We like Big Pipes and we cannot lie

Understanding Portland’s Big Pipes

A vehicle drives toward the viewer in a massive sewer pipe

CSOs are now fewer, smaller in volume, and shorter in duration. | Photo via City of Portland

Sing it with us.

You’ve probably seen the bulletins during periods of intense rainfall about sewage overflows in the Willamette River. While this stinks, events like this used to happen at a clip of 50 times a year, making our city’s waterways unsafe for most recreation, not to mention the environmental impacts.

Enter the Big Pipe Project, a massive system of underground infrastructure that took 20 years (1991-2011) and $1.4 billion dollars to complete. Thanks to this massive investment, combined sewer overflows (CSOs) on the Willamette River have fallen by 94% and those on the Columbia Slough saw a 99% reduction. Talk about a glow up.

Two kayakers paddle down the Willamette River underneath the Ross Island Bridge in Portland — Environmental Services warns to avoid contact with the river for 48 hours after a CSO.

Here are some more interesting facts:

The East Side Big Pipe Project is the largest sewer construction project in the city’s history. At 6 miles long and a diameter of 22 ft, you could stack 360 MAX trains end-to-end inside of the tunnel.
On average, four CSOs occur every rainy season, with one every third summer.
To eliminate 100% of the CSOs, the project cost would have doubled to $2.8 billion.
Green infrastructure (trees, rain gardens, and wetlands) help to mitigate the amount of stormwater that is sent to the sewers, as do other cornerstone projects like downspout disconnections.
As a homeowner or renter, you can save up to $130 a year with the Clean River Rewards program for allowing rainwater to safely soak into the ground on your property (versus entering city drains).
Environmental Services’ tracker provides level updates at 15-minute increments.

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Thursday, Feb. 9

Pop Up Poetry in Portland w/Ebony Stewart | Thursday, Feb. 9 | 7-9 p.m. | Honey Latte Cafe, 1033 SE Main St., Portland | $20 | Hear her share from her newest works “Home.Girl.Hood.” and “BloodFresh” published by Button Poetry.

Friday, Feb. 10

Portland Trail Blazers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder | Friday, Feb. 10 | 7 p.m. | Moda Center, 1 N. Center Court St., Portland | $18+ | Celebrate Black History Night at the Moda Center, with non-profit partner Black Educational Achievement Movement and a halftime performance from the Tanzanian Acrobats.
Reptaliens + Forty Feet Tall w/ Raincult | Friday, Feb. 10 | 9 p.m. | Doug Fir Lounge, 830 E. Burnside St., Portland | $15 | Get ready for a night of high-concept synth-pop, hard-edged post-punk, and psychedelia music.

Saturday, Feb. 11

PDX Moon Market | Saturday, Feb. 11-Sunday, Feb. 12 | 11 a.m.-4 p.m. | Everett West, 914 NW Everett St., Portland | Free | Shop for unique gifts from local artisans, sip cocktails, and chow down on delicious food.
Traditional Irish Music | Saturday, Feb. 11 | 6 p.m. | Kells Irish Restaurant & Bar, 112 SW Second Ave., Portland | Free | Grab your Galway pals, your Dublin buds, and companions from Cork for this night of toe tappin’ and fiddle playin’.

Sunday, Feb. 12

Boiled PDXNuts | Sunday, Feb. 12 | 12-6 p.m. | Chill N Fill, 5215 N. Lombard St., Portland | Price of purchase | Snack on Southern-style peanuts while you watch the Big Game.
Portland Comedy Film Festival (Winter 2023) | Sunday, Feb. 12 | 12-9 p.m. | Clinton Street Theater, 2522 SE Clinton St, Portland | $38 | There will be chuckles, giggles, snorts, and probably a howl or two at this showcase of local comedic cinematography.

We have a calendar filled with events and activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

THREE CHEERS FOR EVENTS

Weather

55º | Partly cloudy | 19% chance of rain

Sunrise + Sunset

Rise: 7:21 a.m.
Set: 5:28 p.m.

