HT DOCUME 393 LOCAL .072 f'Il/.X UlP65 • ,- • • • •• • BIB LIOGRAPHIC OA.TA J '~~;~_74_l SHEET 4.1,,1<: .nd Subt,e c Polk County Comprehens ive Plan 7. ""chor( .. ) Pn" Pl. . 9. I>crfo'rn,n8 O'AanlziIlcion r\amr and Address Polk County Planning Department Polk County Courthouse, Room 2 Dallas, Oregon 97338 12 Spons oring Or, aniza,ion Name and Address Mid Wil amette Valley Council of Governments Room 305, Civic Center Sal em, Oregon 97301 15. Supplementary Notes 16 ..... bsrr.en I' p23S ('lOb . p(, 19''/ - .2. ?roperty of L!brary .ld WilJamstfe Valley J. Recipienc's Acc,",s,ion No: s. Report Da.te June 1974 6. 8. Pcrform'nJl: OrJl:aniziI(;on Repc No. 10. PfoJcct / T .asic/Work Unl! No . 11. ConUact/G.anl No. LGR-73-03-03 13. Tyl'''' of I(eport &: Period Covered Final ". The report provides a general plan for guiding land use and develooment in Polk County. Contained in the document are descriptions of the natural envi ronment and the social and economic structure of the County. Recommendations are made for policies whereby the goals and objectives identified by the citizens of the County can be achieved. Community facilities, with emphasis on school and 1 i brary needs. are also considered in light of projected DODulation ~rowth. Finally, transportation and parks and open space are addressed relative to current and projected needs on both a local and regional basis. 17. K~y " 'ords and Docu~n( Analysis . 170. Descriptors 17b. Id~ntlflers iOp~n-End~d T~rms The Polk County Comprehens ive Pl an conta i ns ei ght secti ons : Introduction; Planning Background Information; Land Use; Public Facilities and Utilities; Transportation ; Parks and Open Space; Implementation; and Environmental Assessment. 17c. COSATI Field/Group 18. Availability Statement 19. Securtt y Clus (Tb is 21. ~o. of PalU Release unlimited after adoption. $3.DD/cODY Rep~~t) 100 Polk County Planning Dept., Room 2 I ",u. Security Llass (I hIS 22. Price Polk County Courthouse, Dallas, Oregon 97338 Pa\j NCLASSIFIED ~o.,~ NTIS·), uo£v. ~-721 usco ...... -o c LCO'Z-P1Z THIS FORM MAY BE REPRODUCED I , • • POLK COUNTY COMPREHENSIVE PLAN June, 1974 Prepared By: Mid Wil1amette Valley Council of Governments Room 305, Civic Center Salan. Oregon The preparation of this report was financially aided throu9h a Federal grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the Urban Planning Assistance Program authorized by Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as amended . UNIVERSITY OF OREGON LIBRARY EUGENE, OREGON Section 1 2 r • 3 • 4 .' TABLE OF CONTENTS Title INTRODUCTION. .. . SCOPE . ., PLANNING PROCESS GOALS. ... BACKGROUND INFORMATION HISTORY . . GEOLOGY . . . . Gravel . . . Basalt Rock Limestone. . Siltstone Manganese Oil and Gas SUlTlT1ary . . SOILS. ... Restrictive Factors. WATER RESOURCES . . PreCipitation. StratigraDhy . Solutions Flood Cont ro 1 . THE PEOPLE LAND USE URBAN LAND USE. '. . Industrial and Commercial Activities RURAL LAND USE. Agriculture. Forestry .. LAND USE PLAN. . Urban Areas. . Urban Area Peripheral Development. RURAL LAND CONSERVATION AND . DEVELOPMENT POLICIES Agricultural Areas ... Rural Residential Areas. Forest ... .... Rural Community Centers . PUBLIC FACILITIES AND UTILITIES. SCHOOLS. ..... . LIBRARIES .. ... . FIRE FACILITIES ... . GOVERNMENTAL FACILITIES i Page 1 2 3 3 5 5 7 7 8 8 8 8 8 8 10 14 18 18 18 21 28 28 35 36 36 36 40 41 42 48 50 52 52 55 55 56 57 57 60 62 62 Section 5 6 7 8 Title TABLE OF CONTENTS (Cont'd) PUBLIC UTILITIES. . . . . . . . . Sewer and Water Plan Update. Gas and Electricity. TRANSPORTATION ...... . HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT . . . . . . . . , . . Rural Principal Arterial Road System Rural Minor Arterial Road System Rural Collector Road S.Ystem. Rura 1 Local Road Sys tern. EXISTING CONDITIONS . . . . County Roads . . . . . Other Roads ..... MAJOR THOROUGHFARE PLAN . . Development Standards Specific Area Proposals ... Eola Hills - West Salem Area Dallas Area . ..... . Monmouth-Independence Area State Principal Arterials. Willamette River Crossings Coast Highway (Oregon #22) Highway #99W ... Other County Roads AIRPORTS . . . . . . . RAIL TRANSPORTATION . . PARKS AND OPEN SPACE . . . . . WILLAMETTE RIVER GREENWAY .. POLICIES FOR PRESERVATION OF OPEN SPACE IMPLEMENTATION . . . . . ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT APPENDIX . . . . . . .. i i Page 63 63 64 65 65 65 66 66 66 66 68 69 69 69 69 70 72 73 73 74 74 74 74 75 76 77 77 83 85 87 89 • • '41 BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS Clifford R. Jones~ Chainnan Cli nton D. Forbes, Commissioner H. B. Hildebrand, Commissioner POLK COUNTY PLANNING COMMISSION James Smart, Chairman to November 1973 William C. Hill. Chairman Irwin Riddell, Vice Chairman H. William Barlow Doug Bennett Eldon Cates Rawson Chapin Roscoe Clarke Don Denlinger John McRae Elmer Werth AD HOC COMPREHENSIVE PLAN REVIEW COMMITTEE R. A. Smith. Sr., Chairman Don L. Meyer Frank Kettl eson Ralph H. Jackson Bill Ousterhout Willard Hatch Lyle Storey Jim Austin Ben Magill Harvey Qui stad Alva Mitchell Ernie CLIMlins Aaron Mercer Q. L. Jacobson R. C. Synowski MIO WILLAMETTE VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS W. J. Kvarsten. Director L. K. FraZier, Administrator POLK COUNTY PLANNING DEPARTMENT John Hossick. Chief Planner to February 1. 1973 E. Frank Wyckoff. Chief Planner Oscar R. Granger, Associate Planner Peter Watt. Planner II James W. Ramsden, Planning Technician Deanna M. Young, Secretary • • Table N\JTlber 1 2 3 4 5 6 A-l A-2 A-3 A-4 A-5 A-6 A-7 A-8 A-9 A-l0 LIST OF TA8LES Permeab i1 i ty of Soi 1 s. • • Urban Population 1960-1990 Population Changes in Polk County. Polk County Areal Characteristics. Specifications For Rural Roads . . Existing Public Recreational Development for Pol k County, Oregon. . . . . . . . . APPENDIX TABLES Polk County Soil Associations . .. General Soil Limitations For Rural Residential Development Agricultural Productivity. Land Use in Farms Number of Fanms By Size. Number of Commercial Farms Polk County School Enrollments By Districts. Polk County Schools and Facilities Polk County Library Statistics Road Mi 1 eage By Surface Type . i ; ; • Page 15 29 30 47 69 78 90 93 93 94 94 95 96 98 99 100 Figure Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 LIST OF FIGURES Title Location of Pol k County ....•.. Fluctuation of Ground Water Level (6 Inch Level) Fluctuation of Ground Water Level (12 Inch Level). Population Distribution By Age and Sex Population Growth 1900-1970. Population Projections . Existing Land Use - 1972 Farming Trends - Polk County Residential 8uilding Permits 1968 - 1974 Relative Values of Agricultural Production iv Page 5 10 11 32 34 34 35 39 40 41 I , • to [ l. ~: ~ Map No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. 8 9 10 11 12 A-1 A-2 LIST OF MAPS Generalized Subsurface Geologic Formations. Generalized Soils Map .. . Normal Annual Precipitation Water Sys terns . . . . . . . Generalized Drainage and Proposed Res ervo; r Si tes . . . . Development Limitations Existing Land Use .. General Land Use Plan Salem Urban Growth Boundary Transportation Plan ... Salem Area Transportation Study Plan. Parks and Open Space ... . . . . . . APPENOIX MAPS Area Advisory Committee Census Tracts v Page 9 11 19 23 25 27 37 45 49 67 71 79 89 97 In 1957, the Polk County Planning Commission was formed. Since then, the Commission has played an active part in guiding the development and conser- vation of the county's resources. In 1964, a Preliminary Comprehensive Plan was prepared for the county and many of the recommendations of that plan have reached fruition. To cite several examples; a county building code has been adopted, zoning was adopted for the peripheral areas of the major communities, parks and roads have been acquired and built. Factors contributing to his phenomenon include expanded educational facilities, increased in-migration, increased em- ployment, relative attractiveness of the area for retirees, increased avail- ability of water in certain areas of the county. The development of rural domestic water systems has created the potential of development of lands which were formally water deficient. While such systems answer one problem, they create the potential for land use conflicts in rural areas. The growth in Polk County is only a small part of the development occurr- ing in the state, and the problems faced here are a microcosm of the state as a whole. Recognizing that the state as a whole was experiencing these conflicts, the legislature in 1967 passed Senate Bill 10, which set forth the following objectives for planning in the State. Comprehensive Physical Planning Objectives Comprehensive physical planning should provide guidance for physical devel- opment within the state responsible to economic development, human resource development, natural resource develop- ment and regional and metropolitan area development. It should assist in attainment of the optimum living en- vironment for the state's citizenry and assure sound housing, employment oppor- ~ tunities, educational fulfillment -1- and sound health facilities. State plans should relate to intermediate and long range growth objectives. The plans should set a pattern upon which state agencies and local government may base their programs and local area plans. Goals for comprehensive physical planning are: (1) To preserve the quality of the air and water resources of the state. (2) To conserve open space and pro- tect natural and scenic resources. (3) To provide for the recreational needs of citizens of the state and visitors. (4) To conserve prime farm lands for the production of crops and provide for an orderly and efficient transition from rural to urban land use. (5) To protect life and property in areas subject to floods, landslides and other natural disasters. (6) To provide and encourage a safe, convenient and economic transportation system, including all modes of transportation: air, water, rail ~ highway and mass transit, and recognizing differences in the social costs in the various modes of trans- portation. (7) To develop a timely, orderly and efficient arrangement of pUblic facilities and services to serve as a framework for urban and rural development. (8) To diversify and improve the economy of the state. (9) To ensure that the development of properties within the state is commensurate with the char- acter and the physical limita- tions of the land. 1 These objectives set the framework upon which the county is empowered to plan. Basically, they state broad policy indicating the nee9 for intelligent and wise utilization of our natural, human and economic resources. They are general in nature and must be further defined within the county's general plan. Senate Bill 10 required all jurisdictions within the state to prepare and adopt land use plans and zoning by December 31, 1971 or be making reasonable progress in a planning pro- gram. As of July 1973, zoning has been adopted for the entire county. In 1967, the County Board of Commission- ers, at the request of the Planning Commission, appointed the first of nine local area advisory committees to aid the Commission and Board in a countywide planning program. In July of 1968, the other eight committees were appointed. These committees have held many meetings discussing planning concepts in general and proposals for interim zoning. In the fall of 1972, an ad hoc advisory committee was appointed by the Board of Commissioners to review a preliminary draft of the County Comprehensive Plan. That committee presented its plan to the County Planning Commission and County Board in May of 1973. During the latter part of 1973 and early 1974, the County Planning Commission reviewed and revised the ad hoc plan in preparation for public hearings to be held during the fall of 1974. It has been the untiring work of the many committee members, planning commissioners and Board of Commissioners that has guided the formulation of this study. The plan embodies the principles of the community as well as they can be identified and should be recognized as a statement of county policy regard- ing the future growth, development .y Oregon Revised Statutes 215.515 - 2 - and conservation of the human, natural and economic resources. SCOPE Following are the various elements that, taken together constitute the general plan. The plan is long range in that it is targeted on 1990 forecasts for population and economic activities. The plan is neither a no growth plan, nor does it encourage unlimited growth; rather the intention is to provide directed growth. The intention is to retain and enhance the present rural and residential atmosphere while providing a choice for the future res i dents. The plan will serve as a guide to private landowners in making individual plans to develop their property. It provides information on roads, parks, public facilities that will give justification to the investment required and will indicate where risk will be involved if their plans conflict with the County Plan. It is intended to be a statement of public (county) policy for guidance of the growth, development and conservation of the community's resources. It is intended that the broad statements of policies contained herein be general in nature and that more specific policies, programs, and implementation measures will be developed from them, as time and the planning process continue. The fact that planning is a continuing process cannot be over emphasized. Tech- nological innovations in transportation. communication and other scientific fields must be recognized at the time they are developed, their effect on the plan measured and revisions in the plan made accordingly. This plan was pre- pared utilizing the information avail- able, with the full realization that periodic revisions, at least every five years, will be necessary in order to reflect the constant process of change. PLANNING PROCESS This document is the culmination of a process that has been carried on in the county for the last 14 years. It is a benchmark for future decisions and an integral part of the continuing planning that will be conducted in the future. In the process of the formu- lation of the plan, several logical steps are followed: 1) Research - collection of social, economic, physical and legal data. 2) Analysis - the review of this information, identification of problems, conflicts of goals, identification of possi- ble solutions to problems. 3) Alternatives - evaluate the possible solutions and deter- mine the best course of action. 4) Implementation - carrying out the plan. 5) Review - a recurring evaluation of policies, recommendations and changes in technology, economics, etc. These steps allow for the continued change and modifications needed in a plan to meet the changing needs of society over time. Throughout the process outlined above, active involvement of the Plannina Commission, Advisory Committees, Board of Commissioners and general citizens has been solicited and obtained. The active participation of the people of the community is particularly important in determining the goals for and the direction the community wishes to take and the measure used to accomplish these ends. - 3 - The main purpose and overriding goal of this plan is the development of a plan that will fulfill the needs of each mem- ber of the community with respect to their health, safety, amenity, conven- ience and general welfare insofar as practical to do so. It is the goal of this plan to promote sound development and orderly growth, to conserve natural resources and' the economic base and to ensure the maximum livability, choice of environment and housing opportunities for every resident of the county. The development of goals upon which a plan is based generally proceeds from the very general to the more specific. As these goals become more specific, there develops conflicts between goals and conflicts between interest groups within society on the priority of the various goals. Below are the goals for the Polk County General Plan. More specific goals are contained within the various elements of this plan; land . use, transportation, community facilities, schools and parks and implementation. It is within the specific plan elements that justification of goals take place. This is the level where the alternatives are outlined and where the basic choice decisions to be made by the governing body, planning commission and the citizens at large are focused. It is the level upon which the community can attempt to make rational (optimal) decisions concerning the general conser- vation and enhancement of the human, physical and economic resources. The framework of the plan, then, is the goals and policies that are promulgated to implement it. The general goals are: Assure preservation and enhance- ment of basic choices and indi- vidual freedoms. Assure the highest practical degree of public health, safety and general welfare. Maximize the conservation and utilization of the natural resources. Promote the diversification of the employment base. Assure the protection of siqni- ficant natural, scenic and his- toric features. . Assure each individual and family the opportunitv to secure standard, safe and sanitary housinq. Provide an economical and efficient transportation system. Provide an orderly, efficient and coordinated system of public facilities.· , To promote orderlv urban devel- opment and a directed rural settlement pattern. - 4 - Promote a pattern of land use that enhances the present environ- ment. Promote the cleaninq up and imorovement of our air, water and land resources. Typically, such general statements are agreeable to most of the populace. However, as the general statements are expanded into more precise qoal state- ments and policies, disaqreement is likely to occur. That i~ why an important aspect of a plan is the clarification of such issues and the statement of policy that the community gives throu~h the plan on such issues. These general statements are devel- oped more fullv in the Land Use, Transportati on' and Communitv Faci 1iti es elements that follow. - "10> l (In ·many areas, settlement is the result of physical limitations that exist in nature such as extremes in geology, cli- mate, and drainage. It may also be due, in part, to the shortage of a particular resource such as water or tillable land. These limitations often act to direct settlement away from sensitive areas. Such is the case in Polk County. Over one-third of the total land area is geologically unsuitable for either urban or agricultural use. Of the remaining two-thirds of the land, there exists seasonal water shortages over large areas that also contain soils of margin- al value. These and other factors serve to adversely affect the consideration Jf these lands for either agricultural Jr rural resident:al use. The following discussion addresses the history of the county and the physical, economic and cultural sectors in con- sideration of the land use character- istics. It is intended that thi~ dis- cussion will introduce the citizens of Polk County to the nature and scope of the physical problems that bear direct- lyon the land use policies that the county establishes. HISTORY Polk County was officially created from Yamhill District2 0n December 23, 1845 producing a county area which stretched from the present Yamhill County line on the north to the California border and from the Wi11amette River westward to the Pacific Ocean. Benton County was created from Polk County in 1847 and, in later years, Lane, Umpqua and Lincoln Counties were created from Benton County. In 1925 a small part of Polk County was transferred to Lincoln County. The oresent area of Polk County is 472,960 acres. " FIGURE I LOCATION OF POLK COUNTY 11 Taken from the Preliminary Comprehensive Plan for Polk County, prepared by the Mid Wil1amette Valley Planning Council, October 1964. 2/ One of the four "districts" of the Oregon Territory. "District" was reo1aced by the term "county" in 1845. - 5 - IHudson1s Bay Company hunters and trappers had penetrated the Willamette Valley as far south as Polk County before 1830. Initial settlement of the Willamette Valley started with the establishment of Etienne Lucier's farm at the extreme northwest corner of French Prairie in 1829. French Prairie was colonized thereafter, during the 1830 l s and 1840's, by retired servants of the Hudson1s Bay Company. White people from the eastern United States began settlement of Polk County during the early 1840 1 s, one settlement being made near the present site of Dallas. Jason Lee was actually the vanguard of this settlement, having established his mission at Wheatland on the east bank of the Willamette in 1834. The county seat was located at Cynthian (later Dallas) in 1850. A new court- house was completed in Dallas in 1860. This building was destroyed by fire in 1898, and the present courthouse structure was completed two years later in 1900. Independence was named after Independen- ce, Missouri by E. A. Thorpe, a former resident of the Missouri city who platt- ed the town in 1850. The founding of Independence was preceded by settlement near the site as early as 1845. The city of Monmouth was founded in 1853 by settlers who had moved here from Mon- mouth, Illinois. This group of settlers had arrived in the Willamette Valley in August 1852 and spent their first winter at a point about ~ miles north-north - east of Rickreall. The present Oreaon College of Education is descended hist- orically from Monmouth University, foun- ded by the early settlers in 1858. Various small industries sprang up in Polk County during the period of pio- neer settlement. Among them were grist and woolen mills. In the late 18401s, a grist mill was established at Ellen- dale and in 1852 one was established at ~ 6 - Falls City, but later moved to Rickreall. In 1865, a woolen mill was established at Ellendale at the site of the old grist mill, but was later destroyed by fire. A woolen mill began operation in Dallas in 1896. What was reputedly the first pottery works in the northwest was established at Buena Vista in 1865. Early products were housewares, but among later products was sewer pipe, a considerable amount of which was shipoed to Portland. The plant closed in 1886 when the owner moved his operations to Portland. After the ~stablishment of the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation in 1856, the remnants of the Willamette Valley Indian tribes, as well as Indians from other parts of Oregon, were settled there. More than 1,000 Indians were on the reservation at one time during the 1860's. In 1908 there was a division of the reservation lands to the various Indian residents there at that time, but Federal supervisory control over the last remnant of reservation land, some 500 acres, was not terminated until 1957. The Grand Ronde agency had been terminated in 1925. During its pioneer period, river navi- gation was Polk County's principal means of transport for goods produced in the county and for incoming supplies. River navigation was displaced after 1890 by railroads as the most important means of transporting goods to and from the county although river boats were still operating as late as 1894. It was during the period of steam navi- gation that the port of Lincoln attain- ed prominence as a wheat exporting port on the Willamette. For a time, Lincoln was second only to Portland among Willamette River ports in the tonnage of wheat it handled. Grains, cattle and sheep were among the more important of rural industries dur- ing the period after pioneer settle- ment in Polk County. A big change in the agricultural scene came in the 1890's with the introduction of two new crops, hops and Italian prunes. Prunes rapid- ly declined in importance after World War I when European prune orchards began to increasingly supply the Euro- pean market. At one time there were nearly 4,000 acres of hops in the coun- ty, but this crop rapidly declined in importance after World War II, leaving only about 400 acres of hop cultiva- tion in the county at the present time. GEOlOGY From the alluvial bottomlands of the Willamette River to the "cold" mountain- ous uplands of the Coast Range Mountains, the topographic differences existing in Polk County are readily apparent. The General Soils Map, No.2, shows the five major physiographic landforms in the County and indicates the range of elevations where they occur. Approximately 89% of Polk County is geographically located in the Coast Range sub-basin of the Willamette River Basin in northwestern Oregon. The re- mainder of the county, including the town of Valsetz t is located in the Mid-Coast Basin, the distinction being that its tributaries drain directly to the Pacific Ocean, Map No.5. The structural framework of the Willam- ette Basin is generally that of a broad synclinal trough (valley) which was formed through a downward folding of the subsurface layered rock formations some 30-60 million years ago. In con- trast, the formation of the Coast Range Mountains began about 30 million years ago with an intermittant upward movement of folding and faulting (anti- clinal process) that lasted to the be- ginning of the Quaternary period, about one million years ago. The alluvial deposits that underlie the valley floor areas were derived from the surrounding mountains through natural erosional and depositional processes. These sedimentary deposits consist of layers of clay, silt, sand and gravel - 7 - stratlfied ir. a heterogeneous (mixed) arTdngement. The surface material over much of this area is a sandy to clayish silt (Will- amette Silt) that settled from water ponded in a great but shortlived lake created with the melting of the last great continental glaciers. This fine- grained deposit is oermeable and trans- mits water quite readily to underlyinq qravel