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