Merkley, Wyden Deliver Over $100 Million for Critical Community Projects Funding Across Oregon

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden today announced they secured over $100 million in federal investments for essential community-initiated projects in nearly every Oregon county in both Fiscal Year 2026 packages that recently cleared Congress.

Both Merkley and Wyden hold a town hall in each Oregon county every year and work hard to ensure that local feedback informs every aspect of their work in Washington, D.C. This local feedback is directly reflected in the projects that were chosen for federal funding in the first two packages of this year's spending bills to help meet critical needs in Oregon communities.

"Community-initiated projects are rooted in the fact that no one knows the unique needs of communities across Oregon like the folks living and working in them. The communities identified top projects, and we fought for them," Merkley said. "Together with Senator Wyden and members of Oregon's House delegation, we secured funding for 54 of these important homegrown projects that will benefit Oregonians in every corner of the state for years to come."

"No-one knows what a local community needs more than the local community itself. That's why I hold town halls and meetings in every nook and cranny of the state: to hear directly from Oregonians about their needs and bring that back to D.C. to fight for these critical projects," Wyden said. "I am gratified to work alongside Senator Merkley and our Oregon delegation to bring home these federal investments to help communities throughout Oregon thrive."

Merkley is the only Oregon member of Congress from either chamber since Senator Mark Hatfield to serve on the Appropriations Committee, which wrote the funding bills and is one of the most powerful committees on Capitol Hill. He joined the committee in 2013 so that Oregon would have a strong voice in decisions about the investments our nation should be making. Merkley's position on the committee-including his key role as the top Democrat on the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Subcommittee-is vital to lock in the state's priorities in the drafting of the bills, and Merkley and Wyden are highly-effective at working together to deliver projects for Oregon.

The 54 Oregon community-initiated projects, combined totaling $102,692,000, secured by Merkley and Wyden in the first two packages of FY26, broken down by region, are as follows:

MID-WILLAMETTE VALLEY & NORTH COAST (Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Tillamook, Clatsop, and Columbia Counties)

• $4 million to the City of Tillamook for their Water Transmission Line Replacement Project. These funds will help the City replace their 80-year-old water transmission lines with modern, seismically resilient infrastructure, enabling the city to continue providing clean drinking water to the Tillamook community.
• $3.098 million to the Bureau of Land Management in partnership with Cycle Yamhill County for the construction of the Panther Creek Trail Network. The funds will be used to construct nearly 25 miles of world-class mountain bike trails on BLM-managed forestland in Yamhill County, creating recreational opportunities for community members and providing a boost to the regional economy.
• $2 million for the Idanha-Detroit Rural Fire Protection Fire District will support the construction of a new fire station that will expand current service capabilities to include additional sleeping quarters, training areas, adequate storage for emergency medical services and firefighting supplies and increase the effectiveness and responsiveness of first responders.
• $1.092 million to Marion County for Sewer System Improvements for a new wastewater treatment plant that will serve the cities of Mill City and Gates. This funding will provide infrastructure critical to economic development, public health, watershed protection, and wildfire recovery in the North Santiam Canyon.
• $1.031 million for Clatsop County's law enforcement and fire agencies to purchase and upgrade radio communications systems. Eliminating communication vulnerabilities with new equipment will enable public safety personnel throughout the county to effectively respond to emergencies and protect its citizens.
• $1 million to the City of Dallas for the construction of their Potable Water Reservoir Tank Project and the LaCreole Node Sewer project. This funding will support the city's efforts to build a new reservoir that is seismically resilient and capable of providing the community with a resilient potable water supply in emergencies and advance the development of a sewer project that will open more opportunities for economic development in the region.
• $500,000 to the Nestucca, Neskowin, and Sand Lake Watersheds Council for their Fish Passage Improvements project. This funding will open nearly 5 miles of water habitat for endangered fish species passage and will increase infrastructure resiliency in Tillamook County by replacing undersized culverts and small dams that inhibit natural stream processes.

Click HERE for quotes from Mid-Willamette and North Coast community-initiated project recipients.