beds or to streams draining the area. Above the valley floor, older weather- ed gravel deposits occur on the scatter- ed terrace remnants that flank the low foothills. In the higher elevations of the County, sedimentary and volcanic formations of siltstones and various types of sandstones, which are under- lain by lava flows and intruded by igneous rock of volcanic origin exist over expansive areas. These deposits, to a large extent, are relatively impermeable with characteristic rapid runoff, thereby allowing little or no precipitation to infiltrate to water- bearing strata. The impermeability of these formations has resulted in the creation of deep, narrow canyons where streams have cut channels through the less resistant masses of rock. Grave1 The Willamette River bar and channel gravels offer the most readily and ec- onomically available supply of gravel in Polk County. Within the beds and banks of the river and over limited areas of its flood plain, the aggregate supply is replenished annually during the winter, high-water months. Much of the gravel deposited in this area is brought to the Willamette by the Santiam River, which originates in the foothills and mountains to the east. Some, how- ever, is carried down the Willamette from its headwaters above Eugene. There are also large deposits of terrace gravels in the interior areas of the County, adjacent to the flood plains of the Willamette River and Rickreall and Salt Creeks. Those gravel reserves, overlain by Willamette silts and sands of varying depths, were deposited heterogeneously during recent geologic times as the water level in the Willam- ette Basin rose and fell with the ad- vancing and retreating actions of the last continental glaciers. Basalt Rock Significant deposits of basalt rock exist in Polk County in the foothills and mountains west of Dallas and cap the Eola Hills west and north of Salem. Those formations are identified on the Generalized Geology Map No.1 as the Siletz River Volcanics and the Columbia River Basalts. With urban and environmental pressures rendering many sand and gravel quarry sites unusable, these large deposits of basalt rock are becoming increasingly attractive for use as roadway base mater- ial, replacing the river gravels that have been used in the past. Quarrying of the rock brings with it another set of problems, however. They include the noise, vibration. ~nd pollution problems associated with blasting and crushing of the rock and the overburdening of old, often substandard, county roads by the heavy-haul trucks and equipment. Limes tone Until very recently, limestone for agri- culturel and cement was mined from a relatively small area about 3 miles southwest of Dallas. It is a low grade material with considerably more poten- tial for the manufacture of cement th.an for agricultural use. As the extent of the limestone deposits is very limited, it has not proven profitable to maintain full operations at the quarries. There- fore, limestone quarrying activities have lapsed. The demand for limestone in the Valley is projected to grow, how- ever, and although many of the deposits are at present not economically valuab- le, they may be exploited in the future. - 8 - These areas should be protected from con- flicting land uses to ensure their abil- ity to reopen if demand warrants it. Siltstone An attempt has been made at mining the volcanic siltstone in the Bethel area which, when crushed, may prove usable as domestic cat litter, as a sweeping com- pound, or even as a filtering agent for jet and rocket fuels. The feasibility of mining the siltstone will depend to a large extent on an analysis of the market which has not, as yet, been determined. Manganese Of minor significance at this time is the occurrence of manganese exposed for a short distance along the banks and bed of Rickreall Creek two miles west of Dallas. The exposed deposit is too small to be of economic value, although better deposits may exist within the volcanic mass. Oil and Gas The possibility of oil and gas reserves also exists in Polk County in the thick marine sedimentary rocks. Well drilling records dating from the turn of the century indicate the presence of the resource, although no producing wells of any economic significance have been brought in. Many of the occurrences tested, however, would be of sufficient quality for commercial use if the amounts available were great enough. Sunmary With the possible exception of the rock and aggregate supplies, the known min- eral resources of the County are not available in any economically signi- ficant quantity to warrant continued exploration and exploitation of them for the immediate future. However, as the need for these natural resources increases throughout world markets, pressures may be brought to mine them " '- [:; ,gJ ~q TE R R AC E G R A V el S o M A P NO . 1 J TE R TI AR Y M A R IN E S E D IM E N TS W lll A M E T T E VA LL EY A LL U V IU M C O LU M B IA R IV ER BA SA LT SI LE TZ R IV ER V O LC A N IC S ~ SCALE IN M IL E S &·fi -V~: l k9~ kl :; g § ~ ; ©lI Dl\ !l~ n t\~t. ~.:~l • • • • • • ~Dil l G EN ER AL IZ ED SU BS UR FA CE G EO LO G IC FO R M A TI O N S ~ ;:. . . :. '; ): ;: ;~ :~ § ~ !.' ~.: ;!.• .• .~~ . •. •. • d ~ :> ~ . " Z 9 in Polk County. As their availability and economic importance to an area are directly related, it is necessary for the County to establish the policies now that will assure their continued availability in the future in a non- urban environment. SOILS In order to understand the differences and variations of the more than 60 individual soil types in Polk County and to be able to relate them to the whole range of land use problems and their solutions, a brief discussion of factors affecting soil formation is warranted. Among the factors to be considered are the type of geologic parent material, the kind and shape of the landform, and the length of time over which the formation occurred. These factors are, of course, interdependent on each other as well as on the climatological factor which is discussed briefly in the Water Resources Section. Soils geologic parent materials are a product of the weathering of rock fragments that have been altered to varying degrees. Those materials, which underlie the soils, are identified and described by their geologic origin and mineral composition. The soils of Polk County have been formed from a wide range of parent materials, including; 1) Recent Alluvium, 2) Terrace Sediments, 3) Terrace Gravels, 4) Sandstone and Siltstone Formations, 5) Basalt flows of the Siletz River Volcanics and 6) Intru- s ive Rocks.1 1) Recent Alluvium is the principal parent material found along river and stream bottoms. These sedi- ments were derived from materials of mixed minerology. Some of these materials are from local alluvium that have been trans- ported only short distances; others along major streams and rivers have been transported consid- erable distances by the flows. The alluvium has a wide range of texture from gravel to clay. Some of the soils developed in these materials include Chehalis, Newberg, Camas, Cove and Bashaw. 2) Terrace Sediments located on the main valley floor consist of thick deposits of stratified sediments that range in texture from silt to clay. These mater- ials have been water deposited over the last half million years. The initial textural and mineral- ogical differences in these ma- terials ultimately resulted in soils such as the Amity, Dayton, Willamette and Woodburn. Malabon and Coburg soils have developed in the more recent sediments of younger terraces. 3) Terrace Gravels composed of well to partially weathered gravels of Vblcanic rocks occur as terrace remnants along the lower slopes of the foothills. Some of these materials have been cov- ered with more recent deposits of silts of varying depths. The Salkum and Briedwell soils have been formed in these materials. 4) The Sandstone and Siltstone forma- tion consists of a thick sequence of bedded sandstone and sandy siltstone and is present through- out the County from the Valley foothills to the Coast Range. These soft sedimentary rocks 1 J 1 JI Adapted from "Geolo-;--~-;;-~---;-~----:':'---.""""';"""';;;;";;"";;":--i~~~~~--:"';~~Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries, Bulletin Interpretations by SCS Soil Scientists, Dallas Office, 1974. - 10 7" I( weather rapidly and the effect of the parent material is reflected in the soils characteristics. The Bohannon, Preacher, Be11pine, Rickreall and Luckiamute are some of the soils develooed in these materials. . tl) The Basalt flows are some of the oldest rock exposed in the County. Although the predominant rock type is Basalt, a fine grained siltstone is also a member of this formation. The partially weathered basalt is brownish to yellowish gray and ranges from hard unweathered rock to almost completely weathered soft material. These materials also occur across the County from the low foothills to the steep mountainous areas of the Coast Range. The Blachly, Jory, Nekia, and Klickitat are some of the soils formed in Ba- sal t material s. 6) Many dikes (molten, igneous rock injected into a fissure and cool- ed and hardened there) of intrusive rocks occur in the southern and western parts of the County. The sedimentary rocks adjacent to the larger intrusive masses have been scored and hard- ened by the extreme heat of the volcanic activity. The Marty, Valsetz and Cruiser soils were developed from the weathering of those materials. Variations in topography generally occurs across shorter distances than variations of the parent material, and further, areas of similar parent material are less extensive than those of climate and vege- tation. As a consequence, it should be realized that in soil mapping, the boundaries of many of these soils extend out some distance away from the under- lying parent material because of the movement of rock and soil materials down slope. Nevertheless, it is felt that the relationship, in general, is quite close between the underlying geology - 13 - and corresponding surface soils. With that understanding, it should be possi- ble to use the Generalized Geology Map No. 1 with the new County General Soils Map No.2, in order to get a feeling for the actual distribution and origin of the various soil types. The SCS (Soil Conservation Service) has recently completed a revised general soils map depicting the twenty soil associations existing in Polk County. A soil association is a group- ing of soils that are geographically associated in a repeating pattern over a landscape. It generally consists of one or more major soils and usually one or more contrasting minor soils and is named for the major soils. Mapping by associations is very useful for getting a general perspective of soil types in an area, for comparing the general suitability of an area for various types of land use, or for loca- ting large tracts of ground with similar physical properties. Such a map, how- ever, is too general for planning the management of a farm or field because of the multiplicity of individual characteristics that each soil exhibits. Soil maps and associated technical data are available at the SCS office and at the County Planning Department to aid in any detailed planning needs. A brief description of each of the various soil associations and their generalized drainage and subsurface conditions is presented in Table A-1. Following that table are two tables com- paring the suitability of the soils for rural residential development, Table A-2, and agricultural productivity, Table A-3. These tables, when used in concert with the General Soil Map should be parti- cularly useful for the general planning and managing of land and water areas in Polk County. Table A-3 gives the yields of a few prin- cipal crops grown in the area under a high level of management. The yields are based on experiences, field trails, and research findings up to the present time (1973) that will give the highest returns. Those responsible for the yield data include sOil scientists of the SCS, local farmers, State and Federal advisory people in the Extension Service, and the Agricultural Experiment Station. If little or no information was avail- able, yield estimates were made by comparison with simi~ar soils. The ratings indicated in Table A-2 for rural residential development are gen- eral ratings taken from the soil inter- pretation forms (OR-SOILS-1). When rating the soils for a septic tank drain field, the soils permeability, the depth to ground water table, depth to bedrock or impervious strata and degree of surface slope and possible flooding are all considered. When rating for dwellings (foundations particularly), the stability, bearing strength, shear strength, shrink-swell potential, as well as the ground water table, possible flooding, texture, surface slope and depth to bedrock are all considered. Restrictive Factors of Soil for Urban Use Soil rmeabi1ity, or the rate of water m_oxernent t roug t e SOl , is -a criti ca1 restrictlve factor in many of the soils fo nd in Polk County. Soil permeability is often rated as slow, moderate, rapid, etc., and sometimes measured by the amount of water to pass through the soil in a given period of time. If the permeability is too slow, the soil will not handle the discharge from a septic tank, forcing water to the sur- face. If it is too fast, it will not filter suspended particles and the undigested effluent may pass into the water table and contaminate the ground water supply. The general range of permeability for a soil to be acceptable for filter field use exhibits a perco- lation rate of a minimum of one inch per sixty minutes to a maximum of one inch per ten minutes.1 , The suitability of the soil for use as a septic tank filter field has and will continue to be a primary restrictive factor in the County.2 The septic tank and filter fiild system of disposal of household 'or other effluent has been widely used in suburban and rural portions of the County. This system functions in two parts; the tank receives the waste from the house, removes the organic solids, and dis- charges liquids through a tile system to the soil. The septic tank allows the organic solids to be digested by anerobic (without oxygen) micro organ~ isms, while the drainfie1d acts to filter the liquids and allow aerobic (with oxygen) action to oxidize the fine organic particles carried by the effluent. In the absence of oxygen, a condition that could exist when the drain tiles are below the water table, a black matter, ferrous sulfide, may form around the drain tiles and clog them. Table No. 1 gives the number of soils by their permeability. This suggests that permeability is an extensive problem within the County with only a small percentage of the 60(+) individual soils identified by Soil Conservation Service as having a percolation rate within the accepted range for proper operation of a filter field. It is readily apparent that soil char- acteristics play an extremely important part of this system. The slope of the land, types of underlying material and depths of same, di stanc'e from 1akes or streams, depth of the water table, a~ JV Manual of Septic Tank Practice, Publication #256, U. S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Public Health Service; and ~ Soils Suitable for Septic Tank Filter Fields, (Agriculture Information Bulletin #243) USDA - Soil Conservation Service - 14 - TABLE 1 Permeability of Soils Permeability Percol ation Rate No. of %of Group Inches/Hour Min/Inch Soils Total Very slow 1ess than .06" over 1000 min. 10 14.9 Slow .06 - .2 1000 - 300 7 10.4 Moderately Slow .2 - .63 300 - 95 20 29.8 Moderate .63 - 2 95 - 30 13 19.4 Moderately Rapid 2 - 6.3 30 - 9.5 5 7.4 Rapid 6.3 - 20 9.5 - 3 Very Rapid Over 20 1ess than 3 2 2.9 Source; SCS Soil Interpretations Forms (OR-SOILS-1) the permeability of the soil, are all restricting factors. An.o thex:.-s..:i-grU£can t re~ t r i..ct i v_e .J2Q!ld i - tion encountered in the county i a high ground water table (tempora~y, seasonal or permanent). If the ground water table reaches the level of the drainage tile or above, it will forcet~ ~o the surface, creatinq a health hazard. The effluent also must stay far enough above the substratum system to prevent the ground water from being contaminated. The state regulations indicate that lithe bottom of the dis- posal field trench shall not be closer than 24" to the ground water table during any season of the year. "1 This means that the water table should not be closer to the ground surface than four feet during the year. This same depth relationship should also hold to any impervious layer or underlying form- ation in order that there will be suffi- cient soil to filter and purify and ab- sorb the septi c tank effl uent. Fi gures 2 and 3 on the following pages show the season fluctuation of the ground water table in eleven selected soil types. Not only is the depth of soil critical, but the slope of the soil has a great bearing on the suitability of an area for septic systems. Areas with slopes of 10% or less with otherwise acceptable soil conditions, will not present serious problems. On steeper slopes, there is a problem of preventing the lateral flow of the effluent from breaking out to the surface and causing a health hazard. This problem is compounded when an impervious layer, if 11 Regulations Governing the Subsurface Disposal of Sewage, 1970, Oregon State Board of Health, Page 8, 41-0300 - , 5 - 0 .......---+----+-----''''--->+-----'1......-----+---'''-----''1---- - 16 - f r f r 1 f ! I 1 1 ! I ! I ( I I 1 ol l 0-... ............ JORY ...... ...... 'C\. " , JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE The average percent of time the water table may be expected to be above a depth of 6 inches plotted as a function of time. . Those soils indicated by a dashed line are based on field observations made in Polk County. Characterization of Water Tables in Oregon Soils with Reference to Trafficability, Boersma, L., G. H. Simonson and D. G. Watts, Contract Report M-70-l, Dept. of Soils, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, May 1970. 10 WILLAMETTE ~ ...... NEKIA................. 0.... ..... ..... 20 FIGURE 2 100 0------0--_ ---0...... ..... ...... ...... DAYTON " BASHAW -COYE -90 b WALDO \ \ \ 80 \\ \ ..... \w 6 INCH LEVEL> \ w \..... 10 \Z \ w \> \ Cl . \ w 60 \> \0 \II) « \ w \ ~ \ i= 50 \ \ .... \0 AMITY \ l- I Z \w 40 \u IX \ w , a.. \ w \ Cl \ « 30 IIX \w ~ \ FIGURE 3 BASHAW-COVE- \ WALDO \ \ \ 12 INCH LEVEL \ \ \ \, \ \ \, \ \ \ \, \ \ \ 1 0- - -_ JORY ....~ \ \ \ 0.- NEKIA ..... ..... '0, o'-----+-----+--';.....---+-...:....----4~:..--_¥_--.....;I'i_--- 90 10 100 80 ..... w > w ..... z 70 w > <-' w 60>0 cD ~ W ~ 50~ I&- 0 ~ z w 40u Ill: W A. W <-' « 30Ill: W ~ 20 JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUNE The average percent of time the water table may be expected to be above a depth of 12 inches plotted as a function of t~me. Those soils indicated by a dashed line are based on field observations made in Polk County. Characterization of Water Tables in Oreoon Soils with Reference to Trafficabi1ity, Boersma, L., G. H. Simonson and D. G. Watts, Contract Report M-70-1, Dept. of Soils, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, May 1970. - 17 - exposed, channels the raw sewage to the surface. Adequate distances must be maintained between the septic system and any potential water supply source to allow adequate treatment of the effluent. Such systems should be located at least 100 feet from such sources. Even with this precaution, the filter- ing effect of the soil cannot be de- pended upon to remove all the contamin- ants from the effluent. WATER RESOURCES Polk County receives an abundant supply of water each year in the form of ore- cipitation (see Map No.3). However, because of the seasonal characteristic of the precipitation, poor soil types and underlying geology, and lack of storage facilities, much of the County suffers from a deficiency of surface and ground water during the sumner and fa 11 "dri l months. Precipitation Precipitation in Polk County ranges from 40" along the Willamette River to over 200" along the crestline of the Coast Range Mountains with the greatest amount (about 45%) falling during the winter months. During the spring and fall mon- ths, about 50% (25% each season) of the precipitation falls and during the sum- mer months, when demand is at its peak, the balance (about 5%) falls over the county. The low elevation and moderate temperatures of the Coast Range combine to limit the development of a snow pack which could otherwise augment the low stream flows and ground water supplies during the summer months. Stratigraphy The geology of the upland areas of the county, where the majority of the pre- cipitation falls, is generally composed of relatively impermeable soils and rock formations. Consequently, runoff is quite rapid, preventing any appreciable amounts of water from reaching aquifers 1 capable of freely transmitting a suffi- cient quantity and quality of ground water to underground streams and reser- voirs for storage and withdrawal during the summer dry months. There are similar conditions existing in the valley terrace and foothill re- gions of the County where many of the soils display a high clay content. In those areas, during the winter wet mon- ths, the perched water table often rises and ponds above the surface of the grou- nd where it either runs off very slowly or is evaporated. Very little water, if any, permeates through the hard pan to subsurface reservoirs or aquifers. As spring becomes summer, those soils lose virtually all their moisture through evapotranspiration2 and many areas in the County are left with only enough water for very limited domestic use. The numher of dry wells, wells producing connate3 water, and the inadequacy of many producing wells testify to the lack of water in the County for rural-domes- tic-agricultural use. The major under- lying geologic formation in the county is that of Tertiary Marine Sedimentary Rock, which, although the name seems to imply water-bearing strata, is generally of low permeability and yields water slowly to wells and springs, see Map No.1. Most of the wells that tap those rocks yield only from 1-5 gpm, except in I I [ -[ J I i I I { '1 l j I Evapotranspiration - loss of water from the soil, both by evaporation and by transpiration through the plants growing thereon. JV Aquifer - Awater bearing stratum of permeable rock, sand or gravel. 21 ~ Connate Water - Highly mineralized water entrapped during deposition generally unsuitable for drinking and most other uses. - 18 - _ A ~ w ~ z \... 0 '@( IDI !D~ 'fr w N O RM AL A N N U A L PR EC IP IT AT IO N '" ~ SCALE IN M IL ES - - 1 0 I l oJ ~ M A P N O . 3 flood plain areas along the Willamette and Luckiamute Rivers where alluvial sand and gravel deposits overlie the sed- imentary rocks. Some wells in those areas have reportedly tested at 100 gar and more. Wells tapping aquifers in the Tro'.ltdale Formation (Willamette River alluvium and terrace qravels north of Salem in the Eola-Amitv Hills) yield from 100-900 gpm.1 In Po Tk- County, however, these are the exception rather than the rule. ~n contrast, many wells in the Perry- dale-Salt Creek Area yield highly min- eralized connate water. Water quality samples from wells in that area drilled to 200 feet have shown excessive quantities of dissolved solids, up to 2100 ppm (parts per million), including 1160 ppm of chloride. 2 Due to the low permeability of this major geologic formation of sedimentary rocks, it has been necessary in some instances to drill more than one well to meet only domestic and stock water- ing needs. There are farms in the Countv with five or more wells of record that, combined, produce only enough water during the summer and fall months to meet those basic needs. There ars, in addition, over 70 dry wells of record and probably many more unrecorded, unsuitable wells in the County, the majority of which are in the Marine Sedimentary Rock formations. A second prominant formation in the County is that of the Columbia River Group, Map No.1, which occurs general- ly north and west of Salem encompass- ing large portions of the Eola-Amity Hil'!s. This is one of the two major Basalt formations in the County. Little is known of the Siletz River Volcanics, however, because they lie in mountainous areas west of Dallas that are largely undeveloped except for timber croduction. In the Eola Hills, the Columbia Basalts are generally productive with respect to water availability due primarily to their seismic characteristics. The rifts and holes in the Basalt, along with the actual permeability of the rock, allow surface water to enter the formation and travel between and through the different flows. Therefore, wells that tap sev- eral thin layers of the Basalt are more likely to produce more water than those tapping fewer, thicker layers. The flow from wells in those areas varies from a few gallons per minute to over 500 gpm with the water quality and quantity generally good for domestic and other uses. The geology and related water problems in Polk County have been extensively studied. It is not the purpose of this document to outline all the parti- cular factors contributing to the problem. It is, however, important to lJ Ground Water in the Eola-Am~ty Hills Area, Northern Willamette Valley, Oregon; Geologic Survey Water Supply Paper 1847, 1967 l1 2J The U. S, Public Health Sel'v~ce recomrr,ends the chloride corcentrat'jot"i in dr'inking -' water not exceed 250 ppm, although concentrations as high as 1,000 ppm are not uncommon in the county. Analysis of the samoles collected from the marine sedi- mentary rocks show not only the inordinately large concentrations of chloride, but also that the concentration increases with depth. For example, samples collected from 50 to 77 feet contained 172 ppm; samples collected from 191 to 201 feet contained 1160 ppm; and a deep sample from about 2000 feet contained 26,000 ppm of chloride. This order of concentration is due to the fact that fresh groundwater moves more freely closer to the surface, which serves to dilute the chloride co~centrations and other solids, thereby (reating more potable water. L D - 20 - r~ I. recognize the magnitude of the problem relative to its effect on all segments of the County. The primary purpose is to search for solutions and develop policies which will address the problem. The proposals and policies which are included herein will affect virtually every person in the County. Solution Solutions to the water oroblem in Polk County are varied and many would serve to aid particular portions of the whole problem. The solutions that appear to be the most economically and environmentally feasible, however, are the ones currently in use, under active consideration, or under con- struction. They include: 1 . Rural domestic water systems. 