Corvallis Wastewater Treatment Wetland

For the past several months, GreenWorks has been working for the City of Corvallis as part of a multi-disciplinary team led by Kennedy/Jenks Consultants to develop a schematic design for a 30-acre treatment wetland on the banks of the Willamette River directly across from the city’s downtown.   The design combines wastewater treatment using the cleansing abilities of plants and micro-organisms, with trails, overlooks, interpretive displays, and other public open space amenities.

Seven to ten million gallons of Class B wastewater will be piped every day from the nearby Corvallis Wastewater Reclamation Plant to the wetland site. At the wetland, the wastewater will be distributed into a series of emergent marsh wetlands before infiltrating through a rocky sub-layer back to the river.  During this infiltration process the primary role of the wetland is to cool the wastewater.  In order to preserve fish habitat, all Oregon municipalities discharging wastewater to natural bodies of water are required by the DEQ to adhere to certain Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) temperature limits.

On August 7^th, the design was presented to Corvallis city officials and the general public.   GreenWorks generated a series of 3D visualizations to convey the design intent where wastewater treatment and public open space intertwine.  Further sessions with city and county review boards are scheduled for the near future.