The City of Bend is hosting a Community Meeting about the future of the “Outback” site from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, August 27, at City Hall, 710 NW Wall Street. Staff will give a brief presentation at 5:15 p.m.
Outback is home to the City’s surface water filtration facility, wells, reservoirs, and other water infrastructure. The site is a critical component of Bend’s water system.
Community members are invited to talk to staff and learn more about the City’s short-term and long-term plans to expand the site, which is needed to continue supplying safe drinking water to our growing community. The Outback Expansion will enhance water treatment, security, and resilience in Bend by adding pretreatment systems, reservoirs, wells, in-conduit hydroelectric generation, and a wildfire water fill station, while also meeting federal security requirements and supporting City Council environmental goals.
Visit bendoregon.gov/outback-plan for more information.
To complete the essential infrastructure improvements, the City is working to acquire the adjacent 48-acre parcel in the Deschutes National Forest from the Forest Service through a process called the Townsite Act. On August 7, the Deschutes National Forest initiated a 30-day public comment and scoping period on the Outback Site Conveyance draft Environmental Assessment (EA). To learn more and submit a comment, visit the project’s webpage at Deschutes National Forest | Project Summary (#67749) | Forest Service.
