You may be wondering why there has been no construction activity on-site since early Monday afternoon.

On August 2, the Land Use Board of Appeals (LUBA) received a notice of intent to appeal the erosion prevention permit that was issued by the City on July 30, 2021. Later that day, EWEB received an interim stay issued by LUBA which temporarily halts work while LUBA reviews the merits of the appeal.

We want to assure neighbors that we have adhered to all land use requirements. We are coordinating with our legal counsel to work through the LUBA process so that we can resume work on this project to provide secure, reliable water storage.

We have been advised by legal counsel that downed trees are not part of the LUBA order, and that we can proceed with limited clean-up work.

On Wednesday morning, the contractor will be back on site removing limbs and stockpiling logs. Trucks and crews will begin arriving at the site around 7 a.m. and work will begin at or close to 8 a.m.

Consistent with LUBA’s order we will not be doing any additional tree felling or stump removal at this time.

We are unsure how long the stay will be in place. However, the LUBA order requires responses to be submitted by Monday, Aug. 9. We will share more information as it becomes available.

In the meantime, you may see some limited activity on the site unrelated to tree work. For example, the contractor will be installing more rock for erosion prevention in anticipation of rain in the forecast, and we will be making some repairs to an area of fencing that was damaged.

• Laura Farthing, Project Manager/Senior Civil Engineer
• Jen Connors, Communications Supervisor
• Jeannine Parisi, Customer Relationship Manager
• Wally McCullough, Water Engineering Supervisor