You can find estimated project timelines here. It is expected that Project A (Mill City and Gates) will be completed in 4-5 years (2026-2027) and Project B (Detroit and Idanha) will be completed in 5-6 years (2027-2028). We encourage you to check for updates on this website as the projects progress.

If you are a fire survivor (in Mill City, Gates, Detroit, or Idanha) intending to rebuild and move into your home within the next 4-6 years, you will need a permitted onsite septic system to service your household until sewer infrastructure is built. Contact your city hall or Marion County Building Inspection for more information about the septic repair and installation process. You can also learn more about septic regulations and maintenance by clicking here. Notably, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) intends to roll out an onsite septic financial aid program in fall 2022 that may be able to assist you with financing septic repair/replacement.

Community buy-in to the new sewer infrastructure will be essential to maintain financial and environmental stability of the project. Mill City, Gates, Detroit, and Idanha are still considering strategies for encouraging and/or requiring sewer hook-up. Check back for updates.

To date, the cities of Mill City, Gates, Detroit, and Idanha have not put any funds toward this project. Instead, funding so far has been sourced from Business Oregon and Marion County. Recently, the Oregon State Legislature approved a $50 million capital funding request from Marion County for the project (HB 5006A). Future grant funding will be sought as the project components solidify.

As engineering and design details are finalized, more information about hook-up requirements, fees, and/or fee waivers will become available. In general, maintaining a septic tank is more expensive to individual property owners than sewer hook-up. Check back for updates.

Funding so far has been sourced from Business Oregon and Marion County. In July 2021, the Oregon State Legislature approved a $50 million capital funding request from Marion County for the project (HB 5006A). As of now, Project A (Mill City/Gates, estimated cost $45M) is about 90% funded. Additional funding sources are currently being sought to finance Project B (Detroit/Idanha, estimated cost $61M).

This project is necessary to both protect the health of the North Santiam Watershed and to allow for economic development in North Santiam Canyon communities. Currently, the North Santiam River, which serves more than 200,000 people daily, is at risk of contamination by toxic septic system failures throughout the Canyon. This risk has increased due to the damage imposed by the 2020 Labor Day fires. Public sewer infrastructure will mitigate these environmental concerns and prevent the high costs of replacing old/failing septic systems from falling directly on Canyon property owners. Though Mill City already has a public sewer system, the system is overdue for upgrades that will ensure the health of the community and North Santiam River. Reliance on onsite septic systems, which have significant land and maintenance needs, also highly limits the ability of Canyon communities to increase housing options, support the growth of businesses, or expand local tourism. Moreover, many lot sizes in the Canyon are too small to safely accommodate a septic system under current regulations, preventing the authorization of new occupancy or septic permits. Higher-density development is simply not feasible without sewer infrastructure.

Any hook-up requirements will only apply to structures within the city limits of Mill City, Gates, Detroit, and Idanha (regardless of whether they fall under Marion or Linn County jurisdiction).

Members of the North Santiam Sewer Authority, business owners, city leaders, watershed partners, and Marion County.

This project is large and will likely run into barriers along the way. You can help by staying engaged and supporting the project as it moves forward. Local leadership of the sewer project helps to ensure the needs of each community are fully represented, so be sure to communicate with your local representative on the NSSA board.