By Cathy Ingalls, Albany Regional Museum board member
Constructed on land once inhabited by Kalapuya tribes, the cities of Albany and Millersburg and metals manufacturer ATI joined together about 12 years ago to create a wastewater treatment wetland to be known as Talking Water Gardens.
Concept Drawing of Talking Water Gardens Museum Collection: 2016.062
Located at 577 Waverly Drive N.E. in Albany, the purpose of the nearly 40-acre site was to further cleanse and cool wastewater already treated at the nearby Albany-Millersburg sewage treatment plant before being discharged into the Willamette River.
The project at the time was said to be the first public/private engineering operation in the United States. It was patterned after the Oregon Garden near Silverton.
The grand opening was held in June 2012. The nearly $14 million construction cost broke down this way: $8 million in federal stimulus funds and grants; $2.5 million from Albany and Millersburg; and $3.25 million from ATI.
Not only did the wetland cells in the development aid in the cleansing and cooling process, there were other benefits to the Talking Water Gardens as well:
Restored riparian forests through plantings of native species;
Promoted wildlife habitat in a former industrial area;
Created a living laboratory to bring wetland science to life for students and showed visitors responsible water reclamation and environmental sustainability;
Created a natural area for visitors to learn the history of the site and the Willamette River.
Here’s how the project works:
Infographic courtesy City of Albany
Water from the wastewater treatment plant enters the site along with ATI discharge in the upper northwest corner of the garden. The water is routed over waterfalls into waterways, over river rock, through wetlands and at the end of the process is pumped back to the treatment plant and from there piped into the Willamette.
At the gardens, sightseers can enjoy more than 2 miles of walking trails that are wheelchair accessible.
In one place, there is what is known as a weeping wall constructed at the former Simpson Plywood Mill railroad loading dock. The dock was part of a 200-foot by 500-foot building floor that was left in place to cut down on costs.
Throughout, there are nine main wetland treatment areas that are 1 to 5 feet deep that contain stands of vegetation and open water habitats.
Flow regulators include logs that can be lifted or lowered to control the amount of water in each cell.
The area is home to more than 100 species of birds, waterfowl, small mammals, reptiles and insects.
Kurisu International of Portland was in charge of selecting plantings and positioning them in stylized arrangements with the help of rocks and logs found buried in an old millpond.
Early on when the project was proposed, Republican Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma placed the gardens in a list of 100 federal stimulus projects in which funding has been “wasted, mismanaged, or directed toward silly and shortsighted projects.”
A letter from the city signed by then-Mayor Sharon Konopa was sent to Rep. Peter DeFazio and Sen. Ron Wyden explaining the benefits of the project, which was allowed to go forward.
Visitors can stroll through the Talking Water Gardens at no cost between sunrise and sunset. For more information on Talking Water Gardens visit: https://www.cityofalbany.net/pw/wastewater/twg/
Talking Water Gardens Map courtesy City of Albany.