City of Lafayette to Continue Pursuit of Funding for Critical Sewer Infrastructure Project
City of Lafayette to Continue Pursuit of Funding for Critical Sewer Infrastructure Project
The City of Lafayette was recently notified that the Canyon View Pump Station Replacement Project was not selected for funding through the Oregon Legislature’s Capital Construction (SB 5531) and “Christmas Tree” (HB 5006) bills, which were finalized this week. Despite strong advocacy and project support, including a formal request for $1.4 million in state general funds, the project was not among the 45 selected for funding.
“We are, of course, disappointed,” said City Administrator Branden Dross. “This project addresses a critical health and environmental need in our community. We appreciate the efforts of Representative Elmer and others who supported our request, and we are not giving up. The people of Lafayette deserve safe and reliable infrastructure,” Dross added. “This is about protecting public health, our environment, and supporting the long-term development of our city.”
The Canyon View Pump Station—located at 289 Canyon View Drive—serves a portion of Lafayette that cannot be accessed by gravity-fed systems. A recent mechanical failure at the aging facility led to a sanitary sewer overflow, underscoring the urgent need for a full system replacement. The proposed project includes a new wet well, modern pumps, backup power generation, and required permitting. While recent improvements this summer have stabilized the station’s current operation, long-term upgrades are still essential to ensure reliability and prevent future failures.
Although this year’s legislative session had approximately $2 billion in requests for just $500 million in available funding, much of it already earmarked, the City remains committed to advancing the project.
Mayor Hilary Malcomson praised the swift and unified efforts of city leadership:
“Though this was not the news we were anticipating and hoping to hear, it does not diminish the impressive work and attention given to this need—not just by our City Council as a whole, but by our City Administrator, who quickly jumped into action to meet tight deadlines and get our request out there. I also want to recognize Councilor Russell Burrows for the time and effort he dedicated, attending multiple advocacy opportunities, joining me at a regional roundtable, and providing testimony at the Capitol. We’re not done fighting for this project.”
The total project cost is ~$1.65 million. The City of Lafayette has committed $250,000 in local funds and has a strong track record of community and council support for infrastructure investments, including previous voter-approved projects. While the project is eligible for funding through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF), current sewer rates do not meet the state’s required affordability criteria for accessing those funds.
###