2. Selected multiple-use reser- voirs, as indicated in the 1969 Wi11amette Basin Study and the 1969 Water and Sewer Study for Polk County. 3. Well sites tapping major. aquifers along the Willamette River. 4. Diversion of water from major tributaries to large volume reservoirs or holding basins. 5. Individual "stock ponds" for agricultural use. 1. Rural Domestic Water Systems Many rural areas \'Iithin Pol k County that have long experienced water shortage for domestic and agricultural needs have either develooed or are planning area wide rural· domestic water systems. Those systems are generally designed with a minimum of 100% growth reserve capacity beyond the number of services initially re~uired to get thr system developed und operating. - 21 - That is, if 300 services are required initially, the system will be de- signed to accommodate at least twice that number in the future. Depending on the topography, service location, supply source and storage facilities, various phases or segments of the system may be developed with a reserve capacity one to ten times that of the initial load requirement to accommodate future growth and system demand increases. These rural systems will influence the potential for~ rural development through the availability of water as the lack of the resource has kept development pressures minimal in the past. The utilization of modern appliances is one important factor that has contribu- ted to a steady increase in per capita water consumption, and it is expected that this trend will continue. This, coupled with the increased desirability to live apart from the crowded urban environment, yet within easy commuting distance to jobs, shopping, etc., serves to help justify the need for the County to adopt stringent policies for the control and direction of rural residential development. Map No.4 sho\'/s the extent of the existing and proposed rural domestic water systems in the County today. Each of these systems has been studied extensively and technical data is available at the Planning Department office in Dallas. This report, there- fore, offers only the following summary of these systems. ~. The Luckiamute Domestic Water System has been completed, and is now, 1974, in the process of extending services beyond its' initial service area in the southeast portion of the County. There is oresently over 54 miles of pipeline serving some 300 hookups on the system. B. An Engineering Feasibility Study has been completed in the Grand Ronde area, hearings have been held, and financing is now being sought for construction of the system. The initial system is proposed to include over 20 miles of pipeline. C. During the 1973 construction season, over 23 miles of pipeline was installed for the Rickreall Rural Domestic Water System. The system is charged, however only emergency services use it at this time. The installation of meters for individual services will begin in the spring 1974. D. A design for a Perrydale Rural Domestic Water System has been proposed, and funds applied for from FHA. The Marion-Polk Boundary Commission has approved establishment of the system, and the initial signup is now adequate to proceed with the System. Funding;s expected by 1ate summer 1974 so that construction can begin. The system is proposed to include over 68 miles of pi pe1i ne. 2. Selected Multiole-Use Reservoirs The rural systems that have been de- veloped or are in the planning stages will require modification and additional sources of supply as demands increase beyond present system caoabilities. In some cases, the f!X.1St fe1sible means, over the iong run, of increasing the water supply to the systems wil.l lie with the development of one or more of the reservoir sites identified in the Sewer and Water Plan 1 and the Willamette Basin Plan.2 'Accord- ing to the most recent and best avail- able information, Map No.5 indicates some of the sites which have been identified as having economic and en- vironmentally suitable benefits to the County. The proposed short and long range pro- jects could provide irrigation for some 55,000 additional acres of land that are not now irrigated. Presently, Polk County has approximately 10,000 acres under irrigation.3 The increased economic potential from that additional irrigated acreage should serve to strengthen the case for the retention of those potentially irrigatable farm lands in agricultural production. The following benefits would also accrue to the County from the proposed Multiple-Use Reservoir sites:· . A. While Polk County has, histor- ically, been a "pass-through"county, ("40 miles of road" on the way to some other place), the current energy shortage (gasoline) foreshadows an increase in the demand for water based recreation sites closer to the major urban centers. The construction of selected multiple-purpose reservoirs in the County would help fulfill that demand and at the same time, with proper management, enhance the propo- gation of fish and wildlife, which is a major goal of the State of Oregon. J 1 11 Polk County Comprehensive Sewer &Water Plan, Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments and Boatwright Engineers, Inc., 1968 2/ Willamette Basin Comprehensive Study, Water and Related Land Resources, Willamette Basin Task Force, Pacific Northwest River Basin Commission, 1969 JI Polk County Resource Atlas, OSU Extension Service, October 1973, Page 9 - 22 - ~ (o j EX IS TI N G SY ST EM S PR OP OS ED SY ST EM S AN D EX TE N SI O N S RE SE RV OI R W EL L ~ ~ ~ \.. ~ W AT ER SY ST EM S ~ SCALE IN M IL ES - - M A P NO . A ~ B. Some of the proposed sites would be developed primarily for flood con- trol with recreation and water supply as secondary benefits. This serves to protect lands and improve properties by limiting flood damage potential. C. Because of the lack of under- ground water in the County, other sources must be developed to meet the requirements for domestic and municipal supplies. As population increases, the need to develop natural storage sites is increasingly evident if water availability is to keep pace with the County's growth rate. It is important, however, to note that the systems should not be designed to encourage growth in the exurban areas, but rather to only accommodate that growth that would be allowed through implementation of the County's land 'use pol icies. 3. Willamette River Groundwater Beneath the Willamette River's flood- plain in Polk County, the water is within only a few feet of the surface and is pumped, primarily, for domestic purposes. Most of the wells tapping the alluvium are less than 100 feet deep and yield moderate to large quantities of good quality water with only minimal drawdown. The Willamette River ground water reservoir south of salem is part of an extensive aquifer underlying some 1,100 square miles of the river's flood plain throughout the southern portion of the Valley. It has been estimated that the ~nnual discharge/ recharge capability l 0 f the entire aquifer is in the range of 500,000 acre feet of water.2 The aquifer is presently supplying water to several cities and towns in the Valley and to many farming communities and individual farmsteads along the river. Where the potential exists for increased exurban develop- ment adjacent to the river, extreme care must be employed to maintain densities low enough to insure the continued high quality and quantity of the resource, particularly in areas where the disposal means of sewage effluent is proposed for indi- vidual subsurface septic drain fields. The major domestic users of the Willamette River groundwater in Polk County include: A. The Luckiamute Rural Domestic Water System has lone well tapping the alluvium. That well presently serves approxi- mately 300 hookups with a maximum flow tested at about 700 gpm. Expansion of the present system is being consid- ered at this time and may ulti- mately require an additional well or wells. This is the most expansive rural water system in existence in Polk County. B. The heaviest users of the ground- water resource in the County are the Cities of Independence and Monmouth with a total of 9 wells tapping the alluvium. The city of Monmouth also has an impoundment site on Teal Creek south of Falls City for domestic use and is currently studying the feasibility of withdrawing water from the gravels beneath the channel of the Willamette, using the ( 0, !i The discharge/recharge capability is a measure of the volume needed in order to replace an amount of water equal to that amount withdrawn over a comparable time peri od. 2/ U.S.D.A. Report on Water and Related Land Resources, Mid Willamette River Basin, Oregon. Prepared by Economic Research Service, Forest Service and Soil Conser- vatlon Service, July 1962, Page 121 ~I , ,, - 24 - (" ' . . . . . M AP NO . 5 3 BO U t-j DA RY O F D R A IN A G E B A 51 N SI PR O PO SE D RE SE RV O IR SI TE S ~',' R ', ' SC AL E IN M ilE S o • 22 @ l ~ <:;;< ~ @@ l!!llm 'in? GE NE RA LI ZE D OR Al N A G E & PR OP OS ED RE SE RV OI R SI TE S ~ ~ "'V Z P 01~- -- jl -- + @ l ~ !- +- +- ~~ ~~ ~~ +- Jr :: J- r: :: ~- A~ +- 4~ +- -+ -~ ~4 ;~ ~~ ~~ ~- ch ~- LL ~~ ~J ti ~~ ~~ . . . . . k- -+ Ranney Collection Method. 1,2 C. The Rickreall Rural Domestic Water System has two wells drilled that yield about 125 g;:-rn each. These wells will serve the 200 hookups presently registered on the system over a total distance of approximately 23 miles. The wells are located south of Brunks Corner along Highway #51. D. The Perrydale Water System, as proposed, would utilize the flow from one well which has been drilled and tested at 180 gpm for service to their initial 275 users. 4. Diversion of Surface Water To Storaqe Reservoirs Because of the low permeability of the soils in the u~land areas of the County, the impervious underground rock forma- tions, and the current infeasibility of developing natural reservoirs in the Coast Range Mountains, it may be desir- able to divert water to large volume reservoir sites or holding basins in the lower foothills in order to capture appreciable amounts of the winter runoff . This has been a relatively common practice in other areas of the state and country where impoundment dams were not feasible. The city of McMinnville diverts water from the North Coast Basin, Nestucca River drainage area, to reservoirs in the Mid-Wil1amette River Basin. The city of Warrenton in C1atsop County also diverts water to a large holding basin in the coastal foothills south of Astoria. Diversion sites have been est3b1ished at selected locations on principal tributaries, headworks and transmission lines installed and storaqe sites developed or constructed in-line between the suooly and the user. In Polk Coun~y, the Little Luckiamute Project proposes to divert water to a reservoir to be established on Teal Creek south of Falls City. The caoacity of the ho1dinQ facility would determine the use best suited' to the oarticular volume. Were the storage' facility a natural or excavated earthen basin, the volume miqht be suffi- cient for limited irriqation'or for sup- 1ementinQ low stream flows. The caoaclty of constructed steel reservoirs wouid . probably be best suited for auqmenting domestic water systems. Either one, however, would he10 offset the current imbalance in the county between water supply and demand. I) 1/ Independence has 5 wells tapping the alluvium draining a combined 1725 gpm. However, during the winter months only, wells 4 and 5 are utilized, which have a combined flow in excess of 1000 gpm. All well flow measurements are made by Pacific Power and Light during the summer months. Monmouth has 4 wells tapping the alluvium drawing a combined 875 gpm, measured during the winter months. During the 1973 summer low stream flow periods, however, the city was barely able to draw 200 gpm total from all four wells. 11 Ranney Collection Method: This method utilizes a series of screened pipes (5 for Monmouth) set well into the gravels beneath the channel of the river but out of the main stream flow. The screened pipes radiate out from a central collection point, which is attached by pipeline to a pump station set above the flood stage of the river. The Cities of Ranier, Washington and St. Helens, Oregon utilize this method for withdrawing Columbia River water, and Sacramento, Califor- nia uses it to withdraw water from the American River. - 26 - , I, / w o MAP NO. 6 5. Individual Stock Ponds Throughout the County, representatives of the Soil Conservation Service of the U. S. Department of Agriculture have worked closely with farmers and rural residents in the studying and engin- eer-ing of individual lI stock ponds". To date, some 600 of these small reser- voirs exist in Polk County alone, serving a variety of functions, in- cluding domestic supplies, water for livestock, erosion control, and even minor amounts of irrigation water for lawns, gardens, etc. 1 These reservoirs are generally associa- ted with natural dr~inage ditches which oftentimes dry up in the summer. Occasionally, the ditch will drain a spring. However, they too often stop flowing in the summer. Whereas those reservoirs do aid in the relief of /llocal/l problems, they do not offer a complete solution as they, too, are subject to the seasonal fluctuations and variations of the amount of precipi- tation that falls on the County. Flood Control On the other end of the water spectrum is flood control. Approximately 42,000 acres in Polk County are sub-ject to flooding on a periodic basis. 2 The most extensive areas of flooding are found along the Willamette, South Yamhill and Luckiamute Rivers and on Rickreall and Ash Creek~, see Map No.6. These areas generally contain the better farmland (alluvial soil groups), and are also the areas where the greatest degree of urban encroachment has occurred and where the greatest potential exists. Man has traditionally handled the flood problem by building structures to con- trol the flood waters, improving the watershed1s ability to retain water or by avoiding the flood plain or building above the normal highwater level. With- in Polk County, there have been several instances of channel improvement and rip rap installation, all designed to reduce flood damage, although no signi- ficant flood works have been installed. Several multi-purpose dams have been proposed, however, to help alleviate flood damage, see Map No.5. Even with those dams the flood plain re- mains a hazardous area for urban devel- opment. That hazard was recently recog- nized by Polk County with the adoption of a Flood Plain Overlay Zone. As a requirement for participation in the National Flood Insurance Program, a sys- tem of flood plain management was ini- tiated whereby development is directed away from those hazard areas, and regu- lations are established for flood proof- ing development within the flood plains. / Beyond this, the flood plains adjoining the major streams in the county are gen- erally composed of more productive soil types best suited for agricultural pur- poses and should be maintained as such. Smaller streams also have flood plains, therefore, development adjacent to them must also consider that potential hazard. THE PEOPLE Polk County moved into a new era after about 1940 when influence from Salem was increasingly felt in the West Salem area. West Salem more than doubled its population between 1940 and 1950, rising from a 1940 population of 1,490 to a 1950 population of 3,053. The end of World War II and increased use of the automobile helped bring this about. l/ Interviews with representatives of Soil Conservation Service, Dallas, Oregon Office 1974. . . 2/ Flood Plain Report, Polk County, Oreaon, USDA - Soil Conservation Service, 1973 - 28 - I 01 (The increasing urbanization of this northeastern part of the county and its inclusion within the Salem metropolitan area are doing much to broaden the ec- onomic activity of the county. In the decade ending in 1970, the poP- ulation of Polk County increased bv 8,826 or approximately 33 percent. 1 This upsurge followed a previous ten year period during which there was only an .8 percent net increase. However, over the past 30 years, Polk County has experienced an average ten year increase of 21.5 percent. It is expected that a similar rate of increase will continue over the next 30 years, as Polk County participates in the growth of the Salem Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA)2 and the State. The urban population projections for Polk County, shown in Table No.2, are based on the assumptions that both the state and the SMSA-will continue to experience substantial growth over the next several years, and that the past ratios of county to state population and county to SMSA population will hold true for future growth. It is of particular importance in con- sidering the future population of Polk County to recognize that since 1940, the relative proportion of the county population in incorporated areas has been increasing, while the proportion in unincorporated areas has been de- clining, see Table No.3. TABLE 2 3 URBAN POPULATION 1960-1990 by Census Tracts Census Are~ Den2ity Den~;tyTract Name (m; ) 1960 1970 (m; ) 1975 1980 1985 1990 (m; ) 51,52,53 West Salem 70.7 3897 5336 146 6330 7370 8700 10,100 226.3 201 Perrydale 73.4 NA NA 16.7 NA NA NA NA 23.2 202 Da 11 as 54.5 5072 ~ 167.5 7060 7710 8630 9500 238.27275* Monmouth 2229 5237 6090 6940 7670 8400 1ll.4 58jQ* 91.4 157.1~J3 ~Independence 1930 mo* 3450 3950 4450 4900 204 Fall s City 429.0 653 745 10.4 770 790 800 810 11.6775 * Will am;na - 146 478 - 520 570 660 750 - TOTAL COUNTY: 739 13,927 20,751 47.8 24,220 27,330 30,910 34,460 71.96 1/ U. S. Bureau of Census, Census of Population, 1970 ~ SMSA established by the Bureau of Census, encompasses Marion and Polk Counties 'ij "Population Growth in the Mid Willamette Valley", Population Report, Annual Series, Issue No.7, March 1973. Prepared by Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments * Certified July 1,1973 Population - Center for Population Research and Census,Portland State University, Portland, Oregon - 29 - TABLE 3 Population Changes in Polk County 1 County Urban 2 Rural YEAR POPULATION %CHANGE POPULATION %CHANGE POPULATION %CHANGE 1940 19,989 3,579 16,410 1950 26,317 31. 7 7,846 45.6 18,471 11 .16 1960 26,523 0.8 8,969 14.3 17,554 -5.0 1970 35,349 33.3 20,795 131. 9 14,554 -17.1 3 - 30 - 11 (A) U. S. Bureau of the Census, Census of Population: 1960 &1970 (B) A Preliminary Comprehensive Plan for Polk County, Oregon, Mid Willamette Valley Planning Council, Salem, Oregon, 1964 (C) 1940-1970 Population and Housing Trends - Cities and Counties of Oregon, Bureau of Governmental Research and Service, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon, December 1971. 11 Urban: Urban is defined as those incorporated areas of 2500 population and over. ~I The marked loss of rural population, 1960-1970, is due as much to reclassification of Independence and Monmouth from rural to urban as it is to natuY'al decreases. As of 1970, about 60 percent of the county population was located in urban areas. During the 1960-1970 period, unincorporated area population increased by 10.8 percent. The majority of the unincorporated growth took place in Spring Valley-Rickreall area (Census Tract 53) with declines in Independence- Falls City Census County Division. The majority of growth is expected to follow the above basic pattern. The decline in agricultural employment due to consolidated and mechanized farm- ing practices and the preference for urban areas where water, sewage treat- ment and other services are available, are reflected in this growth pattern. Though there will likely be some move- ment of people from urban places into adjacent rural-farm (exurban) areas as they express their preference for this type of living environment, the growth within urban areas is expected to be at a much faster rate. The availability of water and sewage treatment facilities will greatly influ- ence the development of the county. From 75 to 80 percent of the soils in the county have limitations for the use of septic tanks. Local and state health standards restrict the use of septic tanks to areas 'where suitable soils and drainage exist in order to prevent heal- th hazards. The soil characteristics of the county thus limit high population density development generally to urban areas where sewage services are avail- able or will soon be available, The supply of water is another influen- tial factor in the growth of the county. A number of projects to increase the water supply to rural areas have been proposed and several of these projects appear likely to become a reality within the next several years. However, the proposed rural domestic systems are limited in scope and would not be able to support substantial densities. Most I~ I I 1 I I <. 'j ! l I ! of Polk County's growth will be within the urban service centers of Dallas, Monmouth, Independence and particularly West Salem. The availability of water and sewage treatment services is certainly not the only factor influencing the population growth and distribution in the county. Expansion of the Salem urban area, as well as other county urban areas, also exercises a considerable influence. Though this is of particular significan- ce to the West Salem area, much of the total cQuntyupsurge in population during 1960-1970 period appears to be attributable to workers from Marion County (as well as other neighboring counties) using Polk County as their place of residence. 1 In 1968 there were a total of 3,581 wor- kers commuting to work outside the coun- ty.2 This represented 34 percent of the total employed labor force of the coun- ty. It can be assumed that this part of the labor force supported a large port- ,ion of the total county population. The indication is that major factors in- fluencing the future growth of Polk County are its attractiveness as a place to live and its proximity to the expan- ding urban areas of neighboring counties. Because employment data for Polk County has always been intermingled with that for Marion County, it is difficult to assess the relation of employment in- creases within the county to the up- swing in population. However, trends in employment over the past several years indicate an increasingly stable economic base for the county. Though little employment growth is expected in the agricultural and wood products in- dustries, due in part to limited water resources and mechanized agricultural methods, employment in these industries is expected to remain fairly stable, and they will continue to contribute substantially to the economic base. During the period 1960 to 1970, there was an expansion of approximately 1,000 wage and salary jobs in the various in- dustries of the county. Most of this expansion came in government, education, other than wood products manufacturing, and service types of employment.3 Moderate expansion is expected to con- tinue in the above areas as well as a 15 to 20 percent increase in trade and finance over the next few years.4 Much of this expansion will follow population growth resulting from expanding urban areas in neighboring counties. Expansion of Oregon College of Educa- tion at Monmouth has played a consider- able part in the popuiation growth of the county over the past decade. The enrollment increased by 2500 students 1I IIPopulation Growth in the Mid Willamette Valleyll, Population Report, Annual Series Issue No.7, March 1973. Prepared by Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments. ~ Oregon State Employment Service, Small Communities Program; Applicant Occupational Potential and Economic Base Report for Polk County, Oregon, Salem, Oregon; September 1968 lV Ibid ~ Ibid - 31 - (and the student and dependent housing capacity on the campus increased by 620 to 1135 in the last decade. 1 The projected campus expansion for the next ten years, however, is consider- ably less than the increase experienced from 1960 to 1970. The Oregon Educa- tional Coordinating Council estimates only a 17 percent increase in enroll- ments during the 1970-1980 period.2 This amounts to approximately 630 students. Though this proj~ction indicates a rad- ical change from the past growth rate, it is soundly based on expected decreas- es in the number of high school students; on the considerable decline in the de- mand for teachers; and on the limited expansion capability of the college due to lack of funding. In the process of population shifts, there have been some obvious changes in the sex and age characteristics of the population of Polk County (Figure 4). One of the most interesting facts shown by the 1970 Census is the high percentage of females in the total county population. This percentage is high in the 15 to 24 age group, which reflects almost the total enrollment at Oregon College of Education. A high percentage of females also exists in the 65 and over age groups. In all age groups, with exception of the 10 to 14 age group, females outnumber males. Although there was an actual increase in all age groups with the exception of the under 5 age group, the greatest per- centage increases were in the 15 to 24 age group and the 75 and over age group. A good proportion of the increase in the 15 to 24 age group has no doubt come from the expansion of Oregon College of Education. Tre increase in the 75 and over age FIGURE 4 POPULATION DISTRIBUTION BY AGE AND SEX POLK COUNTY, OREGON 1960 AND 1970 MALE 75- P= -:== 65-7. 