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<br /> SUMMER THE CITY CLEANED AND DEEPENED THE AMAZON"CHANNEL AND WE HAD ONLY M'INORTROUBLES I
<br /> LAST WI NTERj THE REASON, I NOW JUDGE, IS TH~T WE HAD LESS HEAVY AND BETtER DI~TRIB0TED
<br /> RAINS THAN IS NORMALLY THE CASE. THIS WINTER WE HAVE AGAIN HAD SERIOUS DiFFICULTIES IN
<br /> OUR NEIGHBaRHOOD. THESE ARE OF TWO SORTS:
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<br /> I . THE MAJOR PROBLEM IS THE FLOODING OF THE STREETS WITH RAW SEWAGE. IT IS AN
<br /> INCIDENTAL, ALTHOUGH VERY IRRITATING, FACT THAT ON THREE OR FOUR OCCASIONS IN THE PAST
<br /> ,THREE YEARS THE SANITARY SEWER HAS BACKED UP INTO THE LOWER LEVEL QF MY OWN HOUSE~- AND
<br /> THAT Of SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS AS WELL.
<br /> Of MUCH MORE 'SERIOUS CONSIDERATION IS THE OVERFLOWING OF THE SANitARY SEWER INTO I
<br /> THE STREETS. ,ON MONDAY MORNINGTOF THIS WEEK MY NEIGHBOR AND I STOOD IN THE ALLEY NEAR
<br /> 24TH STREET, BETWEEN UNIVERSITY AND ONYX, AND WATCHED THE SPOUTING Of A GEYSER OF
<br /> SEWAGE. IT SPREAD,'IN THE SURFACE WATER-AND WAS CARRIED DOWN THE STREET TO THE PLAY-
<br /> GROUND; SOME OF IT DRAINED INTO THE STORM SEWERS ONLY TO REAPPEAR AGAIN IN THE GEYSERS
<br /> ON HILYARD STREET NEAR THE ROOSEVELT SCHOOL. \-
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<br /> THE SEWER OVERFLOWS IN'THIS MANNER ONLY WHEN WE HAVE HEAVY DOWNPOURS. " IT BACKS UP I
<br /> INTO HOUSES. AND YARDS MUCH MORE FREQUENTLY. My NEr~HBOR AND I HAVE INSTALLED BACKCH~CK II
<br /> VALVES, BUT THEY WORK IMPERFECTLY.\ WHEN THE WATER RISES I HAVE THE-CHOICE OFLETTI~~
<br /> THE SEWAGE INTO MY,HOUSE OR OF OPENING THE VALVE IN MY BACK YARD AND RUNNING THE
<br /> OVERFLOW INTO THE STORM SEWER. I CHOOSE THE LATTER. IN EITHER EVENT THE RESULT TO TH~
<br /> CITY IS THE SAME. I F I LET- IT RUN INTO MY HOUSE I SHOULD HAVE to SWEEP"ll OUT I NTO THE BACK
<br /> YARD, AND THENCE TO THE STORM, SEWER AND CONTAMiNATE,THE WAfER WH'-CH BUBBLES 'OUT OF THE I
<br /> ~.~HOLES AT LOWER STREET LEVELS. - "
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<br /> THE PROBLEM IS NOT THAT THE TRUNK LINE SEWER AND THE BRANCHES ARE INADEQUAT'E. THE
<br /> CITY ENGINEER TELLS ME THAT THEY ARE SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO MEET NORMAL NEEDS. THE
<br /> DIFFICULTY IS THAT THE CITY PERMITS THE DRAINAGE OF RA'-NWATER I NTOTHE 'SANI TARY SEWER.
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<br /> 2. THE SECOND PROBLEM--THAT OF,DRAINAGE SURFACE ~ATER FROM THE STREET I NTO OUR
<br /> YARDS-",: IS MORE LOCAL AND MUCH MORE EASILY SOLVEO. 'WHEN THE CITY CONSTRUC'TED"23RD STREET
<br /> IT PUT THE LOW POINT, AND THE STORM SEWER DRAIN, NOT AT THE INTERSECTION BUT BETWEEN THE
<br /> ALLEY AND ONYX STREET. THE DRAIN IS INADEQUATE, THE WATER OVERFLOWS AND COURSES INTO
<br /> THE BACK YARDS OF PROPERTY ON UNIVERSITY STREET BETWEEN 23RD AND 24TH. A MORE ADEQUATE
<br /> DRAIN MIGHT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE GRADING OF THE ALLEY WOULD, AT LEAST, 01 VE'RT 'THE'
<br /> OVERFLOW T~?24TH STREET, AND PREVENT ITS FLOODING O~ PRIVATE PROPERTY.
