Water Environment Services

Completed in 2024

Clackamas Water Environment Services (WES) owns and operates the Fischer's Forest Park large onsite septic system (LOSS). The LOSS serves a community consisting of 26 homes on three cul-de-sac streets. 

The original LOSS was installed in the early 1970s, and like any system that is 50 years old, even with routine maintenance, performance deteriorated over time. In 2019, WES hired consultants to complete an evaluation of the collection system (manholes, pipes, septic tanks, recirculation tanks, filtration units, etc.) and the drain fields.

The evaluations identified many deficiencies in the system:

• Some of the pipes had developed sags, and there were areas where pipe connections have separated.
• Several of the concrete structures had cracks that let groundwater into the system, which can cause the system to exceed its treatment capacity.
• Some locations where pipes enter the concrete structures had degraded, allowing groundwater into the system and can cause the system to exceed its treatment capacity.
• Some of the concrete structures and cast iron pipes showed signs of corrosion that could have led to structural failures if left unattended.
• Damage caused by tree roots had left the central drain field severely damaged, and repairing the system in its current location was not realistic option.
• Evidence indicated the east and west drain fields needed to be rehabilitated or replaced.
• The system's operation and distribution controls needed to be modernized to improve the performance and life expectancy of the facility.

Project Accomplishments

• Replaced the entire gravity collection system, including manholes, mainlines, and residential service connections.
• Replaced septic tanks.
• Made improvements to and moved the treatment system to an area north of Merry Meadow Court.
• Created a new drain field
• Decommissioned the old treatment area.
• Fencing: A permanent fence has been added to the project. The new fence has several gates so residents have full access to the field.
• WES has taken over the maintenance of the area inside the fence.

Clackamas Water Environment Services is beginning a project to improve the environmental functions of 3-Creeks Protected Area.

Three creeks — Mt. Scott, Phillips and Dean Creeks — converge on the site to form Mt. Scott Creek, making it an important location for surface and stormwater management and natural habitat. Mt. Scott Creek flows into Kellogg Creek and then to the Willamette River.

Urbanization is taking a toll on the site, with streams eroding, habitat changing and flooding of developed properties becoming more common. This project will enhance the floodplain, improve water quality, improve fish and wildlife habitat and provide opportunities for pedestrian access and environmental education on the site, where feasible.

3-CreeksProtected Area benefits our entire region.

What’s new (Updated April 2025)

• Received final permits
• Project is open for bids, due April 29
• North Clackamas Watersheds Council and Unite Oregon continue to schedule walking tours, including a birdwatching tour for the community
• Currently developing materials to make people aware of our schedule and warn about the danger of accessing the site during construction.

What we’ve completed so far

• Developed 100% plans, specifications and cost estimate
• Received approval from Oregon Dept. of State Lands (DSL), Oregon State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife-Fish (ODFW) Passage Coordinator
• Partner North Clackamas Watersheds Council has completed online meetings and site tours with Unite Oregon and community members
• On-site surveys, site assessment
• Alternatives development and analysis, including Hydraulic & Hydrologic modeling
• Public outreach, stakeholder meetings, and input
• Collaborating with Oregon Dept. of State Lands (DSL), US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), National Marine Fisheries Service and Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife-Fish (ODFW) Passage Coordinator.
• We were selected for a Metro Nature in Neighborhoods Capital Grant and have a grant agreement in place.
• Developed 90% plans and cost estimate
• Completed a Cultural Resources Assessment and shovel probe survey, and historic evaluation of the existing bridge. The shovel probe surveys turned up 16 pieces of lithic debris, considered pre-contact fragments leftover from tool-making. The bridge was determined not eligible for listing in the National Register.
• Partnering with the North Clackamas Watersheds Council (NCWC) to provide outreach, as part of our Metro Nature in Neighborhoods grant. NCWC is teaming with Unite Oregon to include outreach to underserved communities.
• The Wetlands Conservancy has conducted the first of two volunteer amphibian egg mass surveys. The survey found over 200 Pacific chorus frog egg masses, 24 long-toed salamander egg masses, and one red-legged frog egg mass. This is a sign of very good habitat quality in the existing wetlands!
• The Wetlands Conservancy has conducted the first of two volunteer amphibian egg mass surveys. The survey found over 200 Pacific chorus frog egg masses, 24 long-toed salamander egg masses, and one red-legged frog egg mass. This is a sign of very good habitat quality in the existing wetlands!

What’s next?

