Council OK's start of sewer plant design

In a special meeting last Friday, the Cathlamet Town Council voted unanimously to complete design of a new waste water treatment plant that could cost $13 million.

Council members and consulting engineers from Gray and Osborne, Inc., reviewed the history of plant design selection process and ruled out alternatives such as trying to refurbish the current sewage treatment lagoons or building the new plant at the current sewage plant site.

The engineers said they will have design documents ready for a possible call for bids and start of construction this summer.

However, the council stopped short of committing itself to going to bid because of the overall $13 million potential cost.

Instead, the council authorized up to $708,000 on the design work with the likelihood of going to bid this summer if the council can find a funding package that will allow an acceptable monthly bill for sewer system customers.

The engineers and Mayor George Wehrfritz said they would try to arrange a meeting this month of all possible funding agencies to see what combination of loans and grants could be arranged.

Town sewer customers now pay $45 per month; under funding estimated in 2008, the rate could be over $100 per month.

The town has reason for some optimism, said G&O engineer Ken Alexander, President Thomas M. Zerkel, and Project Manager John P. Wilson.

First, state and federal environmental agencies want the town to upgrade the sewer system, second, the economy has caused contractors to slash construction costs around 30 percent, and third, there will be new federal construction stimulus money available for projects ready to start construction in July.

The engineers have already gotten started on part of the design; Alexander said; late last year, the council authorized the firm create designs for the mains that would take the sewage from the present plant elevation uphill to the site of the new plant and return it to the outfall at the present site.

"There have been lots of changes in the numbers since 2008," Alexander said. "Bid costs were high back then. Now we have new historic lows.

"You've got lots of energy that will allow things to proceed quickly and assure the funding agencies you're committed to the project."

The current plant doesn't meet effluent and other standards. The engineers noted that between 1997 and 2008, the plan exceeded design maximum capactiy monthly flow rate 17 times; it exceeded weeky effluent fecal coliform limits three times; it exceeded monthly fecal coliform limits one time, and it had several other violations.

In times of heavy rainfall, storm water enters the sewer mains through cracked pipes or residential and business roof drains that haven't yet been disconnected.

In 2006, the town put together a task force to study alternatives and elected to move the treatment plant to a new site. This would allow other development of the current site; it would allow economic growth to offset new treatment plant costs, and it would relocate the plant out of the 100-year flood zone.

The council further evaluated different operating systems and chose an oxidation ditch plant. They voted in 2007 to locate it on land purchased from the Wahkiakum School District. Other sites were considered but dropped because of construction costs.

Council members again discussed the possible value of changing the preferred site, but after discussion, they decided to continue with the present plan.

Councilor Steve McNicholas said the meeting had helped him make up his mind on a course of action.

"We know our capacity has been overburdened," he said. "We have already done this work. We know we have to prepare for growth. We would be ridiculous to back off."