6 w .. ~230 1300 ... o. on on 220 ~ 1200 0 z ... ~ onis 210 1100 J: ... 200 1000 1959 1964 1969 1959 1964 1969 YEAR YEAR TOTAL COMMERCIAL FARMS 900 on 80e ~ .. ~ ... 700 600 1959 1964 1969 AVERAGE FARM ACREAGE 300 II> w 0 200 ~ 100 1959 1964 1969 YEAR The state of idleness is quite likely in expectation of converting the land to other purposes. This speculative holding of land is discussed more fully in the Land Use Plan. It is likely that more land will be passed into a - 39 - speculative phase as the impact of the rural water systems are felt throughout the country. These systems will follow existing road networks and thus there will be a propensity for strip type de- velopment along these roadways. The building permits issued by the coun- ty portray a pattern of general devel- opment throughout the county with con- centration of rural residential devel- opment in the Eola Hills, south-central part of the county and the hills to the west and north of Dallas. Figure 9 below depicts the relationship of per- mits for new residence construction and mobile home placement to the total num- ber of residential building permits issued. The total number not only in- cludes permits for new residences, but also for accessory buildings (garages, etc.) alterations and expansion, swim- ming pools, and for demolition and ex- cludes permits issued for mobile home placement. FIGURE 9 RESIDENTIAL BUILDING PERMITS 1968-1974 1 300 & PERMITS 200 100 1968 1969 1970 1971 YEAR 1972 1973 1974 Agriculture Agriculture occupies the largest percen- tage of county land and is the pre- dominant activity in the eastern portion of the county. While agricultural income is cyclical and dependent upon national policy, markets, and weather, its contribution to the county is significant. In 1972, when receipts for tree fruits, primarily sweet cherries, plumetted to one fourth that of the previous year, the total value of more than 50 different farm products was estimated at $14,581,000 by the County Extension Service. Figure 10 indicates the percentage of value that selected categories contributed to that total and shows their comparative values for 1971 and 1973. Agricultural processing plants employ a peak season total of 1500 workers, pro- ducing an annual payroll of $4,000,000 in 1972, an increase of $1,000,000 from 1967. Year-round employment in the food processing industry increased by 50 over the same period. ( a ~ Annual Reports - Polk County Building Inspector .. 40 c. rFIGURE 10 RelATIVE VALUES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION ... .... e: Totol Receipts 1971: $14,927,000 1972:$14,581,000 1973: $28,690,000 '".... ... ~~'n'_,....... '.' Mr i ; SEED SPECIALTY TREE FRUITS SMAll FRUITS LIVESTOCK POULTRY MISe. CROPS FiElD and NUTS and VEGS. and RABBITS CROPS CROPS FORAGE 35 ~ ... .... e: 30 ~ F' '"~ .'. ~ ( w * U '"w 25 t- .... "" e: ~ ,.,c;:. ,::i -< ::> Z 20 t- ;::Z -< e: ~ FZf. .. -< 15 t- .:.: ~ 0 ~ .... 0 10 ~ ~ z w U '" 5 t-w a.. .. 0 CEREALS Forestry Large scale forestry activities in Polk County began in the Dallas area in the early 1900·s. Today second and third growth timber is being harvested from the western half of the county. A 1963 report listed commercial saw timber owner- ship in the county as follows: 47% forest industry, 37% farmers and miscell- aneous private, 15% other public, and 1% National Forest. 1 1971 timber harvest (in thousands of board feet, Scribner Scale) by ownership was: Forest Industry 47,982; Bureau of Land Management, 35,297; State, 9,772; and other private, 14,325, for a total of 107,376,000 board feet. 2 Lumber prices vary drastically from one month to the next. Currently they are varying from $70 to $140 per 1000 board feet. Assuming $100 per thousand board feet as a representative price, the value of the 1971 Polk County harvest would be roughly $11,000,000. The County has several sawmills and planning mills within its borders. Th ese mi 11 s "i mport II saw timber from other counties in addition to the local saw timber they process, further adding to employment and income. Fifty-eight percent of the total manufacturing em- ployment in the county, or 1400 workers, are employed in logging and the manufact- y Forest Statistics for Northwest Oregon, 1963, Pacific NW Forest and Range Experi- ment Station, Portland, Oregon. 1971 Oregon Timber Harvest, August 1972, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experi- ment Station, Portland, Oregon. - 41 - ure of associated products. In 1971 the annual payroll exceeded $14,000,000.1 It is exnected that the forest industry will continue to olay a major role in the economy of the county. However, improvement of the resource is necessary. The Oreqon Conservation Needs Inventory 2 shows commercial forests as havinq ade- quate treatment on only 23.5 nercent of the total resource, 11.2 percent needs establishment and reinforcement of the stockinq and 65.3 oercent needs timber stand imorovement. Projects above the normal management activities that are being undertaken by the more progressive timber companies include thinning young stands, fertili- zation of these stands, the growing of genetically improved trees by seed or- chards and seeding grass or other plant materials on road banks or cat roads subject to erosion. In summation, the western half of the county will continue as a major forestry resource area for years to come; agri- culture will continue to be a major contributer to the local economy and rural-suburban development will make the county more of a bedroom community for nearby cities. ( •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• LAND USE PLAN What does this impendinq qrowth mean and what are some of the oroblems associated with the orocess of urbanization? As noted, Polk County has had a mixed bless- ina in its lack of adeauate water. The sprawl that is so evident in other com- munities of the Valley has not been as rampant in Polk County. Thus, we still have time to enact a oroaram that will auide urbanization in a Dositive manner and avoid many of the problems associat- ed with s~rawl. These" sprawl problems have been' characterized in a number of ways: 1. A land use pattern that is chaot~c and unsightly and unstable, therefore less pre- ferrable than one that could develop under systematic planning. 2. Such a land use pattern is more costly to develop and service. 3. Utilizes excessive amounts of the land resource. 4. Results in greater conflicts be- tween agriculture and urban uses. I ) J! 1972 Directory of Oregon Manufacturers, State of Oregon, Office of the Governo~, Economic Development Division, State Office Building, Portland, Oregon 2/ Oregon Conservation Needs Inventory - Oregon Conservation Needs Inventory Committee, January 1971 - 42 - A section in the recently published Marion County Comprehensive Plan entit- led Urbanization Problems and Issues, which is quoted in part below, clparly describes some of these problems. 1 liThe probl ems that scattered nonfarm uses create in an agricultural area are both social and economic. Social prob- lems can develop between farm and non- farm people because of different life styles and different tolerances to fa rmi ng characteri sti cs. Nonfarm people may object to the odors of agri- cultural production, to dust, chemical sprays, smoke and noise. It may be necessary for a farmer to severely re- strict his operations if he is t6 com- ply with many of the possible object- ions. The nonfarm people may also pose other problems for the farmer. Loose dogs can cause the injury or loss of sheep and cattle. Economic problems are often created by increased school enrollments and higher school taxes. Also, increased assessed land values can drastically increase the overall tax burden. "Knowing what sprawl is, the problems it creates, and the costs it demands of society should lend one logically to ask, what are its causes? How can it be prevented? Some of the main causes of sorawl are (1) fraqmented develop-ment~ (2) overzoning,'(3) market la~, (4) poor market information, (5) land speculation, and (6) taxinq policies. "Fragmented development: Even under the best circumstances, smaller parcels of land are left between larger devel- opments. These parcels may be unecon- omical to develop or may remain undevel- oped for some time. "Overzoning" Zoning land for a parti- cular use when it has no immediate de- mand for that use still tends to drive the price of land up. The higher price makes it unavailable economically for many other alternate uses. IIMarket Lag: Land supply responds slowly to the stimulus of high prices, but it responds massively resulting in an oversupply. The process of conver- ting land to urban use involves many time consuming steps which results in a slowness by public agencies in pro- viding the necessary services, and man- euvering by private landholders to se- cure the best possible position before sale. "Poor market information: Many buyers and sellers operate on inaccurate and incomplete market information concern- ing potential demand. There is no single, authoritative source of infor- mation these people can depend on. IILand speculation: This is probably the single most important cause of ur- ban sprawl, and it is related to all of the above mentioned causes. Land speculation drives the price of usable close in land higher than developers can afford and forces them to seek cheaper land further away from the urban area. Besides creating land waste and increasing direct development costs, land speculation also involves hidden costs to society. The profits extract- ed by the land speculator are actually created not by anything the speculator does, but by the qrowth and develop- ment of the community at large. . IIEven though land speculation involves such costs to society, our local, state and federal tax systems actually aid the land speculator. At the local level, underassessment of vacant prop- erty within the urban area can allow a speculator to hold out for years in JJ Marion County Comprehensive Plan, 1972, Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments, Salem, Oregon - 43 - - 44 - expectation of getting a price for his land which may be greatly over- inflated. State and federal tax laws treat the income derived from specu- lative land profits in a most favor- able manner. Speculative land profits are taxed not more than half as heavily as ordinary income, being treated as capital gains instead of as ordinary income. Federal tax ·laws also permit the reduction of holding costs to the land speculator by allowing the local land tax to be deducted from their federal tax bill. "Rapid urbanization and suburbanization during the post World War II period started out most significant patterns of sprawl. But, more recently, a counter-trend of "escaping" from the urban area has taken place. Because of increasing urban taxes, crime, racial conflicts and urban chaos, many urban people have sought personal solutions to these problems by moving from urban areas to rural areas, where they per- ceive the problems to be less and the benefits greater. "S01ving this aspect of urban sprawl can be best handled by a positive pro- gram to improve the quality of life in our cities by providing the open space amenities and privacy that many seek in a rural setting. To do this and to correct all the problems of the urban area will require the financial re- sources of all persons of the urban community. This includes resident and non-resident workers. "0verhauling our land taxation system so that it would not only suoport but induce urban develooment~would certain- ly be a siqnificant'steo (and most likely a difficult one) towards solving some of our urban problems. But addi- tional changes will be required. Some approaches that could be followed are 11sted below. These are not oroposals, but only suqgestions which deserve detailed study. And while it has been beyond the scope of the current plan- ning program to provide such study, it should be part of the planning and im- plementation program of the county. 1) Liberalized annexation would allow cities to annex all the land within their planned growth areas, so that they would have uniform control of the developing land use pattern and sewer and water service. 2) Compensable land use regu- lations would put some effec- tive force behind land use controls by supporting de- cisions with compensation for any property rights, such as height limitation, area restriction, use limitation, which are unduly restricted. 3) Public purchase, other than through condemnation, or major tracts of land in growth areas enable the public to capture directly the land profits, and the acquired land could be pre-planned at the community (or neighborhood) scale and then sold to developers who would be required to operate within the established overall des i gn framework. II IT SHOULD BE EMPHASIZED THAT the above are not recommendations but proposals for further study. Polk County is situated in a unique position in the Willamette Valley. It does not contain a major large city, yet is surrounded by counties with larger cities. This relation will not change during the next twenty years. As accessibility to the county is improved from Salem, Corvallis, and Albany by the construction of bridges and highways, the travel time to these centers will be sharply re- duced and' the county will experience considerable development as a bed- room community in the years to come. This will have significant impact upon the county and school district's ability to provide services in the fu- ture. The future land use patterns will stimulate and be stimulated by future public expenditures for water systems, sewer systems, roads and schools. To give some oersDective to the amount of land available' for development and the scale of development exoected, Table 4 gives some basic fiqures for the County. TABLE 4 POLK COUNTY AREAL CHARACTERISTICS Tota1 Land Area . Forest . Agri cul ture . inc. Flood Plain· 41,664 acres Other Lands . inc. urban 5,874 acres parks. . . . . . . . . 234 acres vacant, water, etc 26,150 acres 1973 Total Population 39,500 urban 24,221 ru ra1 15, 259 472,247 213,247 227,458 32,228 1990 53,180 34,460 18,720 Density of potentially develop- able rural areas, excluding forest, flood plain, and urban 1ands. . .16 .21 (oeople/acre) Although there are more than 200,oon acres of potentially developable agri- cultural land in the county in the in- terests of maintaining a strong agricul- tural base to the economy, the General Land Use Plan, Map NO.8, identifies ao- proximately 64,400 acres of marginal . foothill property for rural residential development. By establishing a 5 acre minimum parcel size for those areas, 00- tential exists to accommodate in excess of 12,500 residences for a population in- crease of over 45,000 persons. As indi- cated by Table 4, the availability of soace is more than adequate to comoensate for the projected Dopuiation increase. Further, as technology improves methods for sewage disposal, the densities could be Dermitted to increase substantially without creating a need for a rural- - regional sewerage system. However, it is now and will remain crucial to quide and direct growth to those areas designated on the General Land Use Plan as urban and rural residential if the agricultural a~eas are to be preserved. The land use plan envisions a policy of containment and directed growth, as opposed to uninhibited and scattered development or complete containment of urban development within existing cities. Therefore, the following policies are proposed to implement this pattern of controlled and directed growth: - 47 - 1. The county, in cooperation with the cities, shall strive to en- courage future growth in speci- fic areas within and adjacent to these communities where the full range of urban services are ava i1 ab1 e. 2. That the county shall discourage densities in rural areas that are likely to cause the development or extension of urban service needs. 3. The county shall encourage the preservation of farm lands for future generations. 4. The county shall encourage devel- opment of rural water systems in areas designated for rural (sub- urban) acreage homesites (within low productivity areas). Urban Areas The county presently has three main ur- ban areas: Dallas, Independence-Monmou- th, and West Salem (part of metropolitan Salem), and two small cities: Willamina and Falls City. Comprehensive Plans have been completed for Salem in 1972; Dallas, 1970;'Monmouth, 1972; and Willamina 1968. For details on the land use within these communities, their plans should be consulted. It is the leading edge of expansion out- ward from these communities that is of concern to the county plan. The foster- ing of the necessary cooperation and coordination of planning among cities and the county is essential if logical patterns of land use are to be develop- ed adjacent to and ultimately within these jurisdictions. The Dallas Plan calls for future growth to be directed to the low coastal foot- hills to the west and north of the city. It also sets as a policy an eastern limit at Bowersville Road. At present, this area is predominantly used for agriculture and the majority of it will continue to be used for this in the future. The Monmouth Plan defines an area im- mediately adjacent to that community that can reasonably expect to beuti1- ized in the next twenty years. Expan- sion to the east to utilize the vacant land between Independence and Monmouth is recommended and northward into vacant land south of Hoffman Road. Again, much of this area will be used aqricu1tura11y for years to come. The Salem Area Comprehensive Plan delin- eates an urban growth boundary surround- ing the present city limits. The 'Salem Plan generally conforms to the Eola Hills Land Use Plan adopted by the Board of Commissioners in 1971. Development of the area between the existing city limits and the Urban Growth Boundary, as shown in Map No.9, is to be guided by the following policies which were adopted by the Polk County Board and the City of Salem in April 1974: 1. Future urban development shall be contained within the geographical limits of an urban growth bound- ary. 2. An urban growth boundary shall be established by the parties here- to and said oarties shall take the necessary action to have the bound- ary and the policies herein set forth made a part of their respect- ive comprehensive plans. 3. The area outside the urban growth boundary shall be maintained with low density living areas, open space lands and other uses compat- ible with the intent of the Urban Growth Policies. 4. All parties shall work toward the development of the most efficient and economical method for provid- ing specific urban services to the area within the Urban Growth Bound- ary. \,. o - 48 - (\ I\ ,,/ E~8 AGRICULTURE CEID 'RURAL RESIDENTIAL CD RESIDENTIAL...... "'-.. ~ COMMERCIAL ~ INDUSTRIAL @~~dt3 PUBLIC, PARKS ANDJ OPEN SPACE\ ) •••••• URBAN GROWTH. ----- BOUNDARY SALEM URBAN GROWTH AREA MAP NO. 9 5. All parties should encourage the orderly annexation to the City of Salem of the land within the Urban Growth Boundary. 6. All parties shall work toward im- proved delivery systems of services that require coordination by larg- er units of government. By the joint adoption of the above ooli- cies, Polk County and the City of Salem demonstrated their intent to: 1. Contain urban develooment within planned urban areas where basic services such as sewers, water facilities, police and fire oro- tection can be efficiently and economically provided. 2. Conserve resources bv encouraginq orderly develooment of land. . - . . 3. Preserve farmland and open space. 4. Make more economical use of local tax dollars in locating facilities and providing services for the benefit of all citizens within the urban growth area. Since urban services are interrelated, coordi- nation is best achieved by a single governmental unit. 5. Provide property owners qreater security in long range planning and investments. 6. Make it possible for utility exten- sions, transoortation facilities and schools to be desiqned and lo- cated so as to more closely match population growth. 7. Preserve and enhance the livabil- ityof the area. Urban Area Peripheral Development Urban development with densities of one dwelling unit per acre is recommended adjacent to the communities. Review of any proposals in these areas should be ~ made by the local community 1n antici- Dation of future annexation and for the purpose of coordinating design of urban servi ces. Urban development with densities of one dwelling unit per acre is recommended adjacent to the communities. Review of any proposals in these areas should be made by the local community in antici- pation of future annexation and for the purpose of coordinating design of urban services. . Within areas designated for urban growth on the General Land Use Map, the follow- ing general development policies should be adhered to: 1) The general policies and plans established in this report shall serve as guidelines for specific development plans within urban areas. 2) Expansion of urban areas should occur outward from existinq de- velopment in an orderly, efficient and loqital manner. This will in- volve the staging of roads, water and other services accordinq to planned development areas and the use of land use control measures. vl3 ) Urbanization should be directed away from the land which is used for the production of agricultur- al crops. The use of open space and permanent green belts should be utilized to stop expansion in- to such areas. 4) Urbanization should not encroach into known flood plains, geologi- cally unstable areas or other ohv- sica)ly hazardous areas. . . 5) Municipal sewer and water facili- ties should be restricted to those areas planned for urban develop- ment and not extended into rural areas planned for agriculture, forestry or other open space use. ( ( - 50 - (( The General Land Use Plan depicts the area of existing and proposed urban de- velopment. The two minor urban areas of Falls City and Willamina are expected to experience minor growth during the tar- get period. In the case of Willamina, limited expansion to the southwest would seem to be most desirable. For Falls City, expansion should be limited to the existing city limits and low densities should be maintained until a sewaae treatment system is install ed. - The only other area where dense urban de- velopment potential exists is in the Rickreall-Derry-Highway 99W area. The development of the rural water system will enable further dpvelooment in this area. This area is viewed as havinq long term potential onlv if the neces- sary "public" utilities and flood pro- tection can be provided. It's central location, accessibility to both rail and highway transportation gives it 00- tential for industrial develooment. How- ever, the lack of a sewerage system dic- tates that densities and industries with high waste discharge must be strictly controlled. One solution to the sewer- age problem would be to provide a force main west to the Dallas Treatment Plant.1 Where commercial and industrial uses are developed along principal arterials such as Highway #22 and #99W, setbacks of 125 feet from the centerline of such facilities should be observed. Addition- ally, site design review techniques, i.e., planned development or resolution of intent to rezone, should be the mech- anism by which development is reviewed and ultimately permitted. Another alternative to encourage well planned, clean industry at this location would be to investigate the creation of a dry land port district with authority to grant development bonds to cover costs of developing the high capacity water, sewer, (and flood protection) systems so vital to the successful development of a viable industrial park. !I Water Quality Management Plan, Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments, February 1974 - 51 - RURAL LAND CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT POLICIES As a specific framework for guiding future development and conservation de- cisions t the rural segment of the county has been designated for agricultural areas t rural residential areas t forest areas t and rural community centers. Policies are established relating to this breakdown and on the means of conversion of rural lands. Agricultural Areas The area designated agriculture on the General Land Use Plan, Map No.8, com- prises 179,500 acres. This area is characterized by larger ownership pat- terns, productive soil t little urban intrusion, and homogeneous agricultural use. A portion of the area is in the flood plain of the Luckiamute and Wi11- amette Rivers. Topographically, it contains level to gently rolling hill land. Areas within this designation do have some steep brush and tree cover- ed slopes which are often used as pas- ture. The suitability for septic tanks is a- bout 8 percent (14,535 acres) good t 16 percent (29,070 acres) fair t 41 percent(74 t 340 acres) poor and 34 percent (61 t 555 acres) very poor. The intent of the agriculture designa- tion is to preserve the agricultural economy of the county by strictly limit- ing nonagricultural development in the area. Only those nonfarm uses that are essential to the farming community would be permitted; such uses may include schoo1s t churches and parks. Such nonfarm uses or dwellings may be permitted in this area only after review by the Planning Commission and determin- ation that such uses or dwellings will not be detrimental to the purpose and intent of the Comprehensive Plan to con- serve this area for farm purposes. Sub- divisions should not be permitted. Zon- ing in the area should be of the Exc1u- sive Farm Use or Exclusive Farm Use 20 type. Development should take place only where the rural development policies concern- ing development in agricultural areas can be found to apply. The rural land conservation and develop- ment policy attempts to identify the areas and circumstances under which land will be permanently preserved for agri- cultural use. It is apparent that a great deal of land is not being farmed or not being farmed as intensively as is . possible. This t then t tends to set'the stage for the question of which land, where, and when it should be preserved? The farm community provides both direct and indirect benefits to the county. The farm and related agribusiness employment provide direct economic benefits. The open space, pastoral setting and beauti- ful scenery are indirect benefits that society receives due to the farm commun- ity. When the farm community is viewed in light of the local economy, social and environmental benefits and long range projections, then a plausible argument for preservation of this farm land can be made and sustained. This means that the county as a whole and particularly the farm community must be committed to the goal of preservation of farm areas free from further encroachment. It means that an agriculture area should be set aside. It means that some land area will be converted to urban uses in those areas designated Rural Residential and Rural Community Center. The very fact that some areas will exper- ience development will result in con- flicts in land uses. Within these areas, the predominant (most extensive) use will remain agriculture, and there is a need to afford these prior activities some protection for their usual and normal op- erational practices. The particular pol- icy statements follow on the next page: n L - 52 - (( ( ( 1) In order to conserve productive soils for agriculture, every ef- fort shall be made to prevent un- due encroachment of urban influ- ences onto the best and most pro- ductive agricultural lands in the areas designated for agriculture. 