Health

Parents of kids who go to school or childcare facilities in Multnomah County have until Wednesday, Feb. 15 to get their child up to date with all required vaccines, or they will be unable to attend in person. Free clinics and student health centers have openings where no ID or insurance are required. (KATU)

Community

Great Circle Recovery has opened a new opioid addiction treatment facility at 3580 SE 82nd Ave. that will be operated by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde. At the ribbon cutting, tribal chairwoman Cheryle Kennedy said Native American overdose deaths occur over five times more frequently than they did in 2000. (OPB)
Multnomah County’s Central Library will soon close — and remain so for most of 2023 — on Saturday, March 11. Both aesthetic and functional bond-funded improvements like new carpet and automated material handling will be implemented. Meanwhile, tech and internet access will be offered at a pop-up at 501 SW Washington St. 🚧 (Portland Tribune)
Mark your calendars for these upcoming paint-related Morrison Bridge closures. Each will run from 10 p.m. on the first date to 5 a.m. on the last date: Friday, Feb. 17-Monday, Feb. 20; Friday, Feb. 24-Monday, Feb. 27; and Friday, March 3-Monday, March 6. 🚫 (Portland Tribune)

Plan Ahead

Round up the family and head to Nordia House for Fastelavn on Sunday, Feb. 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. At the kids’ carnival, you can enjoy crafts like decorating birch twigs, games like hitting a barrel of candy, a costume contest, delicious cream-filled pastries, and more. 🇩🇰

Sports

Portland Thorns defender Kelli Hubly, who played every single minute of last season, was looking for a bit more vacation time, but the team’s schedule announcement had other plans. Catch the first home game Sunday, March 26 at 2 p.m. against Orlando Pride. 🌹

Listen

101.9 KINK FM is inviting listeners to have a say in what the independent radio station plays by taking its Portland music survey. Pick songs you like or don’t like — the more you vote on, the higher your chance to win $1,000. 🎧

DYK

Have you ever wanted to dig deeper into how truffles, the fungi prized for their culinary qualities, are grown? Welcome to Zandra and James Walton’s truffière in Oregon City, which supplies restaurants like Canard and Le Pigeon. The fruits of their labor (and 10+ years of patience) sell for about $800 a pound. 🍄 (Portland Monthly)

Film

Laika Studios has their person to lead them into a new frontier. Matt Levin, a Netflix executive who developed movies like “Havoc” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” will join the Hillsboro production company as its president of live-action film and series. Currently, a project based on “Seventeen” is in the works.

Feel Good

Well, “feel jealous” may be more accurate. If you heard a loud “cha-ching” recently, it’s because an unnamed person in Beaverton recently won $1 million by selecting five correct Powerball numbers — 2-8-15-19-58 — just barely missing out on the $704.4 million prize. 💰 (Portland Tribune)

Ranked

We’re breaking up with you, Bookies.com. Your guess is as good as ours why the sports betting reference site is sliding into our DMs to say that Oregon is the least romantic state. But apparently, WalletHub thinks Portland is the fifth-best city for Valentine’s Day. Love is confusing. 💔 (The Oregonian/Oregon Live)

Wellness

Level up your sleep hygiene and wake up feeling well-rested with a little help from two top-rated products: this blackout sleep mask with ~9,000 five-star reviews and this sleek white noise machine complete with 31 different soothing sounds. 💤 *

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A gelato flavor to fall for ❤️

Fall in love with Rosita de cacao gelato

A close up shot of light brown gelato with citrus peels, star anise and pine nuts as garnish

Silky cool and smooth, with warm and nutty flavors | Photo by Pinolo Gelato

Mi amor, mi amor. 🍨

If you didn’t already have a beloved to whisper sweet nothings to on Valentine’s Day, you do now, in the form of Rosita de cacao gelato. The new flavor is the love child of Pinolo Gelato’s Sandro Paolini and Romero Lauro, a founding chef of República who’s currently with pop-up Clandestino.

Crossing cultural lines, this scrumptious Tuscan-style cold treat pays homage to the Rosita de cacao flowers of Oaxaca, Mexico, while also incorporating mole de novia, blended with white chocolate, pine nuts, and a dusting of citrus zest.

So when and where can you taste it?

Try the flavor at Pinolo Gelato (Friday, Feb. 10-Sunday, Feb. 19) or during Clandestino’s upcoming pop-up dinners (Monday, Feb. 13-Wednesday, Feb. 15) at Dame — get reservations online.

Ten percent of all proceeds will go to Adelante Mujeres, a Forest Grove nonprofit empowering Latina women and their families.

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Ben.

Editor’s pick: Well, this is aloha from me — tomorrow, I’m heading to Maui for my first visit to Hawaii. If you have any tips or just want to see photos from my travels, reach out to me on Instagram. See you in a while, Portland.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Get the dish on the WNBA Commissioner’s visit to Portland.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Cambrie Juarez, Ben McBee, Britt Thorson, Emily Shea, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Dayten Rose, Sarah Leonhardt, Katie Smith | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Julie Brown | Advertise with us.

Content marked with an * was created in partnership with 6AM City’s advertising partners. Paid content helps keep this newsletter free. 6AM City may also receive a commission on purchases made through affiliate links in this newsletter.

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