> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.sandystandard.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Local Updates - URL: https://www.sandystandard.com/local-updates/ - Published: 2026-01-01T22:12:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-07-31T21:12:56.000Z - Author: The Sandy Standard *By Abby Haney, For The Sandy Standard* Sandy has faced issues with their wastewater for years, due to releasing overcapacity amounts of wastewater into receiving Tickle Creek. This exposed the creek’s limitations with regard to receiving wastewater. Viable solution steps have been taken and currently, the proposed plan is to build a new pipeline and direct treatment to Gresham. Sandy’s wastewater has been violating codes since 2013, with the city enacting short-term solutions in an effort to improve system facilities. In 2019, it became an urgent issue due to receipt of fines from DEQ. This consent decree consists of resolving past violations and the creation of future action steps. Thus far, Sandy has moved toward implementing the plan of building a new pipeline to have wastewater treatment in Gresham's facilities, wherein treated water is dumped into the Columbia River instead of into Tickle Creek. Sandy has confirmed room for their waste in Gresham's system, developing a pipeline location with a conceptual design completed. Now Sandy is taking steps to create an intergovernmental agreement. “We had to, first of all, work with the city of Gresham to make sure they had enough room in their system, which we’ve done, and also figure out where our pipeline could even physically go. In addition to that, we have to work out a formal agreement with them,” Deputy City Manager Jeff Aprati said. Until the official adoption of this plan can be made, continuation of short-term solutions continues. Sandy so far has spent over $30 million to improve their pipes, shown to be successful in limiting capacity, as well as upgrading the current treatment plant. “We’ve spent over $30 million in fixing the pipes throughout town so that the groundwater is not making it through to our treatment plant, as much as possible, which is a big issue for capacity,” Public Works Director AJ Thorne, P.E., said. “We’ve improved the majority of our treatment processes throughout the plant.” The final improvements being completed are the summertime pump system, internal pumping system, and UV treatment. Due to the immense amount of work done to the pipes and treatment plant, the plant is currently able to meet regulations and run successfully. Through years of diligent work fixing leaky pipes, the collection system (Sandy’s pipes) and inflow and infiltration (rainwater entering the sewer system) has improved, limiting additional intake into the treatment plant. A significant step in solidifying these short term solutions has been fixing private laterals along with the public system. “If we go all the way to the private and take care of the private laterals too, it seals the system as much as possible,” Thorne said. With all these improvements, Sandy's treatment plant survived the immense storm, receiving only five million gallons per day compared to the previous eight million gallons per day, preventing additional penalties incurred by Sandy. More importantly, they are already prepared for future storms. “With the work that we’ve done throughout the plant, and the fact that everything is running fairly well right now, we’re actually in a position where we’re prepared for the next storm instead of still in recovery from the last,” Thorne said. The current plan has an end date in 2030\. Given the new implementations, the plan is on course to finish in a timely manner; they are currently only a few months behind the end date, the lag due to finalizing the intergovernmental agreement. “The current leadership of the city is \[saying\] ‘we have to fix it.’ I think that maybe it wasn’t always treated with the amount of urgency it needed. Right now, we’re all committed to fixing it,” Aprati said. A recurring factor is the funding needed to pay for the process. Since 2019, utility rates have increased in order to gain funding for the process, with Sandy’s rates up 250% since 2019\. Moving forward, utility rates will continue to increase in order to secure the funding. However, citizens aren’t the only source of revenue for the project. Sandy has gone to Salem to lobby the legislature for assistance, finding success and receiving loans with low rates. Even so, further funding is needed. To gain further state funding for the project, Sandy argues that additional funding will impact citizens further downstream,outside of Sandy. With the Three Basin Rule, hundreds of thousands of peoples’ drinking water is protected. By Sandy improving its own treatment plant, a chain reaction occurs where other towns will benefit from Sandy's improvements. “We just need our state partners to work with us and hopefully give us the funding support we need. This funding is important because this is bigger than just Sandy, and we need everyone to understand,” Aprati said. While some steps are just gaining traction with the state, major leaps have been made since the beginning of this process. Moving forward, Sandy officials are working towards improving Sandy’s wastewater and removing violations permanently.