2) Residential uses within the agri- cultural and forest areas are limited to dwellings for owners and operators of these activities and to persons employed in these sectors. 3) In agriculture areas, every eff- ort shall be made to discourage encroachment or conversion of farm lands to nonfarm, urban uses. (In order to avoid unnecessary conflicts and community costs in areas designed as agriculture and rural residential, conversion of rural land to urban purposes may be permitted when all of the con- ditions listed under 3A below are met and a majority of the condi- tions listed under 3B are satis- fied.) A. Mandatory conditions for all rural development: 1. An adequate quantity and quality of water supply will be available at each new lot. 2. The land is not located in a known flood plain or geo- logic hazard area. 3. The land is suitable for subsurface disposal of sep- tic effluent for the life of the property, meaning that sufficient ground of suitable characteristics are available for the ini- tial system plus space for repairs and additional systems. - 53 - 4. The new use will be com- patible with existing farm and other rural activities in the area. B. A majority of the following conditions must be satisfied: 1. The land to be converted is composed mainly of low productive, low classified soils. 2. The land is wooded, (oak grub or brush covered). 3. The land has marginal util- ity for agricultural use because of its physical characteristics, terrain, shape, vegetative cover, etc. 4. The conversion will not alter or cause an altera- tion of the stability of the land use pattern. 5. The impact on public ser- vices such as roads, schools, sewers, is not de- trimental to the community. 4) When it is determined that a par- cel of land is suitable for devel- opment under the rural land devel- opment policy, then the following standards should apply to such developments: A. In cases where the ground water table (supply) is known to be variable or deficient, the de- veloper must develop a commun- ity water system providing an adequate quantity and quality to each lot or be able to util- ize an existing domestic water system. B. The stripping of existing farm to market roads shall be dis- couraged and-access should be_ from an internal street net- work. C. The lots created shall have sufficient area to be able to handle the subsurface disposal of septic effluent for the life of the property. This will re- quire sufficient ground of suitable characteristics for initial installation and addi- tional area for repair and second fields. D. Subdivisions shall have paved streets, except when only a few parcels are involved, and there is no potential for in- creased traffic or the parcels are involved, and there'is no potential for increased traffic or the parcels are extremely large. The grades and width shall meet the minimum county standards. 5) In the rural residential areas, the density of development will be related to the capabilities of soils, the types of terrain, prox- imity to cities and adjacent rur- al activities. The basic density will be from 2 to 20 acres per dwelling unit. Under appropriate conditions and with cluster de- velopment, a one acre minimum may be approved. 6) ID any rural area which is known for a variable and limited water supply, the developer has the responsibility to prove that a sufficient water supply is avaiJ- able and to install an approved water system for the development. 7) In any known geologic hazard area, it shall be the developer1s re- sponsibility to provide the nece- ssary detailed engineering geolo- gy studies performed by competent engineers that will ensure a safe development of the land prior to any consideration for development. - 54 - 8) All residential uses shall have sewer and water systems that will meet or exceed standards that ex- ist at that time for health and sanitation. 9) Areas designated for reservoir sites within the Plan will be protected from development that would jeopardize such projects, unless a study has been conducted showing the project to be infeas- ib1e. 10) Land within commercial farm units should be taxed based on its pro- ductivity index. 11) Rural development shall not be de- signed so as to strip existinq farm to market or rural collector streets. 12) Fragmentation of large farm units in farm areas shall be discourag- ed. 13) Development of permanent struct- ures within the 100 year flood plain shall be discouraged. The best use of this land is for agri- culture, parks and recreation in poorer soils and other open space activities. It shall be the re- sponsibility of the developer to prove that development is feasible and safe before any approval will be given in an area identified as flood p1ain. 14) Extraction of minerals from the rural-urban area should be per- mitted if a suitable rehabilita- tion plan is completed and the ex- tractive activity is otherwise compatible with surrounding uses and does not damage adjacent areas. 15) In areas designated agriculture, all land division should be sub- mitted to and aoproved by the Planning Commission. An affirma- tive decision will be qranted only if one or more of the foll owi no ' conditions are found to exist: c o a. The division is for the pur- pose of expansion or consoli- dation of adjoining farming activities; b. The division is for the pur- pose of disposing of a second dwelling which has existed on the property. c. The parcels to be created are of such an expansive nature so as to impose minimum threat to adjoining farm operations. d. The division clearly follows a physical feature which would hinder normal and necessa~y farming activities. e. The division is required to ob- tain construction financing for housing to be occupied by those engaged in the farming opera- tion. . v/r6) Rural develooments should utilize the nlanned unit develoDment ap- oroach to insure future livability in the development and comDatible relationshio with adjoininq land. The clustering of structures will insure the retention of ODen space and allow the provision of buffers between development and adjacent farmland. 17) Rural developments that are out- side of existing or proposed sewerage service areas shall have sufficient land area of suitable soil characteristics that would be reasonably expected to provide ( a viable subsurface disposal sys- tem for at least 40 or more years or the life of the property. This means that enough room must be available on the lot for the ini- tial system plus room for repairs or second tile fields, if nece- ssary. 18) Acreage subdivisions in urbanized areas that are likely to be with- in service areas by the year 1990 should be designed with redivision plans incorporated to urban den- sities and reservations made for the necessary streets. 19) To insure an adequate, efficient and safe road network, accesses to rural arterials and collector roads shall be limited. P~ral Residential Area Within the county several areas totaling approximately 64,400 acres, have been designated as rural residential areas. These areas are characterized by gener- ally hilly topography, a high percentage of poorer soils, oak and brush covered slopes, and are sparsely settled. Agri- culture is an extensive use in most of these areas, and is generally located on the smaller valley floors. Densities will be maintained very low and will be determined by soil conditions, water availability, slope and sloDe stability, conflict with farming activities and proximity to urban area. The suitability for septic tanks on these lands is ap- proximately 5 percent (3415 acres) good, 10 percent (6830 acres) fair, 60 percent (40,980 acres) poor and 25 percent (17,075 acres) very poor. The minimum density in such areas will be one dwell- ing per acre and vary up to one dwelling per 20 acres or more. In most instances the density will be from 2 to 20 acres per dwelling. This area will allow farm- ing, low density rural subdivisions and other uses subject to land use policy guidelines and commission approval, such as commercial, recreational uses, farm related businesses and mineral extract- ion. Forest This area designates the area of the county that is mainly within the Coast Range, held in large ownership patterns, and is covered by commercial stands of Douglas Fir, True Fir, Hemlock, Cedar. Spruce and other varieties of merch~r.­ table species. Consideration is given - 55 - soil type and the existing timber stand. The primary use of this area will be the raising, harvesting of the forest crop. Secondly, public park and recreational areas, cOlTlT1unity facilities and agri- cultural uses are allowed. Isolated dwellings and commercial recreational uses may be allowed subject to Rural Land Development Policies and Planning COlTlT1ission approval. ' Rural Community Centers These areas are existing, service com- munities where small lots have been plat- ted, commercial service has developed and community facilities are located. These are areas where utility systems are gen- erally lacking and will be imoractical during the next 20 years. Therefore, res- idential densities should be maintained low and commercial and industrial activi- ties should be limited to those which are essential and compatible to the surround- ing rural activities and/or develooment. o - 56 - c(; .( This section deals with the various community facil iti es that are quite of- ten taken for granted in our every day lives; the provision of fire protection, schools and government centers. Emphasis will be placed on the schools and government center within this chap- ter and updating where necessary of the sewer and water plan. Fire protection outside of incorporated areas is suppli- ed mainly by volunteer fire departments with facilities located throughout the county. SCHOOLS Polk County has five school districts located within the county boundary and fi ve other di stri cts that overl a0' from neighboring counties into Polk Coun~y. Each of these districts and their en- rollments are listed in Table A-7. Several changes in district names and boundaries have taken place since 1965. Ballston school district was consoli- dated into Amity school district of Yamhill County, as was Bethel school district. Buell district was consoli- dated into Willamina and Sheridan dis- tricts of Yamhill County and part into Perrydale district of Polk County. Salem school district took over the Pop- corn district and Grand Ronde district was consolidated into Willamina of Yam- hill County. The school facilit~es located within Polk County are described in Table A-8. There are three high schools, four jun- ior high schools and nineteen elementary schools in the county. Also, there are two small school facilities at Perry- dale and Valsetz that include all grades 1 to 12. During the past six years, the rural elementary schools of Orchard View, Airlie, Greenwood, Riverside, Bethel, Buell and Popcorn have closed. -The students previously enrolled in these schools have been moved into eXisting schools in nearby communities. The - 57 - only new schools built in the county during that time have been Talmadge Junior High in Independence and LaCreole Junior High in Dallas, although Dallas is in the process of constructing a facility to replace the old Morrison Elementary School. Talmadge replaced Henry Hill, freeing that school for elementary use and LaCreole began shar- ing the 7-9th grade enrollment with previously overcrowded Academy Junior High. The old Morrison Elementary School structure is proposed for use as office space, storage and shop area for the District. All totaled, recent and ongoing improvements in the Dallas school district will add more than 20 new classrooms or special use rooms such as shops, music halls, theaters, etc., while improvements in other dis- tricts in the county remain relatively static. Talmadge, at Independence, reduced the grades taught at Central High in order to better service the in- creased enrollments from population growth and consolidation. Monmouth" elementa~y also absorbed some of the increase in students by adding a seven room addition to its building. There are only two private schools in Polk County. These are the Salem Academy and the Western Mennonite Academy, both of which are located in West Salem. The Salem Academy has grades 7 through 12 and is filled to capacity at over 400 students. Plans are being developed for expansion to increase capacity to 600 students. Western Mennonite Academy is a boarding school and has an enrollment of 128. Both schools attract students from a wide area and only a part of them are actually residents of Polk County. All schools in the county make consid- erable use of busses to transport stu- dents from outlying rural areas to cen- trally located schools. Transportation needs are high due to the closing of several rural schools and the subsequent consolidation of school services. An- other factor that influences transpor- tation is the irregularity of existing district boundaries which frequently require transportation of students to distant schools when school facilities of another district are close at hand. The Polk Intermediate Education District (I.E.D.) Boundary Board decides on all boundary changes subject to appeal to the Oregon State Board of Education. The criteria governing boundary changes is set down by state law. At present, the Polk I.E.D. plan calls for an eventual reorganization into two dis- tri cts. 1 In addition to the transportation of students within Polk County districts, about 1,000 elementary and high school aged students who reside in the Polk portion of Willamina, Amity, Sheridan, Salem and Philomath school districts commute to schools in Yamhill, Benton and Marion Counties. Over the 1960-1970 period, the schoo1- aged population of Polk County increas- ed by 2,000 peop1e.2 Most of this in- crease was in the older age groups. An additional 770 children aged 15 to 17 were living in the county in 1970 whereas only 370 more children aged 6 to 9 were present. Of additional sig- nificance to future use of school facilities is the actual decrease of 125 members of the county population 0-5 years old. This decrease, com- bined with the relatively small in- crease in population of ages 6 to 9, seems to signal a future decrease in demand for student use of school facilities during the next ten years. High schools and junior highs can be expected to feel the pressure of high enrollments over the next few years until the effects of declining birth rates reach these grade levels. However, in-migration, which histor- ically has contributed 60% of the pop- ulation increases in the Mid Willamette Valley, must be considered in estimat- ing future enrollments. Polk County's population is expected to reach fifty to fifty-five thousand people in the next twenty years. Based on the 1970 ratio of school aged population to total population, the number of child- ren 6 through 17 years old is expected to increase from the 8,400 in 1970 to 10,500 in 1980 and 12,000 in 1990. The standards for public schools, adopt- ed by the State Board of Education, specify that the average class load within a school in orades one, two and three should be a maximum of 25 pupils and in grades 4 to 8, it should not exceed 30 pupils.3 Based on this stand- ard, Henry Hill, Independence, Monmouth, Whitworth, West Salem, and Brush Colleqe elementaries are at or near capacity in several classes, Table No. A-8. This present enrollment situation and the expected growth for the county during the next twenty years indicate both a short range and long range need for additional classrooms, and even complete buildings. The projected population increase for Polk County is expected to happen pri- marily in and around the incorporated areas of Dallas, West Salem, Monmouth and Independence. It is in these areas that 90% of the present student enroll- ment is located. Salem School District 24J is presently improving the school facilities in West Salem. In 1973, Myers Elementary, a new school of 300 capacity opened and Mountain View, a limited 3 room building ( lJ Interview with Elton Fishback, Superintendent Polk Intermediate Education District gj Annual school census 31 Minimum Public School Standards, adopted by Oregon State Board of Higher Education, 1966 ~. 58 .. closed. This has increased total cap- acity in West Salem elementary schools to 1250 students. The excess space will allow the Salem School District to greatly improve West Salem elementary by closing the older, unsatisfactory section of the building and remodellinq the remaining facility. Enough vacant' pupil stations will remain to accommo- date enrollment increases in the near future. *However, if the Salem District is to remain ahead of the expected enroll- ment increases in West Salem over the next ten to twenty years, several additional improvements will be nece- ssary. Recommendations have been made to: 1) Enlarge Brush College Elemen- tary to 500 student capacity. 2) Build a new 1000 student capa- city junior high 3) Convert Walker Junior High to elementary use. 4) Close West Salem elementary, and 5) Acquire two new elementary sites - all within the next eight years. The two new sites should be used for two 500 student capacity elementary facilities sometime between 1982 and 1990. In the Dallas School District, the aver- age daily membership has increased at a moderate rate since 1963. This in- crease was due primarily to in-migration which more than compensated for the de- cline in birth rate. It's estimated that the rate of increase of average daily membership will accelerate slight- ly resulting in an additional 750 stu- dents by 1990. This will mean a total demand over current numbers of more than 30 additional classrooms. Over the past eight years, there has been a considerable increase in the average daily membership of Central School Dis- trict. Approximately 600 additional stu- dents have entered Central IS schools since 1963.1 This growth rate should slow slightly, bringing an increase of 1200 ln average daily membership by 1990. This could mean a demand for 40 to 50 additional classrooms. In other school districts that service Polk County residents, enrollment press- ures are also being felt. Amity district has studied school facility needs through a citizens advisory committee. The first priority identified was to relieve en- rollment pressures at the 7 and 8 grade levels. Ballston elementary in that district is also at capacity and the land area it has available is too small for expans ion. Sheridan district has experienced a stable enrollment over the past few years and has adequate classroom space for the present student load. Willamina district needs approximately $1.8 million in new school facilities according to a recent building committee report. Grand Ronde elementary, the only Willamina district school located in Polk County, is in need of replacement. However, due to lack of funding, no plans for a new building exist. In general, several schools in the county are well below the standard minimum site acreage, adopted by the State Board of Education. The minimum requirement of sites for new buildings or enlargements of existing school buildings are five usable acres plus one usable acre for 100 children or fraction thereof of ultimate building capacity for elementary schools ( -Y Interview with Elton Fishback, Superintendent Polk Intermediate Education District - 59 - and ten usable acres plus one usable acre for each 100 children or fraction thereof of ultimate building capacity for junior high or high schools. 1 Although this standard specifies sites for new buildings or enlargements, it is of significance to compare the site sizes of existing facilities to the minimum size requirements. Site size determines in part the ability to increase enroll- ment capacity and also indicates the amount of open activity area around the building. Out of 27 schools in the county, 15 do not have sufficient acreage to conform to the minimum site size. Several of these schools do not vary enough from the standard to have much consequence. However, nine schools, including Acad- emy Junior High, Morrison, Bridgeport, Independence, Oak Grove, Eola, West Salem, Mountain View and Ballston ele- mentaries have less than one half the specified acreage. With the exception of Oak Grove, Moun- tain View and Ballston, all schools within Polk County conform to the stan- dard requiring each public school to have a central library facility. Nearly all the schools also make their facilities available to the local com- munities for use after school hours. In this regard, the schools serve as an asset to the county in providing places for community wide meetings, recreation and adult education. It has been the normal operating condit- ion for schools to be behind needs in new construction and expansion to take care of increased enroliments. This is primarily due to the requirement for public approval of bond issues and high- er tax support. It is apparent that long range planning in site location and purchase and expan- sion and construction is desirable both in terms of dollar savings to tax payers and in providing adequate educational services. The location of a school complex also plays a vital role in community organ- ization and development. Schools pro- vide logical hubs for residential neigh- borhoods. A properly located school ,encourages desirable development, main- tains surrounding property values, and adds stability to a residential area. Oftentimes new sites are purchased on the urban fringe because land is cheap- er and a new demand is developing there. After construction, the new school then attracts additional housing develop- ments and population and it soon be- comes overloaded. In influencing urban growth so that public services can be provided at least cost and in the most efficient manner, new school locations and school expan- sions must be planned in coordination with the overall general plan for the growth of the area. Polk County is no exception. The existing needs for ad- ditional classrooms and the anticipated facility requirements for future en- rollments should serve as an input into the overall county planning effort. LIBRARIES The library facilities in Polk County are not capable of adequately serving the present population. Based on the standard recommended by the American Library Association, the county should have approximately 25,000 sq. ft. of library space. Presently, there is only a combined total of approximately 10,500 sq. ft. in the libraries serving the residents of Dallas, Monmouth, In- dependence and Falls City. People residing in the unincorporated areas of the county who wish to use a library must pay a non-residents service charge to use those facilities existing in l! Op cit, Minimum Standards for Public Schools, adopted by Oregon State Board of Higher Education, 1966. - 60 - ~i I (Salem or in the above mentioned commun- ities. See Table A-9. Another indication of inadeQuate librarv service is the level of financial sup- . .port. The averaqe oer capita expenditure for libraries in Polk County during the 1971-1972 period was $1.21. This amount is considerably less than the state av- erage of $2.97 for the same year. The limited facilities and the relative- ly small per capita expenditure for libraries is of special significance when it is considered with the fact that Polk County's rate of unemployment his- torically has been higher than the state average. In working to improve this situation, adequate library facilities can be an asset to the county in that they can serve as a convenient commun- ity resource for vocational, education- al and recreational reading material. In this regard, it is recommended that Polk County act to improve library ser- vice to its residents. Several alter- native methods are possible. Use of bookmobiles could be considered a log- ical first step. It is the least ex- pensive means of making books available to people living in the unincorporated areas. However, it should be considered only as an intermediate step to devel- oping stronger branch libraries. Anoth- er alternative of an intermediate nature would be to open school libraries to public use. In the West Salem area, instead of school libraries, the county could contract for the use of the West Salem branch of Salem's public library. This procedure would make library ser- vices available to county residents free of charge. These improvement methods do not solve the long-range problem. Plans must be made for expansion of existing fa- cilities so that they increase propor- tionately with the growth in population. In addition to the 15,000 square feet of library space presently needed, an- other 10,000 square feet of space will be required by 1990 to serve the county population projected for that date. One long range approach that could im- prove library services without major expenditures for additional floor space is the establishment of a county library system. Such a system could coordinate all existing and future library facili- ties under one county-wide program. This system would make library services available, without service charge, to all residents of the county. It could also result in greater administrative efficiency and less over-all costs. Another possible method for satisfying long range library needs is a coopera- tive library system at the regional le- vel. In a study completed in November 1973, the Mid Willamette Valley Library Study Committee, which was formed at the request of Polk, -Yamhill and Marion (PYM) librarians, looked at ways to equalize library services and provide a greater depth and range of resourc~s within the Tri-County area. The Committee, composed of elected city and county officials, various library board members, and assisted by a pro- fessional library consultant, has re- viewed existing facilities and made rec- ommendations for improving library ser- vice. Described in the recommendation are the kinds and levels of library service which would be a part of the future development of cooperative region- al 1ibrai~v se,vicp.