• Bidding expected spring 2025
• Instream work planned for summer 2025

News about the 3-Creeks Protected Area Floodplain Enhancement Project

• WES receives $620,000 grant from Metro for the 3-Creeks Protected Area Floodplain Enhancement Project

SOLVE, Clackamas Water Environment Services, & Bob's Red Mill partnered to celebrate the kick-off of the SOLVE Summer Waterway Cleanup Series to remove harmful litter from the 3-Creeks Protected Area, helping to keep our streams, rivers, and communities clean and healthy!

Most wipes (check the label!), paper towels, and other "unflushables" can create a sewer backup in your home. Flush only toilet paper, pee and poo and protect your home, the sewer system, and the environment.

Use a trash can instead of the toilet to dispose of  items that don’t break down.

Flooding and Sewer Backups

Trash and liquefied fat, oil, or grease that is poured down the sink add or flushed down the toilet can cling to the insides of pipes and sewers. Over time it can build up and block pipes completely. When wastewater can’t move freely through the sewer system due to these blockages, it can cause flooding in local neighborhoods and sewer backups in your home!

Sewer backups happen when raw sewage can’t flow through the sewer system and is forced back into your home. Wipes—yes, even “flushable” ones, and other material that doesn’t break down in water may clear your toilet, but they can get caught in your internal plumbing. 

Damage to Wastewater Treatment Plants

When trash isn't busy causing clogs in our sewers systems, it's wreaking havoc on our wastewater treatment plants! These materials don’t break down in the sewer system like toilet paper, so they arrive at our plants jamming mechanisms, clogging pumps, and breaking critical machinery, costing us all a lot of money in repairs. So check the label before you flush it, or better yet, use the trash can!

What Goes in the Toilet?

What goes in the toilet? Remember the three Ps: poo, pee, and toilet paper. 

Maintaining an attractive lawn that is functional and beneficial to the urban environment is easier than you might think. Here are some tips on how to reduce the environmental impact of your lawn-care practices. 

Safest

Annually aerate, de-thatch and over-seed bare spots in spring. This will keep the lawn dense and healthy, which keeps out weeds. Use a long-handled weed removal tool for easy weed removal. Fertilize only in fall with a slow release fertilizer, if at all.

Next Best

If you choose a weed or insect control product, look for the OMRI label which helps identify less hazardous chemicals. Always read and follow the label, as even natural/organic products can be harmful. Only apply products when multiple dry days are forecast. Spot spray only the individual weeds you really can’t live with!

Important Measures You Can Take

Do not apply pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers under windy conditions, or when rain, snow or hail is predicted within the next 48 hours.

Consider hiring an ECOBIZ certified landscaper!

How pesticides can be harmful

Pesticides can cause problems for our health and the environment even when applied according to label directions.

• Pesticides can make their way into waterways through run-off and leaching.
• Very small amounts of pesticides can be lethal to beneficial insects and birds.
• Pesticides in waterways pollute drinking water and can harm fish and other marine life.

Be pesticide wise

Always read and follow directions on the label. Labels have important information on how, when and where to use products. The label also has safe handling and first aid instructions.

The largest part of the label, Directions for Use, includes specific information about how much pesticide should be mixed and applied, where the pesticide may be used and how often applications may be made. More is not better.

• Avoid broad spectrum pesticides that can kill or harm many beneficial species
• Look for plant-based insecticides that use oils and extracts from plants to deter insects
• Use fragrant plants to repel insects

Ensure that people and pets are not exposed.

Prevention is the key to a green yard and a clean river

Starting out with a healthy lawn or landscape is the best way to prevent weeds from coming in. Healthy soil and dense groundcover, whether grass or other plants, will inhibit weeds in the first place. Bare soil is an invitation to weeds. Keep weeds from getting established:

• Plant native trees and shrubs that thrive in Oregon’s wet winters and hot, dry summers
• Mulch trees and shrubs to lock in moisture and prevent weeds from sprouting
• Use weed block fabric in areas not heavily planted

Ask yourself if you can live with a few weeds? When you do find weeds that you just can’t live with, you have choices:

1. Remove the weeds by hand*, or with tools such as a dandelion fork. For those that spread by seed, cut and remove before they go to seed.
2. If you decide to spray, spot spray the few weeds you really can’t live with, only when necessary.
3. Reseed the spot treated areas with grass seed, lawn patch or a replacement plant.
4. Fertilize and weed your plants separately. Weed n’ feed products combine fertilizer and herbicide. When you use these products you may over apply herbicide. Use only the products you need!

