One of the best things to come out of the criticism the city of Bend received over its water project is the new look the city took at its sewer needs.

It could end up saving the city $40 million to $62 million.

Before the new analysis, the city projected it would need to spend $120 million on projects over the next 20 years.

After the analysis, the city says it may only need to spend $58 million to $80 million.

What changed?

Critics made several charges about the city’s plan to continue to get water from the Bridge Creek intake. We believe the city made the correct final decision, but agree with the city that it did not do enough to get public input on the first attempt.

So on the sewer project, the Bend City Council and city staff resolved to do things differently. It got the public involved from the get-go.

The first thing the City Council did is appoint a committee of 18 residents to a Sewer Infrastructure Advisory Group. The group includes a broad spectrum of experience — environmental, legal, construction and more. They have been meeting about once a month, getting a crash course in Bend’s sewer infrastructure, its needs and possible solutions.

Basically, the city had planned to build more sewer lines. The committee looked at a host of other options, including temporary storage, satellite treatment stations and improving what the city has.

To do the new look right, the city also spent more than $3 million to do a computerized analysis of alternatives. It priced out a wide variety of options and scenarios, instead of just pricing out one.

The members of the sewer advisory committee give the city another advantage. The city plans to have them speak to community groups about what they found and recommend.

There’s no guarantee that this process will stop questions, doubts or lawsuits. It does give residents another level of assurance that the city is making the right choices when it makes decisions about sewer.