Sequim leaders outline sewer operations, reuse water program and multi-year capital plan

City public works staff on May work session gave a comprehensive briefing on Sequim's sewer system, describing plant operations, monitoring programs, funding sources and a multi-year capital improvement plan.

The presentation, led by a public works staff member identified in the meeting as Paul, described the city's wastewater utility as heavily regulated and technically complex and highlighted the Water Reclamation Facility's (WRF) recent performance and reuse-water work. "If it can be flushed, we've seen it," Paul said, urging residents not to dispose of wipes in toilets.

The nut graf: The WRF processed 284,700,000 gallons in calendar year 2024, with an average daily flow of about 780,000 gallons, and staff reported that Sequim produced 100% Class A reuse water and 417.4 dry tons of Class A EQ biosolids in 2024. Those outputs, staff said, position the city to reuse water for irrigation and to supplement stream flows while complying with state and federal permits.

John Christianson, who the meeting identified as responsible for the WRF and the water system, presented treatment metrics and regulatory context. He said the plant is one of two in Washington that produce Class A reuse at that scale and noted the facility's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit and the Puget Sound nutrient permit under state law govern discharges and byproducts. "These permits are kind of our guiding force," Christianson said.

Staff described operational tools and programs used to protect system capacity and compliance: routine lab testing and monitoring, a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, TV inspections by NASCO‑certified crews, sewer cleaning and maintenance, a FOG (fats, oils and grease) program for restaurants, industrial pretreatment surveys and an infiltration and inflow (I&I) program. Paul said daily lab tests act as an “early indicator” that can reveal process or equipment problems before permit limits are exceeded.

The council heard that Sequim operates more than 75 miles of sewer mains (6-inch to 18-inch), 1,577 manholes and four lift stations; three lift stations were deeded to the city by developers. Staff noted all lift stations are operated with two pumps for redundancy and said the city intends to standardize pump types to simplify maintenance and parts inventory.

On capital work, staff outlined an approximately $4.4 million sewer program for 2025 that includes I&I reduction, lift-station replacements (including Doe Run), Washington Harbor loop manholes (a partnership project), and designs for West Sequim Bay projects. The presentation listed a larger $7.2 million program for 2026 and additional major construction through 2027 tied largely to the West Sequim Bay sewer corridor project, which staff called the "schedule driver" for the near term.

Staff explained procurement lead times can affect schedules; for example, Doe Run lift-station pumps had a 16-month lead time and the $1.2 million project will span multiple years. They also said an aerobic digester capacity study is underway that will inform future design and construction decisions for solids handling.

On funding, staff said the utility budget ($5.5 million operations) is financed largely by utility rates, general facility charges (GFCs) and loans or grants; staff noted sewer projects attract more grant and loan opportunities than water projects. The presentation named a roughly $3.7 million grant from state programs to support Flores Acres water and sewer improvements and described partnership revenues tied to tribal loop projects and other interlocal work.

City Manager Matt, during a comment, praised public works technology investments and said the division has developed inspection and GIS tools that allow staff to view high-definition video inside pipes and link that video to the city GIS for asset-management planning.

The meeting included no formal council ordinance or vote on sewer projects; staff sought to inform council and gather direction for upcoming budget and CIP discussions. Staff said the general sewer plan and a collection-system model update are underway and that the city will continue to refine asset-management schedules to target repairs at the right time and avoid replacing assets prematurely.

Looking ahead, staff recommended further work on the I&I study (12–18 months of monitoring), completion of the West Sequim Bay project design and beginning construction phases in 2026–27, and continuing conditional assessments tied to a prioritized camera-inspection program to set inspection frequency by condition.

The presentation closed with staff reminding residents that illicit stormwater connections must be identified and removed under the NPDES permit and urging the public to report sewer problems to operations staff.