Clean Water Services was recognized as an outstanding member agency for its efforts to restore the Tualatin River.
Faced with stringent temperature requirements in the Tualatin River, Clean Water Services embarked upon Oregon’s first temperature trading program. Over the past 10 years, Clean Water Services has used its community-based water quality trading program to work with farmers, park districts, cities, schools, and public land managers to develop and secure temperature credits along more than 50 miles of streams in the Tualatin Basin, at a fraction of the cost of an engineered solution. Over its 10 years of success, the trading program has worked with 60 different farms to plant riparian buffers, more than 13,000 community volunteers have planted 250 sites, and local nurseries are supplying up to 500,000 native plants annually. The program has saved ratepayers $100 million and Clean Water Services is meeting its DEQ permit conditions at a 95% cost savings compared to the installation of chillers.
Many members of the Clean Water Services staff have contributed to this great effort, but it is the leadership and vision of Bill Gaffi that inspired this successful program, now celebrating its 10th anniversary.
Outstanding Individuals
Two members were recognized for their outstanding service to ACWA:
Raj Kapur – Raj Kapur was recognized for his tremendous assistance to all ACWA member agencies, sharing his substantial water quality permitting knowledge with our members, and keeping our efforts carefully focused on successful permitting strategies.
Raj has routinely taken his personal time to review and comment on numerous draft water quality permits and provided a detailed analysis of the impacts of revisions in water quality standards—such as temperature and ammonia—on municipal permit holders.
Raj Kapur is recognized for the significant contribution of his knowledge and experience with water quality permitting.
Darvin Tramel – Darvin Tramel was recognized for his active involvement in ACWA and for his work at the City of Canby, establishing it as a model for other smaller and medium-sized communities facing a variety of environmental challenges. Darvin served as the Environmental Services Manager for the City of Canby until recently. Darvin has routinely been a resource and technical advisor to a variety of Oregon communities facing challenges similar to Canby’s including Newberg, Troutdale, McMinnville, and Aurora—to name a few.
Darvin Tramel is recognized for his outstanding service to ACWA and
his work to establish the City of Canby as a role model in tackling
environmental challenges.
As an outstanding wastewater treatment plant operator and environmental services coordinator, Darvin has been involved in a number of different, technical issues including:
- Developing, updating, and implementing the Pretreatment Program
- Biosolids program development and oversight
- Detailed involvement with other Oregon communities on using good scientific information to shape the DEQ’s Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit
- Providing routine analysis of laboratory data
- Water quality permit compliance analysis
- FOG compliance issues
- Instituting an Energy Management Program for the treatment plant that saved 15% in energy costs over its first year
Darvin has shared his technical talents with others by serving on the many ACWA Committees, the ACWA Board, and the Pacific Northwest Source Control Training Association.
Special Recognition
Port of Portland/BNSF Railway Company
The innovative public/private partnership between the Port of Portland and BNSF Railway Company was recognized for its approach to improving stormwater management at industrial facilities. In partnership, the Port of Portland and its partner, BNSF Railway Company, developed a 9-acre pervious pavement storage area.
An award of special recognition was given for the innovative partnership
forged between the Port of Portland and BNSF Railway Company and
their substantial contributions.
This is the first use of pervious pavement by BNSF, and will hopefully serve as a model for other installations across the nation. The high value of industrial land can make stormwater management a challenge, and this project is a ‘win/win’ for both the railroad business and Oregon’s water quality.