[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 192 (Thursday, December 17, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E3044-E3045]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE TALKING WATER GARDENS PROJECT IN OREGON IS AN EXCELLENT USE OF 
                           RECOVERY ACT FUNDS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. PETER A. DeFAZIO

                               of oregon

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 16, 2009

  Mr. DeFAZIO. Madam Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to an 
example of Recovery Act funds that have been invested wisely. The 
``Talking Water Gardens'' is a high-priority wastewater treatment 
project in Albany and Millersburg, Oregon that received Recovery Act 
funds from the Clean Water State Revolving Loan Fund. Those funds will 
be used to construct 39 acres of treatment wetlands and reuse the 
treated water to improve riparian habitat. Unfortunately, a report by 
two members of the Senate entitled, ``Stimulus Checkup: A closer look 
at 100 projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,'' 
inaccurately and unfairly criticized this project. Had the two Senators 
who authored the report called these two Oregon cities to inquire about 
the project they would have learned that the Talking Water Gardens is a 
shining example of how Recovery Act funds can be used to improve our 
aging infrastructure, mitigate environmental damage, and create good-
paying jobs. The project also illustrates how a successful public-
private partnership can work. I respectfully submit this letter from 
the City of Albany, which further explains the inaccuracies in the 
``Stimulus Checkup'' report on this important project.

                                               City of Albany,

                                    Albany, OR, December 14, 2009.
     Hon. Peter DeFazio,
     Rayburn House Office Building,
     Washington, DC.
       Dear Congressman DeFazio: On December 10, 2009, we learned 
     that Senator John McCain and Senator Tom Coburn named 
     ``Talking Water Gardens,'' our wastewater treatment and water 
     reuse project, in a report that questions the validity of 100 
     projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
     Act. This project is an important, necessary, and high-
     priority wastewater treatment project for the State of Oregon 
     that received funding through the State Clean Water Revolving 
     Loan Fund program. This project provides sustainable benefits 
     for the community, the economy, and the environment. We offer 
     this letter in rebuttal to the ``Stimulus Checkup'' report 
     dated December 2009.
       No one from Senator McCain or Senator Coburn's offices have 
     ever contacted the City of Albany or the City of Millersburg 
     regarding the project. The information sources referenced in 
     the report were never verified with us for accuracy. It 
     appears that our project was singled out simply because of 
     the whimsical name, ``Talking Water Gardens.'' The project 
     will construct roughly 39 acres of treatment wetlands and 
     reuse the water to improve the riparian habitat on land that 
     is the blighted site of two defunct lumber mills adjacent to 
     the old oxbow of the Willamette River. This land has 
     significant elevation differences, so the treated wastewater 
     from the Albany-Millersburg Water Reclamation Facility and 
     the ATI Wah Chang treatment facility will enter the project 
     at elevations above the wetlands, creating several waterfalls 
     that will aerate the water. Waterfalls are often referred to 
     as ``talking waters'' and the name was chosen with children 
     and the Native American Kalapuya/Willamette River heritage in 
     mind.
       The conclusions of the McCain-Coburn report are inaccurate 
     and misleading:
       (1) The report states that a non-competitive contract was 
     issued for the construction. This is false. In accordance 
     with the Oregon Revised Statutes, the cities employed a 
     construction manager/general contractor (CM/GC) procurement 
     method that is allowed and, in fact, encouraged by the State 
     to lower public project costs. The process followed a Request 
     for Proposal and interview process that included evaluation 
     of both cost

[[Page E3045]]

     and non-cost elements. Of six proposals received, the 
     selected contractor represented the best qualified and least 
     costly.
       (2) The report fails to mention that the Willamette River, 
     one of the 14 American Heritage rivers, has new thermal load 
     restrictions placed upon treatment plants to protect and 
     recover threatened and endangered salmon fish species as well 
     as other water quality regulations.
       (3) The report fails to mention that the wastewater 
     treatment plant serving the cities of Albany and Millersburg 
     and ATI Wah Chang must construct additional wastewater 
     treatment capital facilities to comply with the regulations.
       (4) The report failed to note that the project is a unique 
     industrial/municipal partnership, between the cities of 
     Albany, Millersburg, and ATI Wah Chang with the industrial 
     partner contributing its share of capital.
       (5) The report failed to note that this project provides a 
     secure and environmentally-sound wastewater treatment 
     solution for ATI Wah Chang, a major local employer and 
     significant rare metals industry in the United States. This 
     project protects the jobs at this industry that would have 
     been put at risk had a cost-effective treatment solution not 
     been found.
       (6) The report fails to mention that the project is the 
     least-cost alternative that requires the smallest ratepayer 
     increases to comply with the regulations.
       (7) The report fails to mention that this project received 
     an Honor Award from the American Academy of Environmental 
     Engineers for Excellence in Environmental Engineering.
       (8) The report failed to say that the project will provide 
     employment for an estimated 100 people in diverse sectors: 
     electricians, mechanics, pipe layers, and excavators; 
     surveyors, engineers and construction managers; raw material 
     and equipment suppliers for the pipe, pumps, rock, concrete, 
     asphalt, wiring, steel and other materials; landscapers and 
     nurseries. These jobs are needed in Linn County, where 15.1% 
     unemployment far exceeds the U.S. (10.2%) and Oregon (11.3%) 
     seasonally adjusted rates as reported in the December 2009 
     Benton/Linn Labor Trends Report for October.
       Talking Water Gardens is a shining example of how to 
     balance the needs of the environment with the needs of cities 
     and American industries to preserve jobs in these tough 
     economic times. Many, many people have worked hard to make 
     this project happen and singling it out for criticism without 
     verified foundation is shameful at a time when we all need to 
     be working together.
           Sincerely,
                                                    Sharon Konopa,
     Mayor.

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