Portland, OR Pays for and Builds Water Treatment Plant With No Pipes

www.theblaze.com...

Portland's Water Bureau presented the city council with a plan in 2017 for a water treatment plant that, they said, would cost $500 million. The Portland City Council approved the project.

It wasn't until two years later that the Water Bureau finally admitted that it had left something out of that proposal, the pipes between the water source, the plant, and consumers, and that the plant would actually cost more than they had stated. A lot more — 70 percent more, in fact. The actual cost, not including any delays or setbacks or other items that seem to invariably increase the cost of government projects, the plant would now cost $850 million.

Additional sources:
www.kgw.com...

Their presentation last week shocked some city leaders. The price for the best and most expensive version of the plant shot up to $850 million.

That would add almost $11 per month to the typical user's water bill 10 years from now.

“Infrastructure is really, really expensive,” Stuhr said. “The plus of infrastructure, particularly our infrastructure is it lasts a very long time once you build it.”

ktvl.com...

Bureau officials told commissioners they didn’t include cost to build pipes to and from the plant in their original estimate.

“It would have been very helpful for me to know that what we were talking about at the time was not the total project cost that we were talking about merely one component of an overall system,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler. “I’m disappointed in that.”

news.pamplinmedia.com...

The estimated cost of building the Portland Water Bureau's required filtration plant has increased from $500 million to as much as $850 million and possibly more, the City Council was told during an afternoon work session on Thursday, Sept. 19.

This is what happens when Democrats run things. You get a water treatment plant that's built with out anyone ever looking at the project enough to notice that while it treats water, it doesn't actually deliver any water to anyone until construction is already well underway...

Seriously, Portland citizenry, how long will you keep making the same mistakes and electing clowns? Portland, and much of the major Western cities, are electing complete idiots. I guess the leaders of Portland just thought the citizenry would show up to the water treatment plant, pick up some clean water, take it home, put in their pipes themselves, and smoke it...

Next thing we'll read is that the treatment plant works by adding Brawndo to the water...

Ted Wheeler needs to go.

Just proves once again being stupid is costly!!

“It would have been very helpful for me to know that what we were talking about at the time was not the total project cost that we were talking about merely one component of an overall system,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler.

a reply to: GenerationGap

Does this mayor not know how to read, or at least have staff capable of reading and evaluating the Project Estimate? He had to have signed off on this project! Something stinks and I think maybe Portland citizens may have been hoodwinked. But, now they will pay the price for it.

originally posted by: Arnie123
Ted Wheeler needs to go.

While I agree he needs to go, it's not just the mayor that needs to go. The entire city board overlooked the fact that the plant had no infrastructure for ANY pipes included in the plans. How do you go through that process and never discuss where the water comes from and where it goes? It's complete and utter lunacy. It's not like this was a minor venture... It was hundreds of millions of dollars of tax payer money and it was simply rubber stamped/phoned in by ALL of the city's representatives and officials.

I guess this is what happens when everyone is smoking the sweet and purple kush?

I guess a valid excuse is that the stupidity was a result of the bacteria laden city water eating the brains of both the electors and the elected?

Anyways, should I ever have the displeasure of being forced to go to Portland, I'll be sure to avoid drinking the water.

Measure TWICE, build the water treatment facility ONCE.
Duh, Portland!

Same thing happened in Seattle in the 1800's. Henry Yesler was contracted to put in fire hydrants. He did so, but the contract did not say he had to hook them up to a water supply.

a reply to: GenerationGap

I absolutely agree with you.

Did the mayor pull one over on the citizens?

It's odd that neither article mentioned who won the contract? Was it this company?

You have to wonder if the mayor or the Portland Water Bureau had any personal connections to the company that was chosen. From your link:

The government required the city to build a filtration plant and the city council asked the water bureau for prices.

“It's the best we could do in the short time that we had,” said Water Bureau Director Mike Stuhr.

a reply to: GenerationGap
Democrat. What can you expect.

originally posted by: queenofswords
Did the mayor pull one over on the citizens?

It's odd that neither article mentioned who won the contract? Was it this company?

You have to wonder if the mayor or the Portland Water Bureau had any personal connections to the company that was chosen. From your link:

The government required the city to build a filtration plant and the city council asked the water bureau for prices.

“It's the best we could do in the short time that we had,” said Water Bureau Director Mike Stuhr.

How do you think politicians gain wealth while serving? This is one of the oldest political scams in history. Contract out to a "friend" wink wink over estimate or underestimate and in between the project being completed half of the money of the taxpayers is moved back and forth between the thieves involved while the other half is actually used for the project.

Remember the $2000 toilet seats the pentagon was purchasing? The $300 hammers?

Meanwhile the tax payers get bent over and pay more for the "mistakes" that were made! Those who made the mistakes should be required to pay for the difference since it was THEY who made the mistakes..

a reply to: GenerationGap

its easy to blame the democrats - but did no one of any political ideology revie the plans - as a " public works project " - i would have expected the full plan to be availiable to scrutiny .

was it never debated // reviewed by the city council ???????????/

sory - but everyone has to share the blame

and as for " forgot " - ROFLMAO - absolutly no one " forgot " - it was a cynical ploy to inflate cost - you dont " forget " pipework - but hey once the project is " underway " - the council has no choice but to pay for inclusion of pipes - " forgot " - priceless

a reply to: GenerationGap

That is a classic democrat move. You got to approve the plan to know what the plan is lmao.

a reply to: GenerationGap
Leaving aside the politicians for a moment, what kind of idots were being hired as architects to draw up the plans? Surely the professional experts shoukd have been asking questions like "On which side of the building do you want the pipes to go, then?"

originally posted by: Trueman
a reply to: GenerationGap
Democrat. What can you expect.

Waiting for someone paid by CNN/MSNBS/NYT to explain why this is Trump's fault.

"Trump failed to overlook the city's project."

"The same company, or least an employee of a contractor that company has used, worked on a Trump property site at one point according to an anonymous source that doesn't want to be named."

"Trump's EPA could have allowed high bacteria rates in Portland water to not be corrected."

"The only reason Portland leadership is filled with idiots is because Orange Man bad."

a reply to: GenerationGap

instead of a strawman fantasy involing trump - why not address the real issue why dd zero portland locals hold the plan to any form of scrutiny ?

“It would have been very helpful for me to know that what we were talking about at the time was not the total project cost that we were talking about merely one component of an overall system,” said Mayor Ted Wheeler. “I’m disappointed in that.” 

Seriously? Isn't it job to provide oversight? He should have discovered on his own (with his staff) that the proposal was not complete.

Nobody has asked the important question here. Did the kickback checks clear?

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Well...because you were just so sure the blame should be shared by all involved...I looked up each city counsler to find out if indeed it was a full democrat house there...annnnnd...sure enough it is. The only one I couldn't find was that Mike Stuhr guy. He is the head administrator and probably the only one of them with engineering degrees. Wheeler is the one who is in charge of the water department there though. I would have to see what the invitation to submit bids actually said to determine if the bidder was being shady, however as far as I can tell its still on the city to approve these and make sure its right...and the city is fully democrat run.

a reply to: RickyD


Mike Stuhr
Got the job in 2015 from Nick Fish (D), starting pay of 180k annually.

Mike was the general engineer for the department before that.
Got his degree from a Cali university.