Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District

New District in the News In 2019, we worked with the Oregon Legislature to create a new special district  to modernize the management of the flood safety system along the lower Columbia River and Columbia Slough in greater Portland.  This new the Urban Flood Safety & Water Quality District (UFSWQD) will ultimately replace the four century-old Drainage Districts (PEN1, PEN2, MCDD, & SDIC) that manage the system today.

“State’s newest agency aims to stop catastrophic Portland flood” by Jim Redden, Portland Tribune

Read the Article

And get more information about the UFSWQD here

Mission, Vision and Values

The legislature created the UFSWQD to reduce the risk of flooding,  respond to flood emergencies, contribute to the environment, prepare for the impacts of climate change, remember the cultural history of the area along the Columbia River in greater Portland, and promote equity through this work.   In December 2021, the UFSWQD Board adopted its first Vision, Mission & Values statements, which will lay the foundation for developing the District’s new policies and programs in the coming years.

Read the Vision & Mission Here

Two Board Members Needed Are you interested in helping to shape the future of flood safety in the region? The initial UFSWQD Board currently has two vacant positions for representatives of nonprofit organizations with interest in the area along the river. One seat is reserved for a representative of an environmental justice organization.  Please help spread the word and contact Emily at erobertson@mcdd.org for more information.

Other Drainage District News

Working Together for a Resilient Columbia Slough

What does a healthy and resilient Columbia Slough look like to you?  Our new report highlights shared environmental goals and opportunities derived from interviews with 22 organizations that care about the Slough. Read the full report, or the two-page summary. This project was facilitated by Willamette Partnership and led jointly by Multnomah County Drainage District; City of Portland Bureau of Environmental Services; and Columbia Slough Watershed Council  Get Involved

Upcoming Events Join us for two upcoming clean up events in partnership with SOLVE: Marine Drive Clean-up: Part 1 When: Wednesday, January 19th from 10am to 12:30pm  Meeting Location: 11633 NE Glenn Widing Dr, Portland, Oregon, 97200 Register Here Marine Drive Clean-up: Part 2 When: Wednesday, January 26th Meeting Location: 11633 NE Glenn Widing Dr, Portland, Oregon, 97200. Register Here Join us to clean up areas that benefit ongoing flood safety along the Columbia River and Columbia Slough.

Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Feedback Thank you to everyone who participated in the Natural

Hazard Mitigation Plan (NHMP) survey this fall!  In total, we received 231 survey responses related to levee improvements, maintenance and monitoring, environmental improvements, and education and outreach.  MCDD staff are currently working to integrate your feedback into the draft plan, which will be available for public comment in February or March 2022.   For more information about the NHMP, click here.   Follow the Drainage Districts! Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Instagram (LRC)  Our Mission: To enhance community safety and support the region’s vitality by reducing flood risk, maintaining our levee system, managing drainage, and responding to emergencies. Peninsula Drainage District #1 | Peninsula Drainage District #2 Multnomah County Drainage District #1 | Sandy Drainage Improvement Company  Copyright © 2019 Multnomah County Drainage District #1, all rights reserved.

Here is a video description.