<;. The olJidel ines for accomplishing them address J the follow- ing: Organization, management, staff- ing, financing and legislative impli- cations .1 liThe recommended Plan and policies pre- sented indicate that: 1) Cooperative regional library ser- vice would provide library ser- ( !I Dalton, Phyllis I., The Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Service, Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments, November 1973 - 61 - vice to all people in the Chem- eketa Cooperative Regional Li- brary Service; 2) Cooperative regional library ser- vice should be preplanned and be developed in stages; 3) A higher level of library service to all the residents would result. The cooperative regional library service plan should be followed in order to: 1) Provide library service to all residents on a planned coopera- tive regional basis; 2) Improve library service to each resident through the creation of a cooperative regional library service that provides a basic structure for continuing coopera- tion in the Region; 3) Provide books and other media to every resident in the Chemeketa Cooperative Regional Library Ser- vice by direct access; to provide also professional library assist- ance for information, knowledge, recreation, pleasure, culture and education. Basically, the Plan provides for a coop- erative regional library service. The proposed'Chemeketa Cooperative Region- al Library service, which is an associ- ation of autonomous local libraries working together to provide improved library service for all residents in the area, should be provided with the legal and ,financial support necessary to initiate the service and to sustain the service. The legal structure for the Chemeketa ,Cooperative Regional Library Service would be the Chemeketa Community Co 11 ege. ,,1 11 Ibid. Page i i FIRE FACILITIES Fire protection outside of incorporated cities is provided by rural fire dis- tricts manned by volunteers. As devel- opment takes place, increasing demands will be made on existing facilities. Since fire insurance rates are related to response time, it is anticipated that demands will be generated for establish- ment of additional facilities, equip- ment and expanded service. The service area for what can be consid- ered minimal response time is judged to be 5 miles for initial response with secondary response available within 8 miles. This qualifies a dwelling for a Class 8 fire insurance rate. Certain areas of the county proposed for devel- opment either fall below established min- imums for response, are unprotected or suffer from an inadequate number of vol- unteer membership. Areas that may re- quire additional or new facilities in- clude the Eola Hills-Spring Valley Area, Pedee and Buell. GOVERNMENTAL FACILITIES As population increases, demands for governmental services tend to increase. This is expected to be the case for Polk County. Providing space for these ser- vices will be the responsibility of the County. The question' of how to meet this need and where to locate additional facilities will have to be answered over the time period of this Plan. Initial space requirements may be met by remodeling the existing courthouse. However, continuing analysis of space needs and development of a definite ex- pansion policy will be needed to meet short and long-term needs. Alternatives include 1) centralization - retaining all county offices in Dallas, and 2) decen- () I j - 62 - (( tralization, which would allow delivery of certain services, primarily social services, at the local community level. Over the short term (3-7 years), the county should look toward acquisition of land in the vicinity of the present courthouse to provide needed parking and office space. PUBLIC UTILITIES Sewer and Water Plan Update The 1961 Plan identified several areas in Polk County with deficient domestic water supplies. Two areas have since installed rural water systems using Farmers Home Administration funds. The Luckiamute system is now in full opera- tion and expanding and pipeline for the Rickreall System is in place and indi- vidual services are currently beinq in- sta11 ed. Two other systems,' Perryda1e and Grand Ronde, Map No.4, are approv- ,ed and awaiting funding. . These systems are governed by the CooP- erative Corporations which are not re- sponsive to other needs of the people for sewers, police protection, etc., due to the restrictions set by the Oregon Revised Statutes. ' Most rural systems, like the Luckiamute Domestic Water, can provide service to a large number - 100 to 200% growth ca- pacity over and above the initial water users. However, the location of addi- tional users must be reviewed if con- centrations of demand higher than anti- cipated, are encountered. These systems can generally withstand growth that is uniformly distributed but they may be restricted in their ability to handle large subdivision development in some or all areas of services. Adequate water for domestic use and stock watering is needed throughout much of the countv for both the current and future needs of the farmers and ru- ral residents. Adequate water through large domestic water systems like Luck- iamute, Rickreall, Grand Ronde, and Perrydale will stimulate and promote rural development which must be anti- cipated. With water, this land has additional demands for use other than farmland or idle brush and scrub lands. Care must be exercised to retain farm- land for future agricultural activities. Rural development with proper soils for septic tank development should be en- couraged on lands of limited agricultural potential. This will generally restrict rural develooment to 2 to five, ten, twenty or more acre tract sizes where water is available. The 1969 Plan1projected little need for sewerage systems in the planning period. Increasingly stringent water quality standards established by the State De- partment of Environmental Quality, to- gether with septic tank failures, now necessitate more detailed studies, par- ticularly in the Grand Ronde, Rickreall and the Falls City areas to 1) determine the need, and 2) the feasibility of sewerage systems for these areas. The Water Quality Management Plan,2 pre - pared by the Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments staff in February 1974, has identified lithe major. point- source dischargers in the (Tri-County) planning area and developed sewerage facilities designed to meet the federal algae removal and state water quality standards. It was designed to comple- ment the previous water and sewerage studies of the area and to implement the strategies of local comprehensive plans regarding the location and density of urban land uses. A Water and Sewer Plan for Polk County, Oregon, Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments and Boatwright Engineering, Inc. 1969 Water Quality Management Plan (Draft Copy), Mid Willamette Valley Council of Governments, February 1974 - 63 - liThe report provides a background analy~ sis of population and economic conditions and community sewerage systems. It also develops a series of goals and objectives for water quality management planning; assigns engineering design criteria, and establishes a cost-effective methodology for the evaluation of alternative sewer- age arrangements. Using this ~rocedure regional sewerage arrangements are eval- uated according to their costs and en- vironmental impacts in ten areas of the planning jurisdiction. "A capital improvement program identifies the type, cost and timing of the con- struction of the facilities associated with the cost-effective solution. The type of institutional framework and revenue funding strategies are identi- fied for areas requiring regional treat- ment systems. lIl The county should investigate the possi- bility of establishing a county-wide service district for the purpose of providing sewer and water services. The proposed service district working in concert with the ~olicies and pro- posals contained in the Comprehensive Plan could then direct growth in an orderly planned fashion. GAS and ELECTRICITY Polk County has provided corridors for the intrastate transmission of electri- !I Ibid, Abstract - 64 - city and gas. As future needs for these energy sources increase, additional facilities may be required. Right-of- way acquisition should be coordinated with and reviewed by the county so as to minimize adverse impacts on the community. Specifically, such facili- ties should: 1) Utilize or parallel existing util- ity, rai 1 or hi ghway rights-of- way; 2) Minimize impacts on land owners by paralleling property boundaries wherever possible; 3) Minimize impact on crops and field drain tile installations; 4) Recognize and respect accepted farming practices in the affected areas for preservation and re- placement of topsoil and to mini- mize erosion potential; 5) Prevent the creation of unuseable parcels in and adjacent to urban areas; 6) Consider utilization of parts of rights-of-way for bicycle paths or other multiple uses where con- ditions warrant and conflicts would not be created with adjacent land uses. ( l () The transportation system is a primary structuring element of the county, re- gion and the urban areas. Historically, the movement of people and goods to and through the region has directly affected the development of Polk County. While surface transport played the major role in the development of urban settlements, water borne transportation utilizing the Willamette River also contributed to the early development of large and small settlements along the eastern boundary of Polk County. Place names like Wells Landing, Wigrich Landing attest to the importance of this fonn of transoorta- tion in earlier days. At some riverside locations, settlements such as Lincoln, Buena Vista, developed as grain shipping centers. Today, of course, the highway and rail systems are the primary modes of transportation in the county. The following section attempts to integrate the transportation systems in the county with the proposed land uses and to pro- vide recommendations relating to the location and standards of thoroughfares which will make up the county's road system. Separate sub-elements will dis- cuss airport facilities and rail facil- ities as they relate to the Polk County transportation system. HIGHWAY DEVELOPMENT For some years to come, the primary mode of inter-city movement will be the motor vehicle - cars, busses and trucks. The provision of adequate facilities to accommodate the future volumes of traf- fic is of prime importance. In order to provide a common frame of reference when discussing highway proposals on a county, regional and statewide and national level, the following classifi- cations are recommended. 1 The list that follows is based on the rural area sys- tem while the classifications contained here relate to rural areas. 2 Th~v neces- sarily inter-connect with existing and proposed routes throuqh urbanized areas. For' snecific alignments and street class- ifications in these urban areas, the ex- isting plans for the soecific areas should be reviewed. Rural Principal Arterial Road System The rural principal arterial road sys- tem for 1990 will consist of a connect- ed rural network of continuous routes having the following characteristics: 1. Serve projected corridor movements having trip length and travel den- sity characteristics indicative of substantial statewide or inter- state travel. 2. Serve all, or virtually all 1990 urban areas of 50,000 and over population and a large majority of those with population of 25,000 and over. 3. Provide an integrated network with- out stub connections except where unusual geographic or traffic flow conditions dictate othe~fise (e.g. international boundary connections and connections to coastal cities). The principal arterial system should be stratified into the following two cate- gortes (of which only the latter applies to Polk County): Interstate system - The inter- state subclassification should include the entire 42,500 mile interstate system. ( It should be noted that the Plan addresses the rural transoortation sYstem of the County. The Salem Area Transportation Study (SATS), which' covers most of the east side of the Eola Hills in the West Salem Area, is essentially an urban system util- izing generally different funding sources, definitions and standards. For specific projects in the SATS area, see the SATS 1982 Plan, Map No.ll. ~ Extracted from the National Highway Functional Classification Manual, U. S. Department of Transportation - 65 - (. ( Major Collector Roads - These routes should: (1) provide ser- vice to any county seat not on an arteria.l route, to the larger towns not directly served by the higher systems, and to other traf- fic generators of equivalent in- tracounty importance, such as con- solidated schools, shipping points, etc.; (2) Link these places with nearby larger towns or cities, or with routes of higher classifica tion; and (3) serve the more im- portant intracounty travel corri- dors. Minor Collector Roads - These routes should (1) be spaced at intervals, consistent with popu- lation density, to collect traffic from local roads and btinq all de- veloped areas within a reasonable distance of a collector road; (2) provide service to the remaining smaller communities; and (3) link the locally important traffic gen- erators with their rural hinter- 1and. Rural Local Road System In order to 'define more clearly the characteristics of rural collectors for this study, this system should be subclassified according to the follow- ing criteria: liThe rural local road system should have the following characteristics: (1) Ser-' vice primarily to provide access to ad-jacent land and (2) to provi~e service to travel over relatively short distances as compared to collectors or other hiqh- er systems. Local roads will, of course, constitute the rural mileaqe not classi- fied as principal arteHal'~ minor arter- ial road or collector road. II EXISTING CONDITIONS Other principal arterials - This classification consists of all existing and projected non-inter- state principal arterials. Rural Minor Arterial Road System 1. Link cities and larger towns (and other traffic generators, such as major resort areas), that are ca- pable of attracting travel over long distances and form an inte- grated network providing inter- state and intercounty service. 2. Be spaced at such intervals, con- sistent with population density, so that all developed areas of the . state are within a reasonable dis- tance of a principal arterial highway. 3. Provide (because of the two char- acteristics defined immediat.ely above) service to corridors1with trip lengths and travel density greater than those predominantly served by rural collector or local systems. Minor arterials there- fore constitute routes whose de- sign should be expected to provide for relatively high overall travel speeds, with minimum interference to through movement. Rural Collector Road System liThe rural call ector routes generally serve travel of primarily intracounty rather than statewide importance and constitute those routes on which (re- gardless of traffic volume) travel dis- tances are shorter than on arterial routes. Consequently, more moderate speeds may be typical. At the present time, there are 882 miles of various types of public highway with- !I Corridor - The path a highway takes through an area. !IThe rural mi nor arteri a1 road sys tern for 1990 should, in conjunction with the principal arteria~ system, form a rural network having the following characteristics: o - 66 - ~, '" ,.. , . , / , . . - . . 11 . . . . ! - ~ . ~ § = !J @ ) I' g " ( I ~-' 16$ : ' 7 ''' 't" "" . . / " . '' I! i~ ' l~, < - ~ .. , t . i. . j., ~r ~ ( \ ).....1"-0 . . . . . . . " V - il .r~ .~\ 7'' I - - - l u \ , ,. ,( _ >: - - CO llE CT O R ~ . . . . . > O ~ 9 TR A N SP O R TA TI O N PL A N ~ ~ ', ' N R ', ' SC AL E IN M IL ES - - M AP NO . 10 in Polk County. Of this, Polk County is totally responsible for the upkeep of 405 miles. An additional 168 miles which are designated county road are el- igible for federal aid as are all state primary and secondary routes within the county. Federal aid highways are those selected by mutual agreement between the U. S. Bureau of Public Roads and the State Highway Commission to be placed on the Federal Aid system. Funds are provided through Acts of Congress to de- velop interstate and defense highways for primary and secondary facilities into urban areas. Table A-10 lists the mileage and surface condition of the various highway types in Polk County. fJrlmary and secondary highways financed through the federal aid system are near- ly always coincident with the state pri- mary and secondary systems. Construct- ion costs of primary facilities in the State of Oregon are shared it a ratio of 63.5 percent Federal and 36.5 State. Federal aid primary routes within Polk County include the Pacific Highway #99W; the Salem-Willamina (Coast) Highway ROU~2 #22; Three Rivers Highway Route {22; and the Salmon River Highway Route #18. These facilities are designated as principal arterials on the Transpor- tation Plan Map No. 10. ' The Federal aid secondary road sys tems includes both major traffic carriers of the state secondary system and minor county roads utilized for farm to mar- ket traffic on the state secondary sys- tem. The Federal government provides 60% of the cost of new construction with the State sharing 40%. All maintenance of these facilities is carried out by the State. Roadways designated State second- ary routes include the Monmouth-Indepen- dence Highway (Route #51), Kings Valley Highway (Route #223), and Dallas-Rick- reall Highway (Route #223) and the Salem Dayton Highway (Route #221). These fa- cilities generally fall into the minor arterial classification. County Roads The second type of Federal aid secondary roadway is at the county level. Of a total county mileage of 521 miles, 168 miles are designated as Federal aid sec- ondary routes. Construction costs of new routes are shared on a 60% Federal, 20% state and 20% county basis with the county also being responsible for the purchase of the required right-of-way and the future maintenance of the facil- ity. In the past, the county has util- ized Federal aid system funds for the replacement of bridges on these routes. Of the total county highway systems, these routes, for the most part, are paved with either an oil mat, Macadam or asphalt-concrete. Only 27 miles or 23.2% of the Federal aid system county highways are gravelled. The remainder of the county roads, 353 miles, are for the most part gravelled rural farm to market roads serving ba- sically rural, low density areas. These roads, as a rule, carry low traffic vol- umes of less than 700 vehicles per day. Because of their rural character and the sparse development along them, the dis- tinction between local and collector sta- tus is difficult. Generally, if the fa- cility provides direct access between rural settlements or joins them to an arterial, it is classified as a collect- or even though traffic volumes or road- way design is not in compliance with higher standards. So long as use of these facilities is limited to rural pur- poses, low priorities should be assigned to them for future expansion. Some ex- ceptions do exist where non-rural traffic generators such as motorcycle race tracks and youth camps may require upgrading of existing facilities. Along these sparse- ly settled routes, county policy has been to oil the surface of existing gravelled roads adjacent to farmsteads for the pur- pose of dust suppression. This should be a continuing policy in the future. ( - 68 - Other Roads Other roads in Polk County are those pri- vate and federally owned and maintained facilities located in its western half where they provide access to logging sites, aid in forest maintenance and fire protection. The Bureau of Land Man- agement is the primary government entity providing roadways. Private timber com- panies maintain most of the road mileage in this remote area for their own, and in some cases, public use. MAJOR THOUGH FARE PLAN The major thoroughfare plan for Polk County, as shown on Map No. 10, is in- corporated in the General Land Use Plan. It is intended to be a quide to each community to aid in the'p1anning, pro- * ADT - Average Daily Traffic Specific Area Proposals Increased urban development in Polk County will place higher demands on existing facilities peripheral to urban- izing areas. The county should concen- trate its upgrading and development ac- tivities to arterials and collectors in thq urbanizing areas. Because of limited funds for development of major - 69 - gramm'ing and coordinating future high- way projects whether they be state, county or city. For the purpose of simplification, three designations, principal arterials, minor arterials and collectors are designated. Development Standards As was indicated earlier, various hiqh- way types have different requirements for right-of-way, width, peripheral treatment and other characteristics. From a cost standpoint, it makes little sense to develop curbs and gutters where homesteads are distant from one another. Bui1dinq setbacks should be observed from the centerline of existing rural roadways. The standards should be based on the specifications listed in Table No.5. faci1ities t priorities should he ~s­ tab1ished by the county. Particular areas where' county road systems require coordination with local olans are the Eo1a Hills-West Salem area, Monmouth- Independence and Dallas. This section will review these areas and address specific proposals in order to develop an integrated circulation system. EoTa Hills - West Salem The Eola Hills-West Salem area is the most populous sub area existing in Polk County. The area is topographically varied with deeply incised valleys and severe slopes in many places. Eleva- tions vary from 100 ft. above sea level along the Willamette River to approxi- mately 1000 feet above sea level in its western portions. Because of its prox- imity to Salem employment centers and the view the area commands, it is and will continue to be under extreme devel- opment pressure. The existing road system affects a radial development pattern with streets follow- ing a general east-west alignment as they follow the ridges and valleys of the area. North-south circulation is severe- ly restricted by topographic limitations. Doaks Ferry Road The primary north-south link in the area is provided by Doaks Ferry Road, which connects Wallace Road (Oregon #221) on the north to the Salem-Willamina Highway (Oregon #22) at the south end of the Eola Hills. It is anticipated that this fa- cility will continue' to be the primary north south route through the area. The 1968 Salem Area Transportation Study (SATS) recommends that this facility be widened to four lanes with qrade seoara- ted interchanges at Eola Drive, Glen Creek, Orchard Heiqhts and Brush College Road. It is not expected that these structures will be required within the time frame of this plan. In fact, the 1982 SATS Plan, Map'No. 11, proposes to redesignate the road as a minor arterial. A further modification of the SATS oro- posal is to realign Doaks Ferry Road in the vicinity of Glen Creek Road in order to nrovide a smoother aliqnment and thereby eliminate exaqqerated turninq m0vements onto the Glen Creek Road sec- tion of this roanway. - 70 - Wallace Road (Oregon #221) This facility is the only primary north- south route existing in the area. Its alignment follows a low level route atop a bench which defines the flood plain of the Willamette River. Also known as the Salem-Dayton Highway, this roadway is the eastern-most arterial in Polk County and is the terminal point of the majority of the collector streets penetrating the Eola Hills to the West. The SATS Plan and current State Highway Department plans recommend that this high- way be widened to four lanes from the end of the existing four lane portion at Or- chard Heights Road to Brush College Road. This action would increase capacity to 25,000 vehicles per day (vpd). The study estimates 1982 volumes at 15,000 vpd at Orchard Heights Road and 10,000 vpd at Brush College Road. 1971 volumes at these locations were 8700 and 5100 re- spectively. The SATS report also states that a proposed Pine Street bridge will have a decided effect on volume utiliZing this section. Undoubtedly this is true, however the county should examine very closely the effect that the construction of a river crossing north of a connection to the Coast Highway (Oregon #22) will have upon proposed land uses in the south- ern Spring Valley and northern Eola Hills areas. Current county planning calls 'I=o-r relatively low density residential uses and primary farm activities. Brush College Road Brush College Road is the northernmost radial route connecting Ore. 221 to the Eola Hills. It lies mostly within the city limits of Salem. The SATS proposal recommends upgrading this route to four lanes from Doaks Ferry Road to Wallace Road (Ore 221). This action will in- crease capacity to 15,000 vpd. Recent traffic counts, 1971, recorded an average daily traffic of 900 vehicles travelling this route. L ,.... .. Br~ .. ('O'~/~~ Gil;ls leg_r ..0" ~~ .. ' ~ ',~",; : 0/I . ~.