On the surface, all appears idyllic in Gladstone, Oregon, a bedroom community 12 miles south of Portland.
But dig down only a few feet and a price tag of more than $50 million of repairs are waiting in the form of century-old systems for drinking water, storm water and sanitation.
“For the past 30 years, this city has just been coasting rather than looking at long-term fixes,” City Councilor Pat McMahon said. “But the truth is, these systems run out and that’s right where we are right now.”
Gladstone is hardly alone in turning a blind eye to critical infrastructure upgrades.
A survey by the American Society of Civil Engineers shows that Oregon’s combined water and wastewater needs exceed $4.48 billion.