Skyview’s changeover  from the City of Portland to the City of Sandy for our source of water was completed during the summer of 2014. Skyview customers still get Bull Run water, but the water now comes from the Sandy main line as it passes Hauglum Road rather than from the Portland line on Lusted Road. This means that the two aging pump stations and the storage tank have been taken offline. We now have a more reliable water system delivering safe drinking water to our homes. Electricity, maintenance and repair costs have dropped. The Skyview Board anticipates that the “Sandy Intertie Reserve” currently paid by all co-op members, combined with the savings from reduced electric bills (no more pumps), will cover our construction costs and our share of Sandy’s new main line construction and reservoir.

Some History

June 10, 2014:  Below: Intertie construction underway at Hauglum and Bluff.  Fittings lay staged and ready for inserting into the first 6 foot wide by 7 foot long by 6 foot deep vault (interior dimensions).   

Below: The second of two cast concrete vaults sits on a truck ready to be hoisted into place.

Background: SAWC initiated design work for a new supply intertie with the City of Sandy’s transmission main, via installation of vaults and valves at the intersection of SE Hauglum and SE Bluff Road.

The Board considered the option of retaining the existing system before starting this process. In the end the determination was that it is to the long term benefit of our members  to connect with Sandy. This will improve reliability through access to a system with complete electrical backup, new facilities, result in gross simplification in operation of our system, increase water pressure for customers that need it, permit expansion of the system to undeveloped lots and to neighbors who may have failing wells.

Engineering: In August 2013, SAWC contracted with  Murray, Smith and Associates, Inc. Engineers/Planners to prepare a “SAWC Supply Intertie with the City of Sandy Design and Construction Phase Services Scope of Work” to allow the SAWC to take advantage of ongoing construction of the City of Sandy’s Portland Water Bureau Intertie Project . The City of Sandy will provide the contractor (Rotschy Construction) for the construction of the intertie facilities by means of a change order to their ongoing PWB Intertie Project.

Preliminary design work was completed and the project is moving into final construction phase designs and logistics related to construction in June 2014. The estimated project cost is $120,000. Skyview will also be assessed a proportional fee of the total cost of the new Sandy reservoir and associated pipe line. This cost will be covered by an extension of a 20-year loan that the city of Sandy has obtained from the state. The project is contingent on the execution of a contract with the city of Sandy. Once the contract is executed, construction can begin. It is anticipated that the project will be completed in late spring 2014.

Additional information about the Portland-Sandy Intertie Project:

Portland Water Bureau Intertie Project
PWB Preliminary Design Report
City of Sandy’s Frequently Asked Questions about the Intertie Project