Eastern Washington will see some major community water projects move forward this summer as the state Department of Ecology announced more than $20 million in funding for regional clean water projects last week.
With a mix of loans and grants, Ecology funded high-priority projects in Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Franklin, Garfield, Grant, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens, Walla Walla and Whitman counties, as part of a $216 million overall funding announcement around the state.
The Eastern Washington projects approved by Ecology include:
CITY OF COLLEGE PLACE:
$7 million for a Southwest Sewer Interceptor
This request is for a loan to complete design and construction of approximately $7 million worth of improvements identified in the City of College Place 2019 Southwest Sewer Collection System General Sewer Plan. This will involve abandoning the problematic sanitary sewer Lift Station No. 6 and routing flows to a new regional lift station.
CITY OF PASCO:
$4,932,429 for Clean Water Preservation Project, Phase 1 & 2
This project proposes upgrades and expansion of the City’s Municipal Wastewater Treatment Plant. Upgrades will replace components of the treatment train, which have surpassed their useful life and expand the facility to handle the projected demand of the forecasted population growth for the city of Pasco. Design improvements focus on the secondary treatment process, solids handling and treatment systems, UV disinfection facility and river outfall piping and diffuser.
$1.5 million for Process Water Reuse Facility Pretreatment Improvements
The project consists of the upgrade and expansion of the pretreatment process and construction of additional storage for winter flows. The facility is the city-owned and operated industrial wastewater treatment facility that reduces the treatment burden at the city's municipal wastewater treatment facility. The proposed improvements free up capacity that will be needed to accommodate the projected growth of the city.
SPOKANE CONSERVATION DISTRICT:
$1.5 million for Hangman Creek Agricultural BMP Assistance Project
Hangman Creek suffers from excessive sedimentation from natural and anthropogenic sources. Environmental and regulatory agencies want changes to the annual sediment budget delivered to the Spokane River. This project will increase community awareness, address agricultural sediment pathways, inventory bank erosion contributions, implement 3,000 feet of stream restoration and reduce sediment delivery by incentives, cost-share programs and loans.
$250,000 for Hangman Creek Streambank Stabilization
Hangman Creek and its streams are impaired by severe turbidity. Ecology and the Spokane Conservation District studied these water quality problems and developed a Total Maximum Daily Load report in 2009 with a subsequent Water Quality Implementation Plan in 2011. The plan noted many issues to be addressed, but eight of the top 10 water quality issues were sediment from various sources including stream bank erosion. This proposed project will continue work to stabilize 1,425 feet of rapidly eroding stream bank.
TOWN OF ENDICOTT:
$1,101,256 for Endicott Sewer Infiltration and Inflow Reduction
Scope includes installation of 1,500 linear feet of drain line, catch basins and pavement repairs to capture and route basement sump drainage out of the sewers; installation of 4,000+ linear feet of cured in place pipe, sewer main line including reconnecting of services and replacement of 800 feet of severely damaged sewer mains and reconnection to existing manholes.
TOWN OF CRESTON:
$795,000 for Lift Station and Wastewater System Improvements
Creston is in violation of their state permit which requires them to complete several upgrades to their aging, but still functioning, wastewater system. This project will enable Creston to get back into regulatory compliance with Ecology and includes 1) installation of an electromagnetic flow meter and valve vault and 2) replacement of the existing building shell to house the electrical systems, provide overhead cover to the lift station and rehabilitate the 45+-year-old existing lift station.
TOWN OF ODESSA:
$750,000 for Main Lift Station Replacement and Drying Bed Area
Installation of an adequately sized lift station including wet well, telemetry, pumps and other components. Construction of a drying bed area for drying of sludge to reduce weight and disposal volumes and cost.
TOWN OF GARFIELD:
$610,643 for Town of Garfield Infiltration and Inflow Reduction
This project includes lining of sewer mains at critical locations within the town limits. It addresses the key deficiencies in the sewer collection network.
CITY OF TEKOA:
$500,000 for Influent Lift Station Replacement
This project will replace the influent lift station to the wastewater treatment plant and abandon the existing siphon leading to the influent lift station which has been determined to be a major source of infiltration and inflow. The project will include design of the improvements, permitting and construction of the project.
PALOUSE CONSERVATION DISTRICT:
$500,000 for the Water Quality Saga: A Cost-Share-nary Tale
The Palouse Conservation District will lead the implementation of a minimum of 10 acres of riparian buffers and 6,750 acres of direct seeding to improve water quality in Whitman County streams. Monitoring efforts will focus on changes in crop residue cover with conservation farming to determine water quality benefits. Outreach and education programs to further improve water quality will include newsletters, articles, educational displays and the Alternative Cropping Symposium.
CITY OF NEWPORT:
$308,500 for City of Newport Wastewater Master Plan
This will prepare Wastewater Master Planning documents for Newport’s wastewater treatment and collection infrastructure. The planning documents and supporting studies, including inflow/infiltration monitoring and user rate study, will evaluate the existing conditions of the system, propose alternatives of improvements and identify financial impacts for future improvements and maintenance. These documents are needed to mitigate hazards to human health and protect water quality in the Pend Oreille River.
TOWN OF OAKESDALE:
$189,000 for Wastewater Facility Plan and Other Requirements
The overall purpose of the funding is to prepare and submit a Wastewater Facility Plan, which includes a section on disinfection, evaluation of the system and proposed corrective action for infiltration/inflow. The town will need to purchase additional equipment to complete the above requirements. The equipment includes two sewer flow monitors, sewer main inspection camera and two composite wastewater samplers.
CITY OF GRAND COULEE:
$111,000 for Wastewater Facility Plan
The proposed Wastewater Facility Plan will evaluate the city of Grand Coulee’s existing Wastewater Treatment Facility’s ability to meet the city’s current and future needs. This will provide the city with a plan for the future to address regulatory requirements, capacity and operational needs. Completion of the plan is a necessary prerequisite step in obtaining funding and regulatory approval for improvements.
TOWN OF REARDAN:
$77,700 for Reardan General Sewer Plan
The town of Reardan has experienced severe infiltration and inflow over the past few years leading to numerous issues with sewage overflows at their lift station, treatment plant functionality, discharge quality compliance and operational sustainability. The town’s last sewer collection system planning was completed in 1997 and they are in need of a current sewer plan that would lay the groundwork for identifying and addressing their most pressing needs.
TOWN OF ALMIRA:
$50,000 for General System Plan
Completion of a General System Plan for the town of Almira, including but not limited to: survey of all sewer system manholes, lift station and related features. Analysis of life-cycle and performance of the system, operating parameters of key elements and recommended upgrades/capital improvements.
CITY OF REPUBLIC:
$31,518 for Public Works President's Bowl Stormwater Management Plan
Stormwater in Republic’s President’s Bowl area discharges to the city’s sewer system, overloading the wastewater treatment plant with flows exceeding plant permitted capacity by nearly five times. If not addressed, overflow and/or catastrophic failure of the lagoon dikes will occur, discharging raw sewage to the Sanpoil River. Stormwater management planning is needed to evaluate and implement improvements needed to collect, treat and discharge stormwater in the President’s Bowl area.
TOWN OF METALINE:
$20,000 for Metaline Infiltration and Inflow Study
The funding request in this application will fund flow monitoring, CCTV and field condition assessments as well as the analysis of data to generate a study document, which will isolate the sources of Infiltration and Inflow within the town of Metaline’s sewer collection system.
