Sweet Home, Ore., is nestled in central Willamette Valley, about 100 miles south of Portland, near the foothills of the Cascade Range. They get plenty of rain — some 45 inches per year on average. With an aging collection system, I&I had been a huge problem, often overwhelming their treatment plant during peak wet-weather events. Still, they've reduced I&I significantly with smart planning and coordinated rehabilitation efforts.
"We knew we had a real problem with I&I, so starting in 2001 we embarked on a four-phase plan to solve that problem," says engineering technician