METRO (Multnomah and Washington Counties)

• $2 million to Oregon Metro to improve the California condor recovery program at the Oregon Zoo. The Oregon Zoo operates the nation's second-largest breeding facility for the endangered California condors and houses nearly 10% of the world's condor population. These funds grow capacity for additional breeding, in addition to bolstering health resources and safety measures for the birds.
• $2 million to the City of Beaverton to construct the North Transmission Line Intertie. This project will provide a secondary water supply line and will enable the City to continue to deliver clean water in the case of an emergency.
• $1.65 million for Portland State University to purchase imaging and fabrication equipment to create a Semiconductor Innovation and Nanoscience Center. This new center will increase semi-micro workforce diversity by providing educational access to sophisticated instrumentation and will spur collaboration between the university and industry.
• $1.092 million for the City of Gresham for a wastewater treatment nitrification project to remove ammonia from wastewater which will help further grow the City's semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
• $1.092 million to the City of Portland for clean water improvements to support the City's network of pump stations. Improvements will include replacing failing equipment which will help ensure the City of Portland remains in compliance with water quality requirements and provide continuity of operations during severe weather events and other outages.
• $1.005 million to the City of Gresham to expand the East Multnomah Outreach Prevention and Intervention (EMOPI) program, a youth violence prevention program that works to prevent violent crime in Gresham and keep youth out of the criminal justice system.
• $1 million toward the rehabilitation and fortification of the aging Scoggins Dam and spillway to reduce risk and improve seismic resilience.
• $907,000 for the City of Gresham to purchase equipment which will bring Real Time Information Center data into the City's policing protocols, which will improve the City's efforts to prevent crime.
• $450,000 to continue pre-construction and design activities for the Portland Metro Levee System that will minimize flood risk and protect public safety, supply chains and water security.
• $125,000 to Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District for their Community Forest Wildfire Mitigation project to reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Funds will be used to purchase equipment such as chainsaws, chippers, and spider lifts, that will enable the District to conduct mechanical thinning in areas that are susceptible to wildfire threats.

Click HERE for quotes from the metro area community-initiated project recipients.

MID-COLUMBIA (Clackamas, Hood River, Wasco, Sherman, and Gilliam Counties)

• $5.25 million to Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC) for the rehabilitation and construction of various In-Lieu and Treaty Fishing Access Sites along the Columbia River.
• $2 million for the Farmers Irrigation District to convert remaining sections of open canal into buried irrigation pipelines in Hood River County. This project will contribute to improved habitats for native fish species, water conservation, and sustained agricultural production.
• $1.9 million to the U.S. Forest Service for their Timberline Lodge fire suppression system modernization project. Funds will be used to update Timberline Lodge's 90-year-old fire suppression sprinkler system to ensure the safety of visitors and employees and to ensure the longevity of the historic Timberline Lodge.
• $1.092 million for the City of Sandy's Wastewater Pump Station. Sandy is under a housing development moratorium due to the capacity limitations of its current wastewater system. Once completed, this project will help the city to resume housing growth and economic development.
• $1 million for the City of Maupin's water system improvement project to replace the City's aging water system storage and inadequate distribution systems. Maupin is currently dependent on one water source, and the booster pump stations are 50 years old, unreliable, and unable to meet the city's peak daily demands. This project will improve water quality, support regional fire prevention plans, and contribute to community development goals.
• $500,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers for continued work to develop tribal housing in The Dalles. These funds will allow the Corps to revise and carry out a Village Development plan to comprehensively address adverse impacts to Indian villages, housing sites, and related structures as a result of the construction of The Dalles Dam, Bonneville Dam, McNary Dam, and John Day Dam.
• $500,000 for the Hood River Watershed Group to complete a study of the environmental and economic opportunities, benefits, and feasibility of aquatic ecosystem restoration at the mouth of the Hood River.

Click HERE for quotes from Mid-Columbia community-initiated project recipients.

