Update August 4, 2010

The City experienced a wastewater back up the weekend of June 25th, and it was our sewer main on North Fourth Street and Fair Street.  Five homes were affected and it took Monday and Tuesday to clear the line.  The actual cause was accumulation of debris that blocked the flow, heavy rain events and some unexpected infiltration from an open pipe from the sewer line on North Route 2. 

The jetting and root cutting of our sewer mains is an on going project and everything South of Washington Street was completed last year.  We expect to have a through cleaning of the North end completed this year. 

The GIS mapping of the City of Oregon water and sewer infrastructure is nearing completion and the project should be completed in the next month. 

Today the water department had an inspection by Laurie Moyer of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and the Oregon facility was found to be in compliance.  She recommended an increase in the amount of Chlorine added to our drinking water.  I discussed our preliminary plan to separate our chemicals in our well houses and it was appreciated by the IEPA.

The Byron wastewater facility has a portable screw type sludge press on demonstration and Oregon Commissioners took the opportunity to see a piece of equipment the City of Oregon needs.

The City had a meeting with Paul Harmon of the Ogle County Health Department and he will be helping to connect those North of the City with septic system problems to our gravity feed sewer system North on Route 2.   Marty Bush will be installing a pressurized waste system to accommodate the four businesses North of Oregon, and in the future to the planned Department Of Conservation Boat Docks. 

Construction at the wastewater plant is moving along well and the clarifier structure is complete and the internal mechanisms are now being installed.  The SSM building is complete and the floor has been poured, and now the mechanicals will be installed.  ComEd has installed our new service and transformers.