Christmas Eve

Candle Light Service

You are invited …

… to sing praises to God with us,

for the birth of His Son, Jesus …

Friday evening, December 24, 2021

at Columbia Community Bible Church

420 N.E. Marine Dr., Ptd., OR

5:00 -6:00 pm

Refreshments to follow 

2021-12-7 HINooN Resolution:
Support a No-Build Option
Regarding the I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR)
Resolved, In the matter of the I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR), the members of the Hayden
Island Neighborhood Network (aka HINooN), a recognized neighborhood association in the City of Portland,
located in Multnomah County, State of Oregon, support a No-Build Option to be implemented and remain in
force until a third Alternative I-5 crossing of the Columbia River, by either bridge or tunnel, is designed,
completed, and operational.
Whereas; As the only continuous north-south interstate on the West Coast connecting the Canadian and
Mexican borders, I-5 is vital to the local, regional and national economies; and,
Whereas; The Hayden Island community understands the importance of the I-5 transportation corridor. The
Island community was at the epicenter of terminated CRC project for over ten years and is now once again at
the epicenter of the I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBRP); and,
Whereas; The I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement Program has stated, “While the program is utilizing past work
to inform the current effort, the details of a bridge replacement solution have not been determined. Given the
variety of changes that have occurred since the past project, we know that new design options need to be
considered.” and,
Whereas; The December 2021 I-5 IBR Program Progress Report affirmed the work completed over the past
year such that the transportation needs in the Purpose and Need statement remain valid. “Based on this
determination and the report from FHWA (Federal Highway Administration) and FTA (Federal Transit
Administration) , the program determined that the Purpose and Need statement and the Vision and Values for
the IBR program remain the same as those documented in the 2011 Final EIS for the CRC project.” 1 ; and,
Whereas; Six specific needs were identified in the 2011 Final EIS for the CRC project Purpose and Need
statement for the Columbia River Crossing Project. They are:

1. Growing travel demand and congestion.
2. Impaired Freight movement.
3. Limited public transportation operation, connectivity, and reliability.
4. Safety and vulnerability to incidents.
5. Substandard bicycle and pedestrian facilities.
6. Seismic vulnerability ; and,
   1
   Ibid, 2021 Progress Report, 2.7
   1Whereas; The needs are intended to achieve the following objectives:
   a. Improve travel safety and traffic operations on the I-5 crossing’s bridges and associated
   interchanges;
   b. Improve connectivity, reliability, travel times, and operations of public transportation modal
   alternatives in the BIA (Bridge Influence Area);
   c. Improve highway freight mobility and address interstate travel and commerce needs in the BIA; and,
   d. Improve the I-5 river crossing’s structural integrity (seismic stability). 2 , and,
   Whereas; Early Spring 2021, HINooN was to participate in the Hayden Island/ Marine Drive Interchange
   Community Working Group. Three meetings were scheduled. At the second meeting, the Working Group was
   asked to survey their constituency to choose which of three interchanges on Hayden Island they prefer; and,
   Whereas; The alternatives are: a. Full Interchange, b. Half Interchange, c. No Interchange; and,
   Whereas; Little, if any, specific information was provided the participants to make a thoughtful choice; and,
   Whereas; Monday, December 6, 2021, portions of the I-5 BIA (Bridge Influence Area) were closed due to a
   home invasion , several carjackings, and gunfire; and,
   Whereas; The KATU2abc reported traffic in Portland headed northbound were to exit the freeway at North
   Greely Avenue, while southbound traffic were to exit at Victory Boulevard. The Washington State Department
   of Transportation advised all southbound I-5 traffic in Vancouver to be directed to State Route 14, then to
   Interstate 205; and,
   Whereas; Videos of the 7-hour closure showed the significance of the impact on the North Portland I-5
   Interstate commuters. 3 Many drivers had to contend with extensive backups and delays on area roadways
   through the evening commute. A KATU 01:24 video titled Traffic on I-205 at SE Stark Street during the evening
   commute on December 6, 2021 – KATU 4 reveals the ensuing congestion and demonstrates the importance of
   additional bridge crossings before the I-5 Interstate Bridge is replaced; therefore,
   Be it resolved: In the matter of the I-5 Interstate Bridge Replacement Program (IBR), the members of the
   Hayden Island Neighborhood Network (aka HINooN), a recognized neighborhood association in the City of
   Portland, located in Multnomah County, State of Oregon, support a No-Build Option to be implemented and
   remain in force until a third Alternative I-5 crossing of the Columbia River, by either bridge or tunnel, is
   designed, completed, and operational.
   Approved, unanimously: December 7, 2021
   Martin G. Slapikas __
   Martin G. Slapikas, MBA, MPA, PCOP, Vice Chair
   Hayden Island Neighborhood Network (HINooN)
   2
   3
   Ellen Churchill

