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Project Update: City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services
February 23, 2024
NE 6th Drive Pump Station Project Contact: Debbie Caselton, Community Outreach
Debbie.Caselton@portlandoregon.gov, 503-823-2831
Project Webpage: portland.gov/BES/NE6thPumpStation
Environmental Services is constructing a project to expand and remodel the 44-year-old NE 6th Drive Pump Station in the East Columbia neighborhood. The upgrades will modernize equipment, increase system capacity, and protect public health and the environment. Project Area The pump station is located on NE 6th Drive between N Vancouver Way and NE Middlefield Rd.  NE 6th Drive Pump Station Project Area
What’s Happening Now Beginning late February and through March 2024, there will be activity at the project site, including delivery of materials, setting up staging of materials and equipment, and exploration and locating of current utilities. Major construction activities such as deactivation of the pump station and demolition will likely happen starting in April. 
General Schedule The project is starting construction and will take about two years to complete. Pile Driving Proposed Engineers are working with the construction contractor to propose and evaluate the best method to install the deep piles. A key goal of this project is to improve the pump station’s resiliency to earthquake damage.  Deep supports or “piles” driven into the deep gravels are the most effective way to provide this earthquake resiliency. Environmental Services is proposing the use of two different methods to install the earthquake support piles.  First, a vibratory hammer would drive the piles down to a depth of about 100 feet. This type of hammer cuts into the soil using vibration alone, this method is quieter than other methods but may create some minimal vibration. Second, the piles would be driven down the remaining 10 feet to deep underlying gravel using an impact hammer. This method uses a large hammer to drive the piles down to the bearing material. It can be noisy and creates some noticeable vibration. Driven piles installed using vibratory and impact hammers are the most cost effective and quickest method to support the pump station. Using this method for this portion of the pump station upgrade will take about four weeks to complete, instead of several months for other support methods. They are also the best way to support the pump station in these soil conditions. Next Steps Environmental Services has used this construction method successfully many times. We understand that there may be some concerns about the potential for noise and vibration near the construction site.  Neighbors closest to the NE 6th Drive Pump Station site have been contacted directly to provide more specific information.  Our staff are working directly with potentially affected residents to monitor potential vibration and settlement.  As we approach construction, we will also work with nearby properties to document existing property conditions ahead of the work beginning.  We encourage you to reach out if you have any concerns. We Want to Hear from You Environmental Services will inform businesses and residents about project activities and respond to questions and concerns in a timely manner. Please let us know if you have concerns such as business operations, local access, delivery routes and schedules, or other concerns.  Visit the project webpage at portland.gov/BES/NE6thPumpStation. Sign up to receive email or text message updates portland.gov/BES/signup. You can also sign up to receive information on other projects and topics. Contact Debbie Caselton with questions or comments by email at Debbie.Caselton@portlandoregon.gov or by phone at 503-823-2831. Please include your name, property address, and project name (NE 6th Drive) in your voicemail or email so we can provide you more details about what to expect. In the event of a sewer backup or basement flooding, call the Maintenance hotline immediately at 503-823-1700. It is staffed all hours and all days, 24/7.
This project will help protect the health
of the Columbia Slough Watershed. Know someone who would be interested in updates about this project? Please share this news! Stay Connected twitterlinkedinyoutubefacebook Environmental Services City of Portland Working for Clean Rivers
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