In response to concerns from DEQ that the city of Newberg’s winter flows may be approaching untenable levels due to population growth the city is looking at adding a third oxidation ditch to the water treatment plant. It’s worth noting that the city has never had a discharge into the river unlike other nearby communities. Unfortunately, this will entail a very major expense since it would require upsizing many parts of the existing waste water plants infrastructure including addition capacity for clarifiers and solids handling. Scoping work is occurring right now, but the cost is likely to be north of $22M. A wastewater capacity study was completed in April of 2025 to assess the need for this upgrade.
