Polk County Regional Water Supply Planning
OVERVIEW
For many years, Polk County and our communities have been seeking a long-term water supply to meet our growing water needs. We are excited to share that we are investing funding we recently secured from the American Rescue Plan Act in a Regional Water Supply Planning project. Our goal is to equitably improve water supply resilience and reliability throughout the County.
Through a facilitated, collaborative process, this planning work will evaluate feasibility of regional supply solutions to serve Polk County communities, including how a regional Willamette River water source can leverage ongoing water supply efforts.
UPCOMING MILESTONES
Beginning September 2021 and continuing through mid 2023, the County is engaging with water providers to explore opportunities, benefits, and feasibility of a basic framework for a regional water supply.
Future phases include:
- Prepare a capital improvements plan
- Identify business needs to operate and finance a regional system
- Prepare an implementation roadmap
- Develop a preliminary Intergovernmental Agreement framework
PAST MILESTONES:
August 26, 2022 shared draft Polk County Regional Supply Concept Tech Memo.
May 13, 2022, In-person Work Session to discuss preliminary regional supply plan goals, build a shared understanding of regional state of water needs, and assess initial interest in a regional water supply solution.
December 6, 2021, Virtual Work Session to introduce regional water supply plan goals, build a shared understanding of regional state of water needs, and assess initial interest in a regional water supply solution.
November 24, 2021 shared draft Polk County State of Water Needs Tech Memo.
October-December 2021 data collection and information sharing with water providers and stakeholders (initial letter, draft memo input, work session invite, and online survey).
Please contact Project Manager, Ronan Igloria with any questions. We will have additional work sessions and engagement opportunities throughout the project as we continue to explore feasibility of a regional water supply solution.