~~~r ORCHARD HEIGHTS ~ ...~ .. Gi~ ,., SALEM AREA TRANSPORTATION STUDY PLAN -1982 for POLK COUNTY ( , ,/ BRIDGE ALTERNATIVES 1. PINE STREET 2. MARKET STREET 3. DIVISION STREET 4. UN ION STREET 5. MISSION STREET ._.- EXPRESSWAY --- PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL ........ MINOR ARTERIAL •••••• COLLECTOR MAP NO. 11 Orchard Heights Road Another east-west radial extending from Wallace Road (Ore 221), this route is the only one that traverses the Eola Hills. Though gravelled much of its length west of the crest of the Hills, the SATS plan calls for increasing capacity at its eastern extremity to 15,000 vpd by widen- ing it to four lanes -from Doaks Ferry Road to Wallace Road. In addition, an easterly extension from the Mountain View School to a point just south of the in- tersection of Empire Street and Wallace Road is proposed. East of Wallace Road, the new road would connect with a pro- posed Pine Street bridge. Gl en Creek Road This southernmost east-west radial conn- ection with Wallace Road (Ore 221) is proposed to be upgraded to four lanes in the SATS Plan. This improvement will in- crease total capacity to 15,000 vpd. The connection at its intersection with Doaks Ferry Road should be restudied in light of a possible realignment of that road to alleviate exaggerated turning movements necessary to travel the Doaks Ferry-Glen Creek section of this roadway. Whatever alignment is selected, the 4 lane section of Glen Creek Road should terminate at its easternmost connection with Doaks Ferry Road. Eola Drive The SATS Plan proposes an expansion (widening) of this route to four lanes from Doaks Ferry Road to its easterly connection to the Salem Willamina High- way (Ore 22). This alignment was con- sidered more desirable than the more circuitous route traversing existing portions of Eola Drive and Cascade Drive. Recently, the develooment of a Turnkey Housinq' project astride the proDosed ' aliqnment ore-emoted the Dossib11itv of this route' beinq develooed. Because of topographic problems in this area, it appears that any future connection of Eola Drive to the Salem-Willamina High- way has been thwarted. It is question- able at this time whether a 4 lane fa- cility with a 40' pavement width will be capable of serving the upper Eola Drive area. Traffic originating in this area can then utilize Doaks Ferry Road, College Drive, Glen Creek Road and Eola Cascade Drive to gain access to arterial routes. Dallas Area Dallas developed a traffic circulation plan as a part of its 1970 Comprehensive Plan. Those proposals involve align- . ments and improvements on the peri phery of the city which will require city- county coordination. See Map No. 10 in the Dallas Comprehensive Plan. A brief description of each proposal follows: East Ellendale - Improve East Ell- endale from Main Street to the Washington Street extension to arterial street standards. Washington Street Connection - Extend Washington Street east- ward bridging Rickreall Creek and continuing northeast to the Salem- Dallas Highway just west of Fir Villa Road. This street would be an arterial and it is suggested that it be treated as a boulevard or parkway for the length just described. From this point east to the new Highway #22 inter- section, the Salem-Dallas Hiqhway will eventually need to be widen- ed to four lanes. The south side of the street is residentially develooed. Therefore, riqht-of- way on'the north side should be preserved. Oak Vilia Road - Extend Oak Villa south to the eastern bypass or New Monmouth Cutoff. This is an arterial and should be improved to these standards. Polk Station Road - Improve the intersection of Polk Station Road ( {, - 72 - (r and Highway #22 by creating a 90 degree intersection. Consiqera- tion should be given to an inter- change at this point. Eastern Bypass Route - This new arterial road begins at the west- ern terminus of the realigned Highway #22 travelling southwest, crossing Rickreall Creek and con- tinuing southwest to intersect with the New Monmouth Cutoff 1/4 mile east of Godsey Road. This road then will continue around the foot of Mt. Pisgah southwest to Kings Valley Highway. The bypass route will provide excellent access to the industrial area and serve to bypass regional traffic. Webb Lane - Extend Webb Lane west turning south to James Howe Road, bridge Rickreall Creek and con- tinue on to intersect the eastern bypass in the vicinity of South Church Street. This would be the western leg of the circumferencia1 arteri a1 sys tem. Several collectors are indicated on the traffic circulation plan. Right-of-way for these should be reserved as the land is developed. Monmouth-Independence Area This area is served by two main highways, U. S. 99W and Oregon #51. The two com- munities have prepared circulation plans in the past, none of which have been a- dopted. However, certain proposals should be considered by the county as they presently affect land under its jurisdiction. Monmouth-Independence Highway Of these particular proposals, the future treatment of the Monmouth-Independence Highway has received the most attention. This two lane facility which bisects both communities in an east-west direct- ion, carries in some sections, over 7,000 cars average daily traffic. At the - 73 - present time, the State Hiqhwav Depart- ment is conducting a traffic survey to determine the oriqin and destination of traffic within-the communities. In the past, a compromise alignment pro- posing a shallowing of the "S" turn and a widening of the facility from two to four lanes was proposed. Until such time as a proposal is received from the State Highway'Department and concensus is reached between the two communities, the alignment incorporating an improve- ment in the liS" turn should be retained. A further recommendation includes ex- tending Highway #51 due west from the Independence Bridge to intercept High- way #99 at a point near the southwest Monmouth city' limits line. This will eliminate numerous turning movements through an existing residential area and provide a southerly bypass around these two communities. Pacific Highway (#99W), the primary north- south route in the area, bisects the city of Monmouth. It is anticioated that this principal arterial will eventually re- quire improvement to a four lane capacity. Rights-of-way in the area appear to be sufficient. It is recommended that access to property along its alignment be allow- ed only by service roads in urbanizing areas. Hoffman Road This route provides an east-west bypass to the north of Independence and Mon- mouth. Development along this route is minimal at present and includes the Independence State Airport at the east end. Every effort should be made to insure adequate setbacks along this road to allow for a future four lane facility. Also development should be limited to the south side of this street. State Principal Arterials It is anticipated that the three princi- pal arterials (Routes #22, #18 and #99W) in Polk County will continue to serve the county over the time span of this plan. It appears that there will be no new major principal arterial highways constructed through the county duri~g the 20 year time span covered by this plan. Nevertheless~ the primary purpose of these routes is to expeditiously and safely move traffic to and through the - county. To accomplish this~ certain improvements will be required. Willamette River Crossings At the present time, access to Polk Coun- ty from the east side of the Willamette River is provided at two points, via one eastbound and one westbound bridge con- necting downtown Salem to West Salem, and the Coast Highway (Oregon #22), a bridge at Independence and a state owned ferry at Buena Vista. No improvements are proposed at the Independence crossing, which presently carries an average daily traffic volume of 1650 vehicles. The Salem crossing has an ADT of approx- imately 35,000 vehicles. This crossing, which links 1-5 and the State Capital to the Central Oregon Coast, is in need of relief. Crossing alternatives have been proposed at Pine, Market, Division, Union, and Mission Streets to connect to Highway #22. It appears that the southerly connection would have less impact on Polk County from a land use standpoint and provide a less circuitous connection to Indeoendence, Monmouth, Dallas and the Coast.1 Coast Highway, Oregon 22 The state recently opened a four lane realignment of Oregon #22 between Brunks Corner and Rickreall. The County should urge the Oregon Department of Transportation to begin the planning and design studies necessary to increase Oregon #22 and #18 to four lane facil- ities the full expanse of the County and on to the Oregon Coast. This facility experiences high volumes of use by recre- ation otiented traffic (10,000 ADT) dur- ing the summer months and on weekends. The section between Wallace Bridge and the west county line should receive the earliest consideration with a targeted 1980 completion date. Highway #99W The Pacific Highway is the primary north- south route through the west half of the Willamette Valley. Extending from Port- land to Eugene on the west side of the Willamette River, this route is not ex- pected to experience major increases in traffic volume through Polk Coun~y. The only exception would be between the re- aligned Route #22 at Rickreall and the city of Monmouth. This section may re- quire expansion to four lanes, particu- larly in the Monmouth area within the time frame of this Plan. Other County Roads Identified on the circulation plan are local roads and collector roads. These are Federal aid secondary and county routes primarily. Responsibility for improvements and maintenance will fall uoon the county for the most part. Improvements on these routes are of a less significant nature than on those routes covered in the preceeding pages of this plan. Many of these improvements will consist of logical connections of roads, straighte~ and realigning of narrow and crooked routes. For the most part, these areas are readily apparent. In establishing priorities for the im- provement of existing facilities, the county should take into consideration ex- isting and anticipated volumes, density of development along the right-of-way, the type of vehicles using the roadway and the proximity to an urban settlement or other traffic generator. { ( l! Salem Bridge Location Interim Report, Prepared by Technical Advisory Committee, Salem Area Transportation Study, June 1973. { - 74 - f{ l l The county should consider the following policies with regard to county roadway deve10pnent. A. Within a developing urban area 1. Adopt the financing policy of the adjacent city. 2. Coordinate with the particular city on design, right-of-way, capital investment priorities, etc. B. Outside a developing urban area 1. Arterials - county pay 100% of cost. AIRPORTS Polk County is not served by scheduled commercial passenger or freight air ser- vice. It is anticipated thai Salem and Portland airports will continue to oro- vide this type of service to county'res- idents over the next twenty years.' The interest in civil aviation in the county is on the increase. In 1969, 56 airmen were registered in Polk County. This figure nearly doubled to 110 in 1972. The number of registered aircraft over the same period increased from 23 to 39 .. These aircraft are used for agricultural, business, and private recreational pur- poses and are based at five private and two public airfields located in the coun- ty. All of these strips are dirt and none are lighted. The State Board of Aeronautics is in the process of developing a master systems study for the entire state which is scheduled for completion in 1975. At this time, the only airport under consid- - 75 - 2. Collectors - county pay 75% of cost - abutting property owners pay 25%. 3. Local roads - abutting property owners pay 100%. . C. Building Setback Policy (measured from right-of-way centerline) 1. Principal Arterials - 125 1 min- imum. 2. Minor Arterials - 85 1 minimum 3. Collectors - 65 1 minimum 4. Locals - 50' minimum eration is the Independence State Airport located north of that city. While the study is not limited to state airports, it is felt that Independence is the only one in the county suitable for long range planning. The only other airport open to public use in Polk County is located in Dallas and is raoid1y beina surround- ed by new homes. The ci ty, however, is currently considering adoption of zone provisions that would preserve the air- ports viability. Today, the Independence facility is one of the state's busier airports with an estimated 9400 operations a year. Im- provements which have been recommended include improving the drainage and black- topping the present runway, locating an IFR 1andinq aid such as a beacon or homer, adding a parallel runway, instal iation of runway 1iqhting, and the construction of a crosswind runway. The last prooosal is questionable, as land uses east of the present facility limit exoansion possibilities. Airport facilities should be located with- in one half hour (surface) travel time of their market. From a service area standpoint, this criteria is met with ex- isting facilities located at McMinnville, Albany, Salem, Independence and Dallas. Only the sparsely developed western por- tion of the county is the exception. The Valsetz area should be served with a recreation-emergency airport capable of handling light aircraft only, The poten- tial use would be for hunters and flsher- man and other recreationists and emergen- cy uses such as air ambulances and supply. It is expected that small private strips will increase in number. Also, it is ex- pected that heliports will be constructed around the county, particularly in asso- ciation with lumber mill and logging act- ivities. Recommended Development Policies The following policies are recommended for airport development; 1. That development of heliports, ex- cept for emergency use, be restric- ted to industrial and farm areas. 2. That the county submit any develop- ment proposal that has the ooten- tial to interfere with the safe operation of aircraft of any exist- ing airport or heliport to the State Aeronautics Division and the Federal Aviation Administration for comments. 3. That the county honor all height restrictions established by the Oregon Aeronautics Division and the Federal Aviation Agency which pertains to minimum standards for fl i ght safety. 4. That the county in conjunction with Independence, Monmouth and Dallas consider the appointment of joint airport zoning boards to de- velop protective zoning around the Independence and Dallas airports. RAIL TRANSPORTATION Polk County is served by the Southern PacHic, Valley and Siletz Railroad and the Longview, Portland and Northern Rail- roads. The distribution of these rail~ roads in the county is extremely good with the Southern Pacific providing both a north-south portland to Euqene connect- ion and an east-west Salem to Dallas a- lignment. The intersection of these two lines near Rickreall makes that area par- ticularly attractive for potential in- dustrial development, provided extensive capital outlay is made to solve water and sewer problems. Freight service to the lumber industry is provided to the Grand Ronde and Independence-Valsetz areas by the Longview, Portland and North- ern and the Valley &Siletz Railroads. Although these facilities provide only freight service at this time, the poten- tial for the use of these facilities, particularly the Salem-Dallas-Independen- ce-Monmouth interconnection, for raoid rail passenger service does exist. 'Ob- viously, present population densities are not sufficient to economically jus- tify such a development at this time, or even over the 20 year time span of this Plan. Nevertheless, the county should, with the cooperation of the rail- road comoanies, attempt to preserve and protect these rights of way for possible future use as mass transit corridors. In the future, this will reduce the amount of land taken out of productive land uses for highway use. In addition, a rapid rail system would reduce air, noise and visual pollution and provide a more efficient means of utilizinq nat- ural resources. Obviously this proposal is extremely long term, yet the county should not ignore the possibility of fu- ture utilization of these already exist- ing rights of way for travel purposes. ( - 76 - r( ( ( c ( RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT Polk County, bounded on the east by the Willamette River and on the west by the crest of the Coast Range, exhibits a wide range of topographic conditions, natural recreation areas and scenic vis- tas and offers excellent potential for recreational development.' Vacationers have historically bypassed the recre- ational areas of Polk County, however, in favor of more popular retreats in the Cascade Mountains or along the sea- shore. Nevertheless, interest has been generated 'within Polk County to combine appropriate local, State and Federal agencies with interested private groups to provide a diversity of recreational opportunities which compliment the geo- graphy of the area. Coupled with increased leisure time, mobility, income and population is a definite need by governmental and pri- vate interests to provide additional facilities and preserve open space for the enjoyment of the inhabitants of the area. In an attempt to meet these needs, Fed- eral, State and local governments are attempting to provide funds for the acquisition of scenic rights and land and development of recreation and open space sites throughout the county. ~hile the conservation and protection of the county's natural, scenic and historic areas is the primary goal of this plan, monies for implementation are often scarce. The task of estab- lishing priorities is also extremely difficult due to the many varied rec- reational activities. Table No.6 lists the recreational fa- cilities oresently available in Polk County with the activities and facili- ties available at each site. The aporox- imate locations of these Darks are shown on Map No. 12 with the exception of fa- cilities provided in conjunction with existinq schools and colleqes. An at- tempt has been made to also list signi- ficant quasi-public and private recrea- tional facilities within the county. Another manner in which recreational benefits will accrue to the members of the community will be through the de- velopment of mUltiple purpose dam and reservoir projects. The Willamette Ba- sin Plan nroposes 14 such sites throuqh- out the countv, as indicated in the Water Resources Section, Map No.5. Trail development in the past has been limited exclusively to hikers. In recent years, however, a new dimension has been added in the form of bicycling. In 1971 the State legislature, recog- nizing this rapidly growing activity, passed legislation setting aside a per- centage of highway funds to provide for development of bike routes. Initial bikeway development in Polk County has taken place in the Independence-Monmouth area, and along Highway #22 and #99 from Salem to Rickreall and Rickreall to Monmouth. ~w bikeways should be developed to connect regional attractors such as the Willamette Greenway system, state and regional parks. Additional special purpose routes to connect educational facilities could also be considered. In addition, hike-bike trail easements could be obtained to develop such fa- cilities in areas of particular scenic attraction such as the crest of the Eola Hills and the Basket Slouqh Wild- life Refuqe. Areas subject to season- al flooding offer additional opportunity for trail development. WILLAMETTE RIVER GREENWAY The Willamette River, which forms Polk County1s eastern boundary, has played an important role in the settlement of the county. This water course, which drains a valley 135 miles long by 30 miles wide and joins the Columbia Riv- er at Portland, has in the past pro- vided a means of transportation, comm- unications, power and food supplv for the populace' residing within its-basin. - 77 - TABLE 6 EXISTING PUBLIC RECREATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR POLK COUNTY, OREGON 1 Map Index **Number Name Facilities 1 Ballston School C Hi 2 Buell Park C P, Hi, St, F 3 Buena Vista Ferry C Br, F, Ws 4 Camp Kilowan CFG Tc, P 5 Da 11 as Pool M Sp 6 Eola Park C Undevelooed 7 Gerlinger Park C P, F, St 8 Guthri e Wysd. C P 9 Helmick Park S P, Sh, F, S 10 Holman Wysd. S P 11 Indep. Boat Landing M F, Br 12 Mill Creek Park C P, F, Hi St 13 Mi 11 Creek Pa rk BLM P, F, St 'C 14 Polk Co. Fairgrounds C P (Nesmith Memorial Park) 15 Ritner Creek C P, H, St 16 Riverside M P, S, F, H, S, St 17 Teal Creek C P, F, St, 18 Van Duzer Forest Corr. S P, F, St 19 Wi 11 amette Ind. P T, P, H. St, Tc 20 Wells Island C P, S { ( \. Golf CourseOak Knoll21 Golf Courses P Wil dl i fe Refuges 22 Basket Slough 01 Wildlife Reserve* --=-=---~~~~~~---:r:*~*-_---:::":-_-----_':':":"':":":'''':'':'''::::'''';=''':':'''':''=-_- P - Private Br - Boat Ramp So - Swimming Pool M - Municipal F - Fishing Sh - Shelter C - County H - Hiking St - Stream S - State Hi - Historical Interest Tc - Tent Campsites CFG - Campfire Girls P - Picnic Site Ws - Water Sports BLM - Bureau of Land Mgmt. S - Swimming 01 - Dept. of Interior 1/ See specific city plans for other municipal parks and recreational facilities not mentioned herein. - 78 - " " \ t 1 " I ,., P . ,.. (' i Ji 10 [' 1' ~' ~') ~ i - , /1 ) . , ' lL ... ..l - , I / ' ' . I, , ~"L .\ )'-P 'If ], . \t· I" *~ J) I ~. / - ' ~~_.. . 6:lIR lJIK IUIL IL / ©@[IJ J~n ), rr Z. I 1 ,, 1 . . w) '~ " ~w " - .. .. ?; I ~ , ( , \/ ~HL AM Il '" 1 ~ . . w . ! - - :- . . 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[L w I I , . / , "'~ ~; 'r] :_~ • PR OP OS ED FO R W lll A M ET TE RI VE R GR EE NW AY '' is' J - ./ / , ' \' -- \< ' . : ; " \ \. . ~ " i IrJ .·~ ,c- ll \ 1\~ ,I~ ' ~ - t I~"/ I, kf u. n~ 1 II I I I i \: i ~-, L-1 ~t= -,L --i ~=- +c: ~l- =-w lJ- ~~d b~t t:: :~~ r:~ ~:; :'l ~ti ~~k ;;~ ~+= ~~~ t+~ b+= =+~ *+f ~~1 - ~. '- ,- n o s i -i' ~/~ ~-: :+T -ti =r. =-J -~~ ~-- --- j-- --- j-- -': :+L 1+; :.. -f~ ~"" "': '-- -I- -r. ... ,.j -~r --- --j --- -1; --J 2L- --- j-l l-~ --r 1-- -'¥ 1I6 e:1 ~~r ~I= :\= l-: 2c= :;: l:' ::: h~~ a­ 1-1 - ' ~~ ~~ ®~ ©@[ IJJ ~~W ~ . . . . . . > ~ ~ z \. 9 PA RK S A N D O PE N SP AC E ~, ~ :: '; '~ ': : SC AL E IN M ilE S - - . ~ r M AP N O . 12 Until the coming of the railroads and highways, it was the primary means of transporting goods produced in the area. In recent years, the river has surrend- ered its role as a transporter of prod- ucts to the freight liner and freight car. In place of goods, the river's role was to carry wastes produced by communities and industries along its banks. The river became increasingly polluted and dangerous to the health of the inhabitants who utilized it for rec- reational purposes. Recent state legis- lation affecting water quality standards, however has reversed this former trend. At a time when national opinion was in- creasingly concerned with matters af- fecting the quality of life, the Oregon State Legislature in March of 1967 on the recommendation of Governor Tom McCall, authorized a program to preserve the largely undeveloped Willamette shoreline from future despoilation. The following three paragraphs contain the basis that the Willamette River Greenway recommendations made by the Gov- ernor to the 54th Legislative Assembly were predicated on. l liThe basic objective is the pres- ervation and enhancement of the river's natural environment while at the same time developing the widest possible recreational op- portunities in a manner that in- jures no one and benefits all. Through imaginative yet wise plan- ning and with the cooperation of both citizenry and government, this can be done without harm to the legitimate needs of industry or agriculture, or to local and private interests. We must be astute' enough to see that preservation is far easier than correction, perceptive enough to realize that in the Willamette River we still have more to preserve than to correct, and be bold enough to act accord- ingly." Also contained in the Governor's recom- mendation was "A Six Point Proqram for Public Enjoyment. 