Flood
of Troubles
This isn't the first time Russ Lawrence has found himself
in hot water. Sources say the engineer has had trouble
dealing with the public, even before coming to the city's
Bureau of Environmental Services in 1991.
Call it a lack of professional courtesy.
City engineer Russ Lawrence doesn't seem to have much
respect for his four-footed colleagues. Both Lawrence
and a set of beavers have had ongoing projects on Johnson
Creek this summer. Lawrence, who is a senior engineer
at the Bureau of Environmental Services, was shoring
up a sewer pipe that crossed the East Portland waterway
at Southeast 41st Avenue. The beavers, meanwhile, had
built a dam downstream. Last week, without advance notice
or securing authorization from the city, Lawrence ordered
the dam ripped out. The act has left neighbors heartbroken,
his bosses furious and every environmental agency in
the area scrambling to review the damage.
The dam was near the backyard of Steve Johnson, whose
family has lived on the property for 120 years. Johnson
says the beavers built their home in the water earlier
this year, a sign the creek is recovering from years
of urban abuse. "It was amazing, he says. "There were
not only logs but stonework in it, and they built it
where there was a spring flowing through to have fresh
water."
Johnson is steaming mad about Lawrence's dam behavior,
but he also sees a larger problem: The city agency that's
been charged with salmon recovery is more interested
in laying pipes than protecting fish.
Rob Jones, the National Marine Fisheries Service's
area coordinator for salmon recovery, says the waterway
is critical for bringing back endangered fish. "Johnson
Creek is really important," he says. "It's one of the
few remaining places that can support salmon."
Not only that, Jones adds, but beaver dams can help
the fish by providing still water where the salmon can
sit out the turbulent waters of the winter. "It's pretty
widely acknowledged that beaver ponds offer a number
of benefits to fish," he says.
Lawrence did not return WW's calls, and it's
not clear why he wanted the dam removed. Whatever the
reason, his boss, Dean Marriott, and City Commissioner
Dan Saltzman, who oversees BES, are not happy. As the
city struggles to deal with all the implications of
an endangered-species listing while maintaining sewer
lines and other structures that intersect with the water,
it's going to become increasingly difficult to avoid
future problems unless BES gets greener.
Saltzman says his response to the incident will "set
a tone" for the bureau--though he refused to say what
punishment, if any, Lawrence will receive.
"Can I guarantee that it won't happen again?" asks
Saltzman. "No. But I'm definitely going to do my best
to see that it doesn't."
It may be some time before Beavergate dies down, however.
Lori Warner, natural-resource coordinator for the Division
of State Lands, said the destruction of the dam may
not be the only way BES went beyond what her agency
authorized. It appears Lawrence put in too much rock
around the pipe, some of which may have to be removed.
As for BES employees' removal of the dam, she says,
"it definitely sounds to me as though they are out of
compliance with their authorization." Normally in a
case like this, the agency would have the offender repair
what was done, but "it's kind of hard to put a beaver
dam back," Warner says. "It's something that's just
not possible."
The Department of Environmental Quality is also considering
issuing a citation to BES for violating water quality
standards with the project, says Robert Baumgartner
of DEQ.
Nothing will be decided until after Sept. 21, when
involved agencies will gather at the dam site for a
tour.
At this point, Mother Nature may already be healing
herself. Neighbors report the beavers are rebuilding,
thanks to a little help from Johnson, who is leaving
sticks and branches for them creekside.
Flood
of Troubles
This isn't the first time Russ Lawrence has found himself
in hot water. Sources say the engineer has had trouble
dealing with the public, even before coming to the city's
Bureau of Environmental Services in 1991.
The most recent incident occurred last year on Germantown
Road near U.S. Route 30, in the Linton neighborhood.
There, a picturesque waterfall flows into a too-small
culvert, causing occasional flooding. Lawrence proposed
building a massive concrete funnel above ground to catch
the water, but neighbors were not informed of the plans
until city construction crews asked permission to enter
the adjoining landowner's property. The neighbors protested,
noting that the city has named Germantown Road both
a scenic corridor and an environmental-protection zone.
The plan was fixed, but only after a battle that took
months--and $5,000 in consulting costs paid by the landowner.
In 1992, a mobile-home-park owner filed a lawsuit alleging
that a stormwater piping system Lawrence had designed
was defective in design and installation. The owner
blamed the piping for a landslide above the Tualatin
River that took out some mobile homes. The suit concluded
with a confidential settlement.
Ed Graham of the state Board of Examiners for Engineering
and Land Surveying says five complaints were lodged
against Lawrence from 1990 to 1992. Two involved allegations
of incompetence or negligence, Graham says. One resulted
in a letter of reprimand. The board could not provide
any additional details at press time. --Nick
Budnick
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Willamette Week | originally
published September 15,
1999
