Last week, crews working with Portland Environmental Services (BES) closed NE 91st Avenue north of NE Glisan Street to construct underground stormwater management infrastructure. On March 10th, they will return to finish installing the sump and sedimentation systems before prepping the sidewalk for repaving.
BES and its contractors are constructing ten sump and sedimentation maintenance holes in various locations east of the Willamette River. The work consists of installing mainline pipes between the sump and sedimentation maintenance holes in addition to constructing new storm drains. BES manages 8,625 sumps and 6,352 connected sedimentation maintenance holes across Portland. The stormwater management infrastructure works in three primary stages. Storm drains collect rainwater from city streets and funnel it to a sedimentation maintenance hole, a sizable concrete cylinder installed under the road’s surface. Trash and other debris washed into the storm drain separate from the water, with heavy sediment sinking to the bottom and lighter items floating at the top. A pipe installed towards the middle of the sedimentation tank drains to another tank called a sump maintenance hole. That chamber is perforated and surrounded by crushed rock, allowing the rainwater to release into the surrounding soil. Storm drains and sedimentation tanks require intermittent cleaning to remove clogging garbage and pollutants.
Construction work may require additional lane closures around the worksite, and drivers should use caution when traveling near crews and equipment. Pedestrians may need to find alternate paths or use provided detours. The work underway is mostly unseen when completed but substantially impacts stormwater management and keeps streets from flooding when it rains. Soon, crews will install sump and sedimentation maintenance holes at NE 111th Avenue and Schuyler Street. Area residents can expect additional work on SE 89th Avenue at Clay Street and NE Pacific Court near 102nd Avenue in the coming months.
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