Sand & Gravel where the material is being used to fill in the quarry. Aided by a number of dry weather days, about 400 truck trips were made daily this month. Nutter anticipates they may complete the dig by mid-April.
With the dry weather comes an increase in dust on the butte and in truck beds. Portland Water Bureau inspectors and Nutter crews constantly monitor the haul road and city streets. To keep dust to a minimum, they are using sweepers and water pump trucks to spray the roadways. The trucks' wheels and undercarriages also get a spray from two wheel washing units at Powell Butte and at Knife River Sand & Gravel.
|
Open house on April 6 highlights park changes
Portland Water Bureau and Portland Parks & Recreation are inviting everyone to come see the exciting designs for improvements planned for Powell Butte Nature Park. The public will have an opportunity to view and give feedback on the final concepts for a new interpretive center and public restroom, a new park caretaker's house and a new maintenance building. The final recommendations for trail improvements will also be displayed and explained by members of the project design team. The park changes are based on suggestions from the community and a citizens' Project Advisory Committee (PAC). The PAC was comprised of representatives from Audubon Society, Northwest Trails Alliance, Friends of Powell Butte Nature Park, Columbia River Orienteering Club, nearby homeowners, and the Powellhurst-Gilbert, Centennial and Pleasant Valley neighborhood associations.
The open house will be held Tuesday, April 6, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. at Parklane Christian Reformed Church, 16001 SE Main Street, near SE 162nd Avenue.
|
Butte's history includes orchards and dairy cows
Powell Butte has an  interesting agricultural history that precedes its public uses as a nature park and water-reservoir site. The Anderegg family figures prominently in that history. In 1908, Henry and Anna Anderegg - emigrants from Switzerland - along with Henry's brother-in-law, Henry Naegeli, began leasing land from the City of Portland on what was then called Camp Butte. According to Lillian Adams, youngest of Henry and Anna's four children, a City Commissioner named John Mann wanted to ensure that the butte was "taken care of" and felt that a hard-working ranching family would do just that.
For many years the Anderegg family pastured 600 to 800 dairy cows and a number of Percheron horses on the property. Several barns and a shed surrounded the family home. The Anderegg family created and ran Mountain View Dairy; the name was later changed to Meadowland Dairy. The family was also very involved in the community and often offered tours for area schools. The original homestead on the butte was a gathering place for the local Swiss community to get together to dance, sing and yodel.
In 1924, the farming operation was moved to the base of the butte t o property on Powell Blvd. between SE 157th and SE 174th avenues. The City allowed the Andereggs to continue to pasture cattle and horses on the butte to preserve the open meadows. The butte's name was changed to Powell Butte in the late 1960s, although for years the locals referred to it as Anderegg Hill.
Today, the dairy is no longer in existence. After the death of her husband, Lillian developed Meadowcrest Farm Estates on part of the property that includes the family home - a beautiful 1892 Victorian farmhouse. The house serves as Lillian's home as well as a gathering place for family and tenants of the manufactured home park. Lillian, like her parents, has a love of wildlife, forests and open spaces. She has attended several meetings of the Project Advisory Committee, created by the Portland Water Bureau to provide input on future development of the park and trails. Her wish is that Powell Butte Nature Park will remain a wildlife refuge as it was originally conceived, and that it continues to be a place for people to enjoy for years to come. |
|
|
|
|
