(December 23, 2020) — Heavy rains triggered an overflow caused by a blockage at the Oak Lodge Water Services District on Sunday, December 20 at approximately 10:45 a.m. causing sewage to discharge into the designed system bypass into the Willamette River. The bypass stopped at 2:45 a.m. on Tuesday, December 22. Plans for a project is already underway to remove the blockage.

“As the flows into the plant continued to rise staff took swift action to prevent catastrophic damage to the Water Reclamation Facility and electrical systems”, said David Mendenhall, Plant Superintendent for the District. Staff determined the cause was a blockage inside the Water Reclamation Facility.

A sign has been placed at Rivervilla Park (925 SE Courtney Ave, Milwaukie, OR 97222) advising the public to avoid contact with the river for a minimum of 48 hours.

The bypass was reported to the Oregon Emergency Response System at 10:59 a.m. on Sunday, December 20.

If you have questions, please email davidm@olwsd.org.

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The Oak Lodge Water Services District is committed to creating a clean water environment and a healthy community. The District provides reliable drinking water, sanitary sewer, and watershed protection services to nearly 29,000 people in Oak Grove, Jennings Lodge, and portions of Milwaukie and Gladstone. The District was officially formed as of January 1, 2017.