03:29 PM PST on Friday, January 23, 2004

By ANTONIA GIEDWOYN, kgw.com Staff

The campaign to save Portland's historic reservoirs may be gaining momentum—the Mt. Tabor and Washington Park reservoirs have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The listing requires greater scrutiny and review of projects aimed at altering the reservoirs, said Cascade Anderson Geller, a founding member of Friends of the Reservoirs, a group dedicated to preserving the landmarks.

One of Mt. Tabor Park's historic reservoirs. (Photo courtesy of PBase Galleries)

“This is a very big step in national recognition for these resources,” she said.

Geller said those working to save the reservoirs will use the new status as a springboard to pressure the city to come up with a preservation plan.

A city official who returned kgw.com's call to commissioner Dan Saltzman's office said his representatives had no comment.

Geller spoke with measured optimism about the future of the reservoirs, saying it’s too soon to tell what impact the listing will have on the city’s final decision.

“I’m hopeful…but it all comes down to how it’s interpreted,” Geller said of what is expected to be a more stringent review process. “We will see this through every step of the way in every way we can to make sure it’s done properly, because these are the most important cultural and historic resources in the state.”

"We're thrilled," said Christine Curran, an architectural historian and coordinator for the National Register of Historic Places State History Preservation Office.

Curran said the listing amplifies the reservoirs' importance in the eyes of the public. And public protests have been instrumental in garnering support for the opposition, according to those trying to save the landmarks.

"I hope this prevents the water bureau from harming the historic properties. Portland has got to step up to the plate and protect these resources," Curran said.

Recently the Portland City Council agreed to halt—at least temporarily—activity leading to the demolition of the reservoirs and appoint a reportedly independent panel to review all options for maintaining Portland's water quality.

The decision to reconsider burial followed on the heels of growing public outcry and funding problems. "The decision to bury the reservoirs was 'buried' within the city budget process without the public discussion obligated by land use laws," according to the Friends of the Reservoirs Website.

The panel is expected to make a recommendation in a few months’ time and the city council could reach a final decision as soon as late spring.

The city council was moving rapidly towards a capping project designed to bury the Mt. Tabor and Washington Park reservoirs. Project supporters cited terrorism concerns as the motivation behind the controversial issue. City commissioners said burying the reservoirs will provide higher levels of security, public health and water quality protection.

"I am convinced that reservoir burial is the most prudent and responsible action this city council can take in protecting our drinking water," city commissioner Dan Saltzman said in a past statement.

Anti-burial groups contend that city commissioners have exaggerated contamination risks and misrepresented water quality issues.

The majority of water safety experts have concluded that it would be virtually impossible to successfully contaminate a major public water supply. In fact, there has never been a successful water system contamination in the world. Homeland Security reported in May that Oregon is a low risk for terrorist attack and, therefore, will not receive Federal money, according to an article in The Oregonian.

New York City is keeping their large open reservoir, despite being a terrorist-targeted city.

Those involved in the grassroots effort to preserve the reservoirs have also cited a conflict of interest in the fact that the alternatives analysis, which found no feasible alternative to buried storage, was completed by the same engineering company that has been awarded the contract for burial design and construction.

The primary contractor behind the push to bury the reservoirs is Montgomery Watson Harza (MWH).

The Portland Water Bureau estimates the cost of the reservoirs’ burial to be over $70 million. Other officials have estimated that the total cost will exceed $200 million. Two-thirds of Portland's drinking water comes directly from the drinking water reservoirs.

Portland has the third highest residential water\sewage rates for average users out of the 50 largest U.S. cities, according to an article in The Southeast Examiner, which states that, “If the reservoirs are demolished and other park modifications approved, Portland will have the country's most expensive rates.”