EASTERN OREGON (Morrow, Umatilla, Union, Wallowa, Grant, Baker, Harney, and Malheur Counties)

• $12 million for the Oregon Army National Guard to construct an Army 10-lane Multi-Purpose Machine Gun Range (MPMG) at the Naval Weapons Systems Training Facility in Boardman. The MPMG is mission critical for Oregon Military Department's Rees Training Center in Hermiston and will provide economic benefits in rural Oregon through the initial military construction work, as well as subsequent future use.
• $4.5 million to the City of John Day to construct a new wastewater treatment plant . The City of John Day is required by the State of Oregon to replace its aging wastewater treatment facility, which was constructed in the 1940s and is located in a floodplain. This grant will save money for rural residents in John Day and Canyon City, by helping to decrease the community's debt burden and help avoid sharp increases in sewer bills.
• $2.75 million to the Wallowa County Sheriff's Office to purchase and install emergency communications equipment to replace an outdated system that does not currently cover the entire rural county. This funding will ensure equipment meets federal standards and will enable local responders in Wallowa County to communicate with adjacent jurisdictions with mutual aid needs.
• $2 million to the Oregon Water Resources Department (OWRD) for well inspection and construction of monitoring wells in the LUBGWMA, a region experiencing nitrate contamination of groundwater. Funding will also support the design and construction of eight new wells to fill gaps in OWRD's current monitoring network in the region. Additional monitoring wells at different aquifer levels will help with understanding the movement of water and the extent of aquifer contamination in the LUBGWMA.
• $1.5 million to the City of Pendleton to install wind turbines and a micro-hydroelectric generation system at the Pendleton Resource Recovery Facility. This will help the City achieve energy self-sufficiency at this wastewater facility.
• $1 million for the McKay Creek Fish Passage Restoration and Monitoring Project. This funding will allow the Bureau of Reclamation to begin an engineering design and fish passage assessment of the McKay Creek dam near Pendleton.
• $665,000 to the City of Hermiston to purchase and install two backup generators on Hermiston's Regional Water System (RWS). The RWS, operated by the Port of Umatilla and the City of Hermiston, supplies water to industry and Hermiston's 20,000 residents, but currently has no power alternative in case of an outage. These generators will ensure current users and future industrial clients will have reliable water supplies in an emergency.
• $600,000 to the OWRD to complete a groundwater analysis in the Lower Umatilla Basin Groundwater Management Area (LUBGWMA). Funds will be used to analyze consumptive water use in the LUBGWMA from 1985 through 2023. This project will help the State of Oregon better understand hydrogeology and potential sources of nitrate pollution into groundwater.

Click HERE for quotes from Eastern Oregon community-initiated project recipients.

SOUTH-WILLAMETTE VALLEY & CENTRAL COAST (Lane, Linn, Lincoln, and Benton Counties)

• $3 million to University of Oregon to procure and install a modern, powerful transmission electron microscope (TEM) to be housed in the University's Center for Advanced Materials Characterization in Oregon (CAMCOR). This equipment would be used to advance a multitude of needs in the semiconductor space including academic research, training opportunities, and high-tech business support.
• $2,520,000 to Oregon State University (OSU) to procure and install specialized equipment for a Next Generation Semiconductor Test Facility. This equipment - including a high-speed sampling oscilloscope, a millimeter-wave vector network analyzer, and a thermally-controlled wafer probe station - will position OSU and the State of Oregon to lead in semiconductor research and testing.
• $2,000,000 for Oregon State University (OSU) to enhance statewide bio-science research. This funding will be used to purchase and install state of the art equipment that will utilize AI to make rapid progress in material discovery, enhanced biomanufacturing, precision medicine, and forensic applications.
• $1.340 million to the Sweet Home Fire District to startup and equip a wildland hand crew. The District is located in a dynamic Wildland Urban Interface area and is in critical need of fire prevention and mitigation resources. This funding will allow the District to stand up a 20-person crew and equip them with proper personal protection equipment and other tools.
• $1.015 million for the Siletz Valley Fire District to modify its existing fire station to house an Emergency Operations Center and provide emergency housing during natural disasters.
• $1 million to Oregon Coast Community College to purchase equipment and construct a new workforce training facility.

Click HERE for quotes from South-Willamette Valley and Central Coast community-initiated project recipients.

