Photo of LRC Project Team Meeting

December 2013 - Phase I of the Oregon Solutions Project Launched

In December of 2013, the first Oregon Solutions Project Team meeting is held, bringing together decision-makers and representatives from:

  • Bridgeton Neighborhood Association
  • Century Link
  • Columbia Corridor Association
  • Columbia Slough Watershed Council
  • East Columbia Neighborhood Association
  • FEMA, Region 10
  • Integrated Water Solutions
  • Jubitz Corporation
  • Metro
  • Multnomah County
  • Multnomah County Drainage District
  • NOAA Fisheries
  • NW Natural
  • Office of Congressman Earl Blumenauer
  • Office of Senator Jeff Merkley
  • Office of Senator Ron Wyden
  • Office of the Governor/Regional Solutions
  • Office of State Representative Tina Kotek
  • Office of State Senator Chip Shields
  • Oregon Department of Environmental Quality
  • Oregon Department of Land Conservation & Development
  • Oregon Solutions
  • Pacific Power
  • Peninsula Drainage District #1
  • Peninsula Drainage District #2
  • Portland Bureau of Development Services
  • Portland Bureau of Emergency Preparedness
  • Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
  • Portland Parks & Recreation
  • PSU Center for Public Service
  • Portland Water Bureau
  • Port of Portland
  • Sauvie Island Drainage Improvement Company
  • Tetra Tech
  • TMT Development
  • Union Pacific
  • US Army Corps of Engineers, Portland District
  • West Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District

At this meeting, the team adopted a set of principles and identified the issues and questions to be addressed by their efforts, including:

  • Defining FEMA accreditation standards and comparing against US Army Corps of Engineers standards
  • Defining timelines
  • Identifying costs and benefits of the levee system, and ensuring the technical support required for this task is available.
  • Determining who pays and who benefits
  • Exploring and identifying federal funding
  • Examining the existing governance structure
  • Reducing the risks behind the levees
  • Understanding if there impacts and solutions for other flood control jurisdictions
  • Cost sharing for the Oregon Solutions process
  • Establishing and managing public messaging
  • Understanding impacts to the utility companies and issues of rights-of-way
  • Impacts of outside actions by federal agencies to the National Flood Insurance Program