---

Ellen Churchill, Secretary,
Hayden Island Neighborhood Network (HINooN)
HINooN Representative to Hayden Island I-5/Marine
Drive Interchange CWG
2011 Final Environmental Impact Statement for the CRC project, 1-5
Google. December 6, 2021. KATU2abc. Hailey Dunn, Liz Burch, Kelly Doyle. “Police shoot, kill carjacking suspect along I-5 in North
Portland.” Accessed December 7, 2021. https://katu.com/news/local/all-lanes-of-i-5-closed-in-north-portland-after-crash.
4
Ibid. “Traffic on I-205 at SE Stark Street during the evening commute on December 6, 2021. KATU2abc”
23

Portland Neighborhood Coalition and Association Leaders:   We are reaching out to you to share an exciting new resource available to ANYONE who has an interest in cleaning up the city we all love and call home.    AdoptOneBlock has been serving the Portland metro area for one year now, and we are growing FAST! We hope that our name is familiar to you, but if not, scroll down to learn more about our nonprofit.    Introducing the Community Cleanup Calendar! As a community leader, we wanted you to be one of the first people we shared the details of our new Community Cleanup Calendar with so you can help us spread the word.  https://app.adoptoneblock.org/event-visitor AdoptOneBlock does not host large cleanup events, but we wanted to support the wonderful events happening all over, through a ‘Community Cleanup Calendar‘. This calendar is a “matching application” for ALL cleanup events hosted by ANYONE in the community (across Oregon) who want to share their event, connecting anyone who wants to help with any individual or group wanting to host an event. You do not have to be an AOB volunteer – this is meant to be a platform to promote events hosted by individuals, neighborhood groups, businesses, other nonprofits, and more! Events posted on this calendar will reach an audience of 5,000 people within the AdoptOneBlock community.  NO COST OR MEMBERSHIP in AdoptOneBlock or any other organization is required or expected.  We kindly ask that you forward this new resource information and link with people who are interested in a cleaner and happier community.  WHO WE ARE!   AdoptOneBlock reimagines the way we make our city cleaner and happier. We enable anyone to care for the block they love the most, when and how they want with cleanup supplies we deliver to them for free. IMAGINE: no meetups, no commuting to volunteer, no scheduling to volunteer, no organizations to join, no fundraising.    Simply care for your favorite block and AdoptOneBlock will supply the tools, support, connection to community, and we make it FUN. Since launching one year ago, we have over 4900 Block Ambassadors (volunteers) committed to consistent cleanup of over 5700+ blocks and are recognized as a force for good in the state of Oregon. Please reach out to Operations Manager, Olivia Langley, at Olivia@adoptoneblock.org if you have any questions. Thank you and we look forward to working with you to make Portland cleaner and happier!     Be sure to join our interactive Facebook group for AdoptOneBlock. There, you can share your experience being a Block Ambassador. Create posts of your block cleanup photos, any questions that come up after signing up, ideas you have to help AdoptOneBlock grow, and anything else you’d like to discuss pertaining to adopting your block. As always, you can help us the most by following our social media pages and giving us a ‘shout out’. Each newsletter we include tips below to make doing that easier. THANK YOU for doing the good work that creates a cleaner and happier city!!  Frank Block Ambassador & Founder contact@adoptoneblock.com

Follow AdoptOneBlock on social media: Recommend on Nextdoor too! Then post to let people know: (Here’s some sample language. Feel free to write your own!) “AdoptOneBlock is an easy, free, and simple way to engage the broader community in consistent cleanup. Imagine: no meetups, no driving to volunteer, no fundraising, no organizations to join. We empower our volunteers to clean up the block they are most passionate about, with cleanup supplies delivered for free… and we make it fun! Go to AdoptOneBlock.org to claim your block!” AdoptOneBlock.org Cleaning up our world one block at a time.