CENTRAL OREGON (Klamath, Lake, Deschutes, Crook, Jefferson, and Wheeler Counties)

• $2.373 million to the Lake County Umbrella Watershed Council for their closed basin watershed restoration and resilience project. These funds will be used to design and construct fish passage and conduct habitat restoration in the Goose Lake Watershed to improve fish passage, fish and bird habitat, and flood mitigation across five tributaries and eleven streams within the drought-prone watershed.
• $2 million to North Unit Irrigation District for its infrastructure modernization project. This effort is working to convert over 27 miles of open-ditch irrigation canals with gravity-pressured buried piping, which will significantly reduce water loss, improve water delivery reliability, and improve streamflow in the Deschutes River.
• $2 million to Arnold Irrigation District (AID) for their infrastructure modernization project. Funds will be used to complete the final phase of AID's Infrastructure Resiliency and Modernization Project to pipe nearly 12 miles of the District's main canal which will reduce overall water seepage and promote more efficient and sustainable irrigation across the District.
• $1.123 million to Oregon Institute of Technology for equipment for an advanced energy manufacturing initiative to develop cutting-edge research, education, and training in hydrogen production, solar and solar-thermal manufacturing technologies, and emerging battery tech at Oregon Tech's Klamath Falls and Portland-Metro campuses.
• $1.014 million to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for their Crook County groundwater research project. These funds will be used to implement a surface and groundwater sampling program in Crook County to identify the scope and potential causes of groundwater contamination issues impacting the community's water.
• $1 million to the Ochoco Irrigation District for their floating solar project which will generate 900 kilowatts of power and benefit local agriculture, residential homes, and local industry.
• $648,000 to Wheeler Soil and Water Conservation District (SWCD) for the construction of a new community center. Wheeler SWCD's current facility is insufficient to support the public's needs as the county's leading natural resource agency. This new space will be a centrally located innovation hub for multi-agency accessibility to best support Wheeler County's natural resources work while promoting intra-agency collaboration.

Click HERE for quotes from Central Oregon community-initiated project recipients.

SOUTHERN OREGON (Curry, Coos, Jackson, Josephine, and Douglas Counties)

• $9,460,000 to reconstruct the water supply system for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Cole Rivers Hatchery. Recent investments led by Senators Merkley and Wyden have addressed issues with the power supply and other deferred maintenance. This additional investment to restore the water supply system will result in a more climate resilient hatchery that fully meets its mitigation obligations and reliably sustains regionally important fisheries and economies.
• $2 million for City of Talent for their waterline installation project to replace existing asbestos cement pipes. These pipes are beyond their useful life and are susceptible to failure during seismic activity. These new waterlines will ensure continuity of operations in the case of disaster.
• $1.554 million for the South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership for their Wild Fish Habitat Restoration. Funds will be used to complete habitat and water quality restoration projects that aim to restore Chinook and Coho salmon populations in the Umpqua watershed. The restoration of these important fish species will also benefit the economies of nearby underserved communities by opening up tourism and recreation opportunities.
• $1.031 million for improvements to the Curry County Jail, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of staff and incarcerated people at the jail. Federal funds will be used to make improvements to the jail's plumbing infrastructure, security features, and improve basic accommodations.
• $800,000 for Glide Revitalization Community Resource Center to renovate the facility, with a focused priority on completing the daycare half of the facility. With a high demand for daycare services in the region, this center will help fill critical resource gaps identified through Glide Revitalization's work since the Archie Creek Fire in 2020 to continue to rebuild the community.
• $667,000 for the Army Corps of Engineers for routine dredging and routine jetty infrastructure maintenance at the Port of Bandon.

Click HERE for quotes from Southern Oregon community-initiated project recipients.

STATEWIDE

• $2.5 million for the Oregon Department of the State Fire Marshal to support the statewide "Fire Adapted Oregon" initiative and implement community-based wildfire mitigation and defensible space projects throughout high wildfire risk communities in Oregon.
• $1 million to Oregon DEQ for their air quality improvement project, which will stand up grant programs across the state to enable communities to implement alternatives to the open burning of woody debris. This effort would reduce wood smoke emissions in communities by making preferred alternatives more accessible and improving the health of communities.

Click HERE for quotes from statewide community-initiated project recipients.

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