A Bureau of Environmental Services green street project in Northwest Portland calls for installing stormwater planters designed to filter runoff from nearby industrial areas.

BES staffers are in the early stages of designing the $137,000 Northwest Front Green Street Project, bureau spokesman Linc Mann said. Three stormwater planters will be built on Northwest Front Street near the intersection with Northwest 26th Avenue. The planters will be designed specifically to collect and filter stormwater in an area with lots of sediment, impervious surfaces and surrounding industrial uses, Mann said.

The project will help BES staffers figure out the best methods for installing green streets in industrial areas, which often have space and site constraints, harsh environments for plants and greater maintenance needs, he said. This could include using hardier plants able to survive in a highly paved and trafficked area and a planter structure capable of handling large amounts of sediment.

“This is a pilot project to see how this kind of stuff can be applied in other industrial and commercial areas,” Mann said.

The planters installed on Northwest Front Street are anticipated to filter runoff from a 1.1-acre area and improve the quality of stormwater flowing into the Willamette River.

Design is scheduled to wrap up in February 2015, and construction is set to begin in June 2015.

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Portland Bureau of Environmental Services staffers are designing a green street project in the Hollywood neighborhood to reduce the amount of stormwater that flows into the sewer system.

Plans call for installing six sumps, perforated pipes that allow stormwater to gradually seep into the ground, and 12 stormwater planters between Northeast 46th and 49th avenues at intersections with Northeast Brazee, Thompson, Tillamook and Hancock streets.

The sumps and planters are anticipated to remove about 203,000 gallons of stormwater from the sewer system annually and reduce strain on a 72-inch-diameter sewer line in the area that was constructed in 1911, said Rhetta Drennan, a BES spokeswoman.

“The stormwater starts using all the volume in the pipe,” she said. “The pipe is in good condition, but since it was built in 1911 there has been a lot of development.”

Construction is scheduled to start in spring 2015.

City officials on Aug. 28 will host an open house to collect public feedback on the project designs. The event is set for 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Hollywood Library, 4040 N.E. Tillamook St.

People can also sign up to receive project updates by sending an email with “Hollywood” in the subject line to Drennan at rhetta.drennan@portlandoregon.gov.

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Contract savings from the city of Tigard‘s Burnham Street improvement project will allow the city to use Light Emitting Diodes to light its new green street project.

According to Kim McMillan, engineering manager for the city of Tigard, low construction bids received for the Burnham Street improvement project will allow the city to spend an extra $150 per light on LED street lights for the project. The city is partnering with Portland General Electric, which will study how well the LEDs perform as street lights.

“Portland General Electric is interested in looking at how these light perform,” McMillan said. “I have a Main Street green street project on the way, and we’re hoping to carry this feature on to that project.”

McMillan estimates that using LEDs on the project will save 35 percent more energy than standard street lights. Other aspects of the Burnham Street improvement project, which is the city’s first green street project, include stormwater treatment planters and new sidewalks. It is currently under construction by Kodiak Pacific Construction.

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Portland City Council today gave its final nod of approval for $20 million in construction contract savings to be used to build bioswales on bike boulevards.

Originally on the fence about the proposal, Commissioner Amanda Fritz today voted aye on the proposal, saying that giving those savings, which come from the Bureau of Environmental Services, back to sewer ratepayers would result in a little less than $1 of savings per customer per year. That money could be better spent improving roadways in areas outside of Portland’s central city, she said, and also noted the project has the potential to create and retain 280 construction jobs.

BES will now perform its planned green street projects on bike boulevards identified in the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. Double curb extension swales planned for the green streets to treat stormwater will also serve to slow or divert traffic on streets where more cyclists will travel in the future.

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Contract-bid savings from the Bureau of Environmental Services could be used for green street projects and the Bicycle Plan for 2030 according to a decision by Portland City Council today.

The council directed BES to perform its planned green street projects on bike boulevards identified in the Portland Bicycle Plan for 2030. Double curb extension swales planned for the green streets to treat stormwater will also serve to slow or divert traffic on streets where more cyclists will travel in the future.

Twenty million dollars has been identified for the project, and an additional vote on the funding plan is scheduled for next week.

Mayor Sam Adams came up with the idea of using BES contract-savings to get the Bike Plan moving.

According to an analysis by the city’s Office of Management and Finance, the BES has received millions of dollars in contract savings over the past two years. Now, $15.4 million in contract savings will be redirected toward investment in green street projects.

Another $3 million already slated for city-wide Green Street projects will also be used, and additional funds will come from the city’s 1% for Green program and an Innovative Wet Weather Grant recently received from the Environmental Protection Agency.

According to Commissioner Dan Saltzman, the plan will have no impact on sewer rates for this year, though some capital projects related to sewers may be deferred.

“I think what we all want is a balanced transportation system done in a sustainable manner,” Saltzman said. “I wouldn’t support this package if it increased rates, and it won’t.”

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