112 . 1. A River Camp System A system of river recreation camps where the boater may disembark and enjoy camping, picnicing and other recreational exoeriences. River recreation camps would be situat- ed at convenient intervals along the entire lenqth of the river, and some would be accessible only from the river or from trails. 2. A River Access System River recreation areas and boat- launching sites to permit non- boaters to picnic and enjoy other recreational pursuits along the river and to permit boaters maxi- mum opportunity to launch and re- trieve their craft. These sites would vary in size from large multi-purpose recreation areas to smaller sites designed primarily for boat launching. 3. A Recreation Trail System Recreation trails would be devel- oped along the river to permit hiking, cycling, and riding ac~ tivities. At places the trail will diverge from the river bank n o { <. n <-) }j Extracted from the unpubl ished ';Willamette River Greenway Pol icy Conference Study Guide", composed and edited by Royston, Hanamoto, Beck & Abey, and Williams & Mocine; Consultants to the Oregon D~partment of Transportation, March 1974 Ib~d - 80 - \.' to follow old river channels or other interesting landscape fea- tures, or on roadways or subdi- vision streets where it will be necessary to circumvent existing developments, recreation trails could be developed to tie in with other trails and parkways. 4. A Scenic Drive System A system of existing parkways and public roads would be identified which extend along portions of the Willamette River and from which a scenic view of the river may be enjoyed on pleasure drives. Pro- tective measures would be under- taken to preserve the scenic val- ues of the roadways. 5. A Recreation Tract System Acquisition of recreation tracts of varying sizes for the follow- ing purposes is proposed: a. Sites for multipurpose region- al parks in urban and rural areas for intensive develop- ment for a wide range of rec- reational and historical at- tractions. b. Scenic areas such as the 7000 acre Forest Park in northwest Portland to oreserve a scenic hillside behind the river and to provide dramatic viewpoin- ts of the riverscape. c. Large tracts of undeveloped lands in the river's flood plain which could be retain- ed in a natural state for wildlife reservations or for future recreational develop- ments. 6. A Scenic Conservation Easement System Easements would provide for the protection of scenic qualities along the river bank in numerous places where land is not needed for recreational development, but protection of its visual quali- ties is necessary. This would permit the continuance of other compatible uses without dimin- ishing the greenway concept." House Bill 1770, adopted early in the 1967 regular session, established a Willamette River Greenway recreational system. The Bill authorized grants, of up to 50%, from the State Highway Fund to assist local governments in ac- quiring lands for scenic and recreation- al purposes to further the purposes of the Greenway. The Bill also authorized a Willamette River Greenway Committee to be appointed by the Governor to fur- ther the purposes of the Act. The ap- propriation included in the Act was $800,000.00. The Act contained a term- ination date of June 30, 1969. In May 1967, House Bill 1770 was amended to change "Greenway" to "Pa rk System" and to provide that condemnation could not be used either by local government or the State to acquire property under the Act. The amendment further provid- ed that water rights or installations could not be acquired. In 1973, the State Legislature further defined the Greenway by adoption of House Bill 2497. This law provides the framework and motivation for the Green- way Planning Study now underway. In order to give Polk County citizens a sense of the law, the summary on the face of the Bill is included: Sunmary: liThe following summary is not pre- pared by the sponsors of the measure and is not a part of the body thereof subject to con- sideration by the Legislative Assembly. It is an editor's brief statement of the essential fea- tures of the measure. - 81 - IIChanges name of Will amette River Park System to Wi11amette River Greenway. Provides new statement prescribing elements of integra- ted Wi11amette River Greenway. Establishes maximum area limita- tion for greenway. Requires State Highway Commission in coop- eration with certain units of lo- cal government, within one year after effective date, to prepare plan for development and manage- ment of lands along Wi11amette River for purposes of greenway; provides that such plan may be prepared for segments of Wi11a- mette River. Requires submission of such plan or segment thereof to be revised by commission and units of local government if approved by board. Provides for filing and public inspection of such plan or segment thereof. IIAuthorizes commission to acquire by any means scenic easements in lands within 150 feet of River. Prohibits acquisition through ex- ercise of power of eminent domain of scenic easement in such lands devoted to farm use; authorizes acquisition by eminent domain upon change in use of lands from farm use; and requires elimination of easement restrictions on use if land subject to easement is later devoted for farm use. Defines IIfarm use. 1I Requires prior con- sent of commission to change in use of such lands. Prohibits acquisition of public access in scenic easements acquired by con- demnation, but allows acquisition of public access without condem- nation. IILimits condemnation power of com- mission for acquisition of state parks and recreation areas to five described areas. Permits such ac- quisition, without condemnation, of other lands within greenway. Pro- vides procedure for acquisition and - 82 ., compensation. Requires payment of value of subsurface mineral aggre- gate deposits on lands acquired by commission within greenway. Provides that designated provisions relating to acquisition and compen- sation do not apply to acquisition of lands or interest therein ac- quired for state parks or recre- ation areas prior to effective date of Act and to any lands or interests in land subject to legal- ly enforceable option held by state on effective date of Act for pur- pose of acquisition of such lands or interests for state parks and recreation areas. IIAmends existing Willamette River Greenway provisions to limit use of lands acquired by units of lo- cal government to scenic and rec- reational uses. Requires units of local government to comply with plan for greenway in acquisition of such 1ands. "Authorizes cities to use any power of condemnation otherwise provided by law in acquisition of lands within greenway for scenic or recreational use with grants from commi ss i on. II Early in 1972, the State received a $10,000,000 grant from the Secretary of Interiors Contingency Fund for the purpose of acquiring directly without local government assistance, lands 16- cated in nonurban areas where land costs are lower and more river frontage can be obtained for the dollar. It is ex- pected that this action will aid in substantial fulfillment of the parks system concept by providing a series of parks and scenic areas along the banks of the Wi11amette. The action, coupled with water quality and other controls, will restore the Willamette to its former magnificance and pro- vide the citizens of the State and Polk County an outstanding scenic and recre- ational resource in the most populous region in the State. c I ! :1 I rThe Wi11amette River Greenwav proposes acquisition of six sites in Poik County tota1inQ 1,129 acres and 12.4 miles of river frontage. Mao No. 12 shows the river front propertles currently under state ownership and prooosed for inclu- sion in the total Greenway system. POLICIES FOR PRESERVATION OF OPEN SPACE Conserve areas where critical natural processes would be endangered by devel- opment. Focus urban development to vacant, skipped over land in existing utility and service areas thereby preserving open space. Where appropriate, agreements should be made with school districts insuring the provision, improvement and availa- bility of activity rooms and athletic facilities at or adjacent to school sites. Steep slopes should be preserved in their natural state to the maximum extent possible. - 83 - Preserve, protect and acquire elements of special visual scenic, recreational and historic importance to the local population. Preserve natural waterways, flood plains in their natural state to insure their continuance as a natural area, preserve the community's water resources and to avoid drainage problems. Encourage cooperative development of trail systems along watercourses adja- cent to urbanizing areas. Acquire lands in advance of development in order to avoid higher acquisition costs in the future. Identify and preserve landmark and areas of historical significance. Cooperate with appropriate state and Federal agencies in the preservation and enhancement of the Willamette River and its tributaries in Polk County. tEnvironmental Assessment In recent years, there has been a grow- ing nationwide awareness of the inter- relationships between society, the econ- omy and the environment. Central to this awakening has been the realization that the vitality of our economy and the quality of life of our society are heav- ily dependent upon the resources and con- dition of our environment. Both Federal and state governments have responded with laws and legislation which will have a significant impact on local land use de- cisions and planning. The major piece of Federal legislation to date in this regard is the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). The significance of this act lies in the fact that it establishes a compre- hensive environmental policy for the na- tion and outlines both procedural and substantive duties for federal agencies to implement that policy. In doing so, Congress has di rected that lito the full- est extent possib1e" the policies, regu- lations and public laws of the United States shall be interpreted and adminis- tered in accordance with NEPA. At the state level there has also been action, both in response to local con- cerns and because of the federal stim- - 87 - u1us for state involvement in resource management and land planning. In Oregon, S8 100 is the most far reach- ing legislation to date. Patterned after the American Law Institute's Model Land Development Code, amonq other things, it more explicitly spells out the criteria for an acceptable Comprehensive Plan. Emphasis has been put on the policy nature of the Plan as the basis for all land use controls, including zoning. It must be a coordinated plan that considers the inter-re1ationshiDs between society, the economy and the environment. Based, therefore, on both state and Federal criteria for protection of the environment, there are no developments contemplated at this time that would irreversibly or irretrievably commit any resources or that would have any other adverse environmental effects on any sector of the land or economy in Polk County. Any major development projects contemplated in the future will be reviewed by appropriate Federal, state and regional agencies concerned with environmental protection. Speci- fically, they include the Mid Wi11amette Valley Air Pollution Authority, the State Department of Environmental Qual- ity and the Federal Environmental Pro- tection Agency. TABLE A-1 Polk County - Soil Associations AREAS DOMINATED BY WELL TO POORLY DRAINED, NEARLY LEVEL, FLOODPLAINS OF THE MAJOR RIVERS AND THEIR TRIBUTARIES. 1. Chehalis - Newberg - C10guato Association. Well drained Chehalis silty clay loam, and somewhat excessively drained Newberg sandy loam; and well drained C10guato silt loam soils. 2. Waldo - McAlpin Association. Nearly level poorly drained Waldo soil with a silty clay loam surface layer and clay subsoil; and moderately well drained McAlpin soils with a silty clay loam surface layer over silty clay subsoils. 3. Bashaw - Cove Association. Poorly drained silty clay loam and clay surface layers over clay subsoils. AREAS DOMINATED BY WELL TO POORLY DRAINED, NEARLY LEVEL TO MODERATELY STEEP VALLEY TERRACE SOILS. 4. Chitwood - Knappa Association. Nearly level to gently sloping somewhat poorly drained Chitwood soil with a silt loam surface layer over a silty clay subsoil; and well drained Knappa soils with a silt loam surface over a silty clay loam subsoil. 5. Ma1abon - Coburg Association. Nearly level well drained Ma1abon soil; and moderately well drained Coburgsoi1 with silty clay loam surface layers and silty clay subsoils. 6. Dayton - Amity - Concord Association. Nearly level poorly drained Dayton soil with a silt loam surface layer over a clay subsoil; som~!h3t poorly drained Amity soil with a silt loam surface over a silty clay subsoil; and poorly drained Concord soil with a silt loam surface layer over a silty clay subsoil. 7. Woodburn - Amity - Concord Association. Nearly level to moderately steep moderately well drained Woodburn soils with a silt loam surface over silty clay loam subsoil; and somewhat poorly drained Amity soil with a silt loam surface layer over a silty clay subsoil; and poorly drained Concord soil with a silt loam surface layer over a silty clay subsoil. 8. Woodburn - Wil1amette Association. Nearly level to moderately steep, moderately well drained Woodburn soils and well drained Wi11amette soils with silt loam surface layers and silty clay loam subsoils. AREAS DOMINATED BY THE WELL DRAINED NEARLY LEVEL TO MODERATELY STEEP DISSECTED GRAVELLY TERRACES. 9. Briedwe11 Association. Nearly level to moderately steep, well drained soils with silt loam surface layers over very gravelly clay loam subsoils. - 90 - 10. Salkum Association. Nearly level to gently sloping, well drained silty clay loam surfaces over silty clay subsoils with a very gravelly loam substratum. AREAS DOMINATED BY WELL TO SOMEWHAT POORLY DRAINED, SHALLOW TO DEEP, SEASONALLY DRY SOILS OF GENTLY SLOPING TO VERY STEEP FOOTHILLS AND FANS. 11. Hazelair - Santiam Association. Gentle to steep slopes. Gently sloping and steep moderately well and somewhat poorly drained Hazelair soils, with silt loam surface layers and clay subsoils, 20 to 40 inches to siltstone bedrock; and moderately well drained Santiam soils with silt loam surface layers and clay subsoils, and over 60 inches deep. 12. Chehulpum - Steiwer Association. Gentle to steep slopes. Gently sloping to steep, well drained Chehulrum soils with silt loam surface layers and silty clay loam subsoils, 4 to 20 inches deep to siltstone bedrock; and well drained Steiwer soils with silt loam surface layers and silty clay loam subsoiTS~~to 40 inches deep to siltstone bedrock. 13. Bellpine - Rickreall Association. Gentle to steep slopes. Gently sloping to steep, well drained Bellpine soils with silty clay loam sut'face layers, and clay subsoils, 20 to 40 inches to siltstone bedrock; and well drained Rickreall soils with silty clay loam surface layers and clay subsoils, 14 to 20 inches deep ti siltstone bedrock. 14. Nekia - Jory - Ritner Association. Gentle to steep slopes. Gently sloping to steep well drained Nekia soils with silty clay loam surface layers and clay subsoils, 20 to 40 inches to basalt bedrock; and well drained Jory soils with silty clay loam surface layers, clay subsoils and over 60 inches deep; and well drained Ritner soils with gravelly silty clay loam surface layers, and very cobbly clay subsoils, 20 to 40 inches deep to basalt bedrock. AREAS DOMINATED BY WELL DRAINED, SHALLOW TO DEEP, MOIST SOILS OF GENTLY SLOPING TO VERY STEEP HILLS AND CANYONS OF THE COAST RANGE. { 15. Hone1grove - Peavine - Klickitat Association. Gentle to steep slopes. Gent y sloping to steep Honeygrove soils with silty clay loam surface layers and clay subsoils, more than 60 inches deep; and Peavine soils with silty clay loam surface layers and clay subsoils, 20 to 40 inches to siltstone bedrock; and Klickitat soils with gravelly loam surface layers and very gravelly clay subsoils 30 to 48 inches deep to basalt bedrock. 16. Blachly - Kilowan - Association. Gentle to steep slopes. Gently sloping to steep Blachlysoils with silty clay loam surface layers and silty clay subsoils, more than 60 inches deeD; and Kilowan soils with silt loam surface layers and silty clay subsoils, 20 to 40 inches deep to shale or siltstone; annual precipitation is 80 to 120 inches. - 91 - .-.;- 17. Bohannon - Preacher - Astoria Association. Gentle to steep slopes. Gently' sloping to steep Bohannon soils with gravelly loam surface layers and subsoils, 20 to 40 inches to sandstone bedrock; and Preacher soils with clay loam surface layers and subsoils, 40 to 60 inches deep to sandstone bedrock; and Astoria soils with silty clay loam surface layers and silty clay sUbsoils, 40 to 60 inches to siltstone bedrock. 18. Klickitat - Kilchis - Hembre Association. Gentle to steep slopes. Gently sloping to steep Klickitat soils with gravelly loam surface layers and ve~y gravelly clay loam subsoils, 30 to 48 inches to basalt bedrock; and Kilchis soils with gravelly loam surface layers and a very gravelly loam subsoils, 14 to 20 inches to basalt bedrock; and Hembre soils with a silt loam surface and silty clay loam subsoils, 40 to 50 inches to basalt bedrock; annual precipitation is 80 to 120 inches. AREAS DOMINATED BY WELL DRAINED SHALLOW TO DEEP COLD SOILS OF GENTLY SLOPING TO VERY STEEP MOUNTAINS AND CANYONS. 19. Valsetz - Cruiser - Yellowstone Association. Gently sloping to steep. Gently sloping to steep Valsetz soils with a gravelly loam surface layer and very gravelly subsoils, 20 to 40 inches to gabbro bedrock; and Yellowstone soils with a gravelly loam surface soil, and very gravelly loam subsoils, 14 to 20 inches to basic igneous bedrock; and Cruiser soils with gravelly loam surface layers, and gravelly clay loam subsoils over 60 inches deep; annual precipitation is 90 to 180 inches. 20. Luckiamute Association. Gently sloping to steep soils with shaley loam surface layers, and very shaley subsoils, 14 to 20 inches to shale bedrock; annual precipitation is 90 to 180 inches. - 92 - , o f. { ( TABLE A-2 GENERAL SOIL I TMTTATTONS FOR RURAL RESIOENTIAL OEVELOPMFNT SEPTIC DRAIN FIELD [)/ELLI;I~.s LANDFORM SOIL ASSOCIATION RATING LIMITING FACTORS RATING LIMITINr. FACTORS All uvial Chehal i s -Newberg-Cl ooua to Severe Flooding Severe Flood; no-Low Shear Strenoth Bottoml ands Waldo-McAlpin Severe Flooding-High water table Severe Floodino-Low Shear Strength 120-220 ft. Bashaw-Cove Severe Flood i ng-Slow perea 1at ion Severe FloodinQ-Hiqh Shrink-Swell Willamette Malabon-Coburg Mod-Severe Some Flooding-Slow Perc. Mod-Severe L"'" Strenoth-Mod Shrink-S"'ell Vall ey Dayton -Amity -Conca rd Severe Slow PerC-High Water Table Severe- Low Strenot"-High Shrink-Swell 1;5-750 ft. Woodburn-fen; tv-Concord Severe Slow Perc-High Water Table Severe Low Strenoth-Perch~d Water Table ,., Woodburn-Will'mette Mod-Severe Slow Perc-Wet-Slope Mod-Severe Low Strenoth-Slooe-Wet "" Briedwell Sl-Severe SlaDe 51-Severe SlaDeu~ Sa I kum Severe Slow Perc Moderate Low Strenoth-Mod. Shrink-Swell Coas t RanQe Chitwood Knappa 51-Severe High Wa.ter Table-Sloce- 5 I -Severe SlaDe-Mod Shrink-S"ell-High Water 600- 1IDO ft. Slow Perc. Tabl e '" Low Hazel air-Santial1l Severe Slow Perc-High Water Tahle Severe Wet-death to Rock ~ 275-350 ft. Chehal pum- 5te i we r Severe Depth to Rock-Slow Perc Mod-Severe Low Strength-Slone~ ~ .... 0 High Be 11 pi ne-Rir:krea ll-Suver Severe Depth to Rock-SlaDe-Slow Perc. Mod-Severe Slow-oeoth to Rock~ 300-1100 ft. Nek; a-Jory-Ri tner Severe Slope-Depth to Rock-Slow Perc. Mod-Severe Low Strenoth-S10oe-oenth to Rock Honeygrove-Peavine-Kl ickitat Severe Slope-Mod. Permeabil ity 51-Mod. Erosion and SloDe-Low Strenath '" 750-1700 ft. Blachly-K il owan Severe 510pe-Mod. Slow Permeabil it.v Mod-Severe SlaDe => 0 Bohannon-Preacher-As tori a Mod-Severe Slope-Mod. Slow Permeabil it.v Mod-Severe 51 i de Hazard-oeoth to Rock:!:o ~5 Kl ichitat-Ki 1chi s -HernlJre Mod-Severe Slope-Depth to Rock Mod-Severe Slooe-oenth to Rock z~ => => e "col d" Va 1setz -Cr ui ser- Ye 11 owstone Mod-Severe Slope-oeoth to Rock-Slow Perm. Mod-Severe Slone 1700 ft. Luckiamute Severe Slope-Deoth to Rock-51ow Perm. Sever~ Slooe-Deoth to Rock-Slow p.rm. Source: Soil Conservation Service TABLE A-3 AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY Agricul tural \!Iinte, Spring Bentgrass Sweet Productivity Wheat Barley Alfalfa Seed Prunes Filberts Cherri es Pasture LANDFORM SOIL ASSOCIATION Index (%) (Bu/Ad (Bu/Ac) (Tons/Ac) (Lbs/Ac) (Tons/Ac) (Lbs ./Ac) (Tons/Ac) (AUIns/Ac) Alluvial Cheha1is -Newberg-Cl oQuato B5 65-BD 50-65 4.5-6.5 400-450 3.5-4 1700-1800 2.5-3.0 6 Bottoml ands Wal do-MeAl pi n 40 70 Me 40-55 4 Me 300-450 1. 5 Me 1000 Me 2.5 ''Ie 4-6 120-220 ft. Bashaw-Cove 40 - 25 - 300 - - 3 Wi llamette Malabon-Coburg gO 75 60-65 5-6 400-450 4-4.5 lBOO-2000 2.5-3.5 6 Vall ey Dayton-Ivni ty-Concord 45 70 Am. 30-60 3.5 Am. 350-'50 1.5 Am. 700 Am - 3-4 ," 750 ft. Woodburn-.eroi ty-Concord BO 70-BO 30-70 3.5-5.5 350-450 1.5-4.5 700-18('0() 3.0 Wdb. 3-6 '" Woodburn-Willamette 95 BO 65-70 5.5-6.5 450 4.5-5 1BOO-20oo 3+3.5 6 w Briedwell 55 35 3D 3.4 300 1.5 1200 2 3-4u ~ Sal kum 65 40 25 3 250 4 1400 4.4 3 Coast Range Chitwood Knappa 35 High Rainfall - Va 1s etz Area 600-1100 ft. v. Low Hazel ai r-Santiam 50 40-65 I. 25-50 t3.5 Sant. I 200-400 1 1-1. 5 I500-1400 I 3 Sant. I 4., 275-350 ft. Chehalolln-Steiwer 30 45 Stw. 25Stw 1.5 Stw 175 Stw 3Stw 1200 Stw - 2-3~ ChehulotJJl - Unsuitable due to soil characteristics, .... I IC' High Be11 pi ne-Ri ckrea ll-Suver 35 35 I 25 Bell 1. 2 Belli 20<' Bel I 3 Bell 11000 Bell 2 gell 4 Belll:. 300 ·1100 ft. Nekia-Jor.v-Ri tner 60 60 25-50 2-4.5 175-400 1.5-4.5 700-1400 1.5-4.5 4-5 Rickreall - Unsuitable due to soil characteristics Honeygrove-Peavine-K1 icki tat Fores ted '" 750-1700 ft. Blachly-Kll ""an Fores ted '" Bohannon-Prea cher-Asto ria Forested0 ::;§; Kl ichi tat-K il chis-Hembre Forested~~ ~g; £ "cold" Va 1setz-Cruiser-Yellows tone Forested 1700 ft. luckiamute Forested Source: Oregon State University Extension Service and the Soil Conservation Service - 93 TABLE A-4 Land Use in Farms 1959 1964 1969 Total farm acres 232,683 215,055 213,108 Cropland harvested 111 ,200 102,505 99,763 Pasture and other cropland 41,766 35,394 40,344 (l Woodland and woodland pasture 67,946 50,077 42,445 Other land 25,907 27,069 30,556 Source: U. S. Census of Agriculture 1959, 1964, 1969 ( TABLE A-5 Number of Farms by Size Size in Acres 1959 1964 1969 1 - 9 124 100 97 10 - 49 393 379 273 50 - 99 235 217 186 100 - 499 498 426 402 l~, 500 - 999 88 88 74 1000 and over 25 25 24 Total number of farms 1363 1235 1056 Average Size 170.7 174.1 201.8 Source: U. S. Census of Agriculture, 1959, 1964, 1969 ~ f\ ~ 94 ~ TABLE A-6 Number of Commercial Farms Economic Cl ass (1) 1959. 1964 1969 Class I - Sales of $40,000 and over 42 63 97 Cl ass II - Sales of $20,000-39,999 125 82 91 ", Class III - Sales of $10,000-19,999 145 130 107 Class IV - Sales of $5,000-9,999 179 138 151 Class V - Sales of $2,500-4,999 190 142 151 Class VI - Sales of $50-2,499 60 125 59 TOTAL: 741 680 656 (1) Classification of farms by economic class considers only those classi- fied by the U. S. Department of Agriculture as "commercial farms". In general, all farms with a total value of products sold amounting to $2,500 or more are classified as commercial. Farms with sales of $50 to $2,499 are classified as commercial if the farm operator was under 65 years of age, and (1) he did not work off the farm 100 or more days during the year, and (2) the income received by the operator and members of this family from nonfarm sources was less than the value of all farm products sold. Source: U. S. Census of Agriculture, 1959, 1964, 1969 - 95 - TABLE A-7 POLK COUNTY SCHOOL ENROLLMENTS BY DISTRICTS General Elementary Jr. High High School Name of District Location Students Students Students Total Dallas #2 Dalla~ 1254 712 601 2568 Centra1 #13J MoMlOuth- 1156 619 489 2264 Independence (1 Perryda1e #21 Perrydale 74 30 35 139 Falls City #57 Falls City 98 65 34 197 Va 1setz #62 Valsetz 90 42 33 165 Sal em #24J West Salem 851 536 (500)c) 138~)(57-EMR)b) ll7e)Wi 11 amina #3OJt Grand Ronde 117 Jlinity ,4Jt Ba11 ston 43 39 82f) * - g)Sheridan #48Jt Sheridan Philomath Ph il omath h) b a) Enrollments for SprinQ 1974) EMR - Educationally Mentally Retarded - facilities at Walker Jr. High School c) Estimated figure based on number of junior high students graduating to South Salem Hiqh School and considering drop outs and transfers in and out of district in both junior and senior high categories. d) Students attending schools located in Polk County portion of Salem District #24J e) Students attending elementary school located in Polk County portion of Willamina District #3OJt Approximate total of 416 Polk County residents attend schools in this District. f) Approximate total of 82 Polk County residents attend schools in this District. g) No school facilities of Sheridan District are located in Polk County. Aporoximate total of 94 Polk County residents attend Sheridan District schools in Yamhill County. h) Approximately 6 PoJI:. County residents attend Philomath District school in Benton County. - 96 - t/' - -u o ... ~ '":;) '"c: t) U o '"0-.... d Nz Q. I -< <~ ~ ""III~ Ni ~ ~ -...:: rural community centers must be approved by the county following the holding of public hearings. E8 ,