*Note: some weeds are difficult to control and may require special techniques to successfully eradicate it. Examples include knotweed, lesser celandine, invasive blackberry, bittersweet nightshade, giant hogweed and many others. Contact the Clackamas Soil & Water Conservation District or OSU Extension for details.

Equipment and weather

Well-maintained and calibrated application equipment are key to being able to apply pesticides efficiently at correct rates.

• Do not use pesticides when rain is expected, to avoid run-off or leaching into groundwater
• Do not spray pesticides when windy to avoid drift from the target area

Lawn

A lawn requires more water and maintenance than most other plants. Evaluate your need for grassy areas — are they practical and functional for your needs? Or can you convert some lawn to a low water-use landscape? Consider lawn alternatives such as ecolawns, groundcovers and low water-use plants for areas where there are steep slopes or irregular shaped spaces that can be difficult to water and maintain.

Lawn care practices that help you keep a lush, healthy lawn without pesticides:

1. Mow regularly — once a week or more, as needed. For most lawns, a mowing height of 2–3 inches is recommended. Mulch mowing returns nitrogen back to your lawn.
2. Keep your lawn thick and robust by applying grass seed regularly. Apply grass seed or lawn patch to thin areas in the spring and early fall. Cover up bare soil with seed.
3. Fertilize with slow-release fertilizer once a year in the fall to promote robust growth the following spring.
4. Lawns grow best with soil pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Check your lawn’s soil pH and amend if needed.
5. Aerate your lawn if the soil is compacted or water does not penetrate well. Well-aerated soil helps to grow healthy lawn grasses. Apply grass seed after aerating.
6. Thatch is built-up organic material at the base of grass plants. When it builds up, grasses die back and weeds and insect and disease pests might occur. Remove thatch if it exceeds 1/2 inch deep. Apply grass seed to your lawn after dethatching.
7. Keep your lawn mower blade sharp. Dull blades don’t make a clean cut when you mow. This ragged cut on the grass can lead to lawn pests and diseases.

More information on practical lawn care

• Practical Lawn Care for Western Oregon
• Keep Your Lawn Without Pesticides
• Fertilizing Lawns
• Where to get your soil tested
• What's Your Lawn Style? (videos)
• Effective, low risk solutions for Pacific Northwest pests & weeds

Our Partners

Clackamas Water Environment Services is proud to partner with Clackamas River Water Providers and Clackamas River Basin Council to provide water health education to protect our rivers and streams.

Brought online in 1974, the Kellogg Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility serves WES customers in Happy Valley, Johnson City, Milwaukie and unincorporated areas of Clackamas County. Each day, the facility cleans nearly 7 million gallons of wastewater before it is released into the Willamette River.

This facility provides primary and secondary stages of wastewater treatment, including anaerobic digestion. Wastewater flows through screens that remove large objects like rags or sticks. The sewage then passes into a grit chamber, where heavier materials like rocks, silt and sand are removed.

Primary clarifiers remove a large percentage of incoming waste solids, from homes and businesses, and pass the remaining solids to the secondary treatment system, consisting of aeration basins (where the biological process takes place) and secondary clarifiers. Finally, we disinfect the clarified effluent, which is cleaned wastewater, using ultraviolet light before it is released into the Willamette River.

The Kellogg Creek facility’s name subscribes to the Water Environment Federation’s preferred industry naming convention of “Water Resource Recovery Facility.” The name reflects our mission to provide wastewater resource recovery and watershed protection services to our community so we can live, work and play in a healthy environment. The facility's name acknowledges the value it provides to the community, which includes recovering energy, biosolids, clean water and other resources from treated wastewater.

In 2023, the Kellogg Creek facility received a Peak Performance Gold Standard Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) for excellence in plant operations and permit compliance. To be presented with the Gold Peak Performance Award, the facility must have no regulatory violations. 

Upgrading the Facility

The National Association of Counties (NACo) presented WES with a 2021 Achievement Award for its Kellogg Creek Water Resource Recovery Facility Improvements Project in the category of County Resiliency: Infrastructure, Energy & Sustainability.

The upgrades position the Kellogg facility to deliver reliable, cost-effective treatment for the region for decades to come. 

Dedicated to being a good neighbor, WES made odor control improvement a top priority. This upgrade was accomplished by placing covers on the aeration basins, which play a key role in breaking down pollutants. Additional improvements include the replacement of pipes, pumps and electrical systems.

More refurbishments are planned. Our facilities require regular maintenance to make sure they remain in good working order to best serve you and save money. 

To learn more about the upgrades that strengthen the facility’s ability to serve our customers for decades to come, please watch the video below.