<br /> THE C!'TY CANNOT PLEAp UNAWARENESS :OF ,THESE PROBLEMS.' I FIRST DISCUSSED THEM WITH
<br /> MR. OREN KING, AND I CALLED ON YQU THE FIRST MONTH,AF'TER YOU CAME T~ EUGENE AND ~GAIN
<br /> SOME WEEK& LATER TO REPORT THE SITUATION. WHEN, NEARLY THREE YEARS A'GO, I 'FI RST SAW 'THE
<br /> AREA FLOODED, I TELEPHONED THE CI TY 'ENGI NEER IS OFFI CE AND HE SENT OUT ,MEN TO CHECK AND
<br /> REPORT. THEY .WERE THE ONES, WHO POI NTED OUT TO ME THE OVE,RFLOWI NG OF THE SANITARY SEWER
<br /> ON 24TH STREET.
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<br /> THE C.l.TY'S ACTIVITY MAY BE DUE ErTHER'TO NEGLECT OR TO A BELIEF THA'T THE ,PROBLEM
<br /> IS NOT SERIOUS. I 'CAN~CARECELY BELIEVE THAT IT IS'THE LATTER. A CITY ~O MUCH CONtERNED
<br /> WI TH THE SANI TARYCONDI TI ONS OF OUTLYI NG COMMUNI TI ES AND WI TH TH'E CONTAMfNATl'ON of THE I
<br /> WI LLAMETTE -RI VER CAN HARDLY BE r'NDI FFERENT T'O THE SPREAD I NG OF SEWAGE ON I TS "OWN STREETS
<br /> AND PLAYGROUNDS.
<br /> NOR DO ,I BELIEVE THAT CITY OFFICIALS ARE GUILTY ~F' INTENtiONAL NEGLECT. I THINK,
<br /> RATHER, THAT WE WHO HAVE BEEN ~OST IMMEDIATELY AFEECTED HAVE NOT SUCCEEDED IN IMPRESSING
<br /> UPON YOU HOW SER I OUS' ,THE PROBLEM IS. I DOUBT THAT COUN'C I L MEMBERS -ARE EVEN AWARE' of"
<br /> WH.AT IS HAPPENING IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY. J HOPE THAT ,I T WILL NOT REQU '-RE ii.' MI NOR
<br /> EPIDEMIC TO MOVE THE CITY TO ACTION~ I, e
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<br /> MAY I, ~HEREF'ORE, RESPECTFULLY REQUEST YOU TO PRESENT THIS ~ETiER TO TH~'CITY
<br /> COUNCIL?" - I
<br /> THE FOLLOWI~G COMMUNI~ATION WAS ALSO' RECEIVED FROM MR. ROBERT D. CLARK - :
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<br /> "LAST WEEK, IN REPORTING TO YOU THE SURFACE WATER AND SANITARY SEWAGE OVERFLOW
<br /> PROBLEM AT 24TH 'AND UNI VERSI TY STREETS, I WROTE JUST BEFORE THE BIG STORM. ,THE WIDE
<br /> DEVASTATION CAUSE'D BY THAT HEAVY. DOWNPOUR MAY SE,EM TO MAKE MY COMPLAI NT -PETTY, .AND MAY,
<br /> THEREFORE, CAUSE IT. TO BE OVERLOOKED. CERTAINLY,,~E HAVE'SUFFERED NONE O~'THE DAMAGE~
<br /> WROUGHT I~ OTHER ~ARTS OF THe CITY. BUT J DO WANT TO EMPHASIZ~ THAT OUR PROBLEM IS A
<br /> SERIOUS AND CONTINUING ONE BROUGHT ON BY MINOR STORMS AS WELL AS BY NEAR-CLOUDBURSTS.
<br /> EVERY WINTER F'OR AT LEAST THE LAST fOUR YEARS THE SANITARY SEWER IN.OUR'AREA HAS-BACKED
<br /> UP INTO THE STORM SEWER, AND THIS YEAR I T HAS PONE SO F'OUR OR. F'I VE TI MES, I NCLUD,I NG ..
<br /> TODAY, DECEMBER 25. WHAT I MEAN TO BE SAYING IS THAT HERE IS A PROBLEM OF CONCERN NOT
<br /> ONLY BECAUSE OF' INCONVENIENCE AND PROPERTY DAMAGE, BUT BECAUSE IT MENACES THE HEALTH OF' I
<br /> OUR COMMUNI:TY.
<br /> J SHALL APPRECI ATE, YOUR ATTACH I NG THI S NOTE TO MY PREVIOUS LETTER."
<br /> IT WAS MOVED BY MR. BOOTH, SECONDED BY MR. GODCOVE, THAT THESE COMMUNICATIONS BE REF'ERRED
<br /> TO THE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE. MOTION CARRIED.
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