Tumwater updates council on water, stormwater and wastewater projects and capacity planning

Tumwater water resources staff told the City Council on April 1 that the city is investing in meters, monitoring and infrastructure to protect supplies and comply with environmental rules while planning for roughly 2% annual growth in customer connections.

The presentation by Dan Smith, a water-resources staff member, summarized operations and capital work across drinking water, stormwater and wastewater utilities; noted recent grant and water-right acquisitions; and outlined next-step projects including the Southeast reservoir and the brewery well-field project. Smith said the city produced more than 1 billion gallons of drinking water last year — about 2.8 million gallons per day on average, with a single-day high near 5.7 million gallons — delivered through about 87 miles of pipe.

The update detailed completed and planned projects and staff initiatives intended to improve supply reliability, reduce leakage and increase monitoring. Smith said the city installed advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) citywide, completed physical and virtual security upgrades at utility facilities, and secured additional water rights to extend the city’s supply portfolio. He also described a corrosion-control review and a lead-service-line assessment that confirmed the city’s reduced monitoring approach and found no lead service lines in the system for Department of Health purposes.

Smith told the council that the city reported a 9.34% system water loss for the year and is targeting under 5% loss. He said the city produces many compliance and investigative water-quality samples annually and that staff is beginning to use AMI data to inform conservation outreach.

Why this matters: Tumwater’s utilities support everyday public health (drinking water and wastewater) and environmental protection (stormwater and salmonid habitat). The council and staff discussed how to balance growth, business requests for water and long-term supply planning as the city updates its comprehensive plan.

Key capital and program items

- AMI: Citywide advanced metering infrastructure installed; staff will use the system to increase conservation outreach and customer engagement. - Security upgrades: Palermo facility and other utility sites received physical and cyber security improvements funded in part by recent rate increases. - Water-rights and well work: Staff secured additional water rights and has started the brewery well-field project to bring previously acquired water rights into production. - Southeast reservoir and 90th Avenue main extension: Projects to improve system looping, fire flows and capacity for future growth; Smith reported loan/financing needs in the multi‑million-dollar range. - Corrosion/lead work: A corrosion-control optimization and lead-service-line study affirmed the city’s reduced monitoring status and found no lead service lines under Department of Health criteria, but staff identified improvements to pursue. - Wastewater monitoring: The city is using remote sensing (SmartLid) at lift stations to detect issues earlier; staff reported the technology has helped avoid five overflows to date and the city plans to expand deployment. - Stormwater: Tumwater reported full compliance this year with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) municipal permit for Western Washington and launched an ambient water-quality program and enhanced maintenance plans (street sweeping, ditch maintenance, fish‑passage culvert work).

Council questions and follow-up requests

Council members pressed staff about how the city evaluates water availability for large industrial or commercial customers and how those decisions relate to the comprehensive plan. Smith described Tumwater’s “duty to serve” test: the utility evaluates whether (1) water is available in the portfolio, (2) it can be delivered in the timeframe requested and (3) the proposed use is legal under the city’s land‑use rules. He said the city performs long-range (10–30 year) demand forecasts that test worst-case development scenarios and contingency needs.

Council members asked for a dedicated work session on industrial water use and large leases raised by residents during previous meetings; multiple members said they want clearer visibility into how large water users are evaluated and whether limits can be set by council policy or the comprehensive plan. City staff agreed to prepare a work-session briefing that explains availability calculations, the relationship between the comprehensive plan and utility obligations, and options for council-level policy guidance.

Community impacts and workforce

Smith said the water-resources division operates five funds with 36 full‑time equivalent positions and an overall department balance around $30 million. Staff noted plans to add 11 FTEs in the coming biennium to improve redundancy and succession capacity as the city’s built infrastructure and regulatory responsibilities grow. Smith described internship and education partnerships with local colleges to help with monitoring and operations.

Quotes

"There is no such thing as new water," Smith said, emphasizing the city must stretch existing supplies, conserve use and secure additional rights where feasible.

"Our goal is under 5% loss," Smith said, noting the system’s 9.34% loss this year and the operational focus to reduce leakage and nonrevenue water.

Ending

Council members thanked staff for the update and asked for more detail on industrial water requests and how the council can shape policy. Smith said staff will prepare materials for a future work session and continue to brief council as major water projects progress.