LOTT tells Tumwater council it treats 13 million gallons daily, pilots potable reuse and reuses methane and biosolids

Matt Kennelly, executive director of LOTT (the regional wastewater utility serving Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Thurston County), told the Tumwater City Council that LOTT's main Budd Inlet treatment plant processes about 13,000,000 gallons of wastewater per day and that the utility met its permit limits for the most recent reporting period.

Kennelly said the utility treats wastewater to a high standard, reuses a portion of treated water for irrigation and other nonpotable needs, captures methane to make heat and electricity, and is piloting a demonstration to take reclaimed water one step further toward potable reuse.

LOTT's performance and re-use work matters to Tumwater because the utility handles the community's wastewater treatment, affects regional water quality in Budd Inlet, and supplies reclaimed water that offsets potable use — for example, Tumwater's golf course uses reclaimed water in summer. Kennelly framed those items as part of a broader regional strategy to protect public health and Puget Sound water quality.

LOTT's role and scale Matt Kennelly told council members that LOTT serves roughly 140,000 people across four jurisdictions and that all of Tumwater's sewage is treated at the plant feeding Budd Inlet. "We process 13,000,000 gallons per day," he said, and described LOTT as the only plant in the area with the most stringent discharge limits because of its location on the inlet. Kennelly said LOTT took about 23,000 samples last year and that it met its permit limits with no pollution exceedances.

Reclaimed water, biosolids and biogas Kennelly described multiple reuse streams. He said LOTT produces class A reclaimed water and supplies it to local irrigation users; Tumwater is the utility's largest recovered-water user, including an upper-T Street storage tank that supplies a golf course. Kennelly said the golf course can use roughly 600,000 gallons per day of reclaimed water in summer.

On biosolids, Kennelly told the council, "we produce about 60,000 pounds per day of biosolids," and said that material is stabilized as Class B biosolids and sent for beneficial reuse, primarily to Eastern Washington farmers who apply it to fields where rain is less likely to wash material away. On methane and energy reuse, he said, "we use all of our methane gas," and that biogas offsets roughly 15% of the plant's electrical demand by producing heat and electricity.

Infrastructure, capital planning and awards Kennelly said LOTT manages about $1 billion in infrastructure and described recent large projects including process upgrades and rehabilitation of digesters (one large digester project is underway). He said LOTT uses two-year rolling budgets with six- and 20-year outlooks and relies on pilot projects to test new technologies before full-scale implementation. He noted state and national recognition for LOTT's design work.

Regional water-quality approach and incentives Kennelly described LOTT's participation in a regional, holistic water-quality approach for Budd Inlet, including a 2024 accord with the Squaxin Island Tribe and incentives to reduce nonpoint pollution. He said LOTT offers a 50% discount on connection fees for septic-to-sewer conversions and the same discount for affordable-housing connections to encourage conversions that improve water quality.

Piloting potable-reuse demonstration Kennelly said LOTT plans a one-off demonstration to show reclaimed water can be further treated toward potable quality as a way to increase usable local water supplies and help plan for future growth and climate impacts. He described the demonstration as a next step, not a systemwide change, and tied it to long-term capacity planning.

Workforce, public education and outreach Kennelly described LOTT's WET Science Center and education programs that serve Tumwater School District fifth-grade classes and about 400 students annually. He said LOTT invests in staff retention and training, and that operator careers require multiyear training and certification.

Council questions and clarifications Council members pressed for metrics and details during Q&A. Council member Peter Agabi asked specifically about biosolids and methane; Kennelly replied with the amounts quoted above and that all methane produced is used on site to generate heat and electricity. Council member Kelly Vonholtz and Council member Eileen Swarthout asked about pathways to recruit and retain younger workers and high-school engagement; Kennelly said LOTT plans outreach, high-school engagement and messaging about careers.

What the council did This presentation was informational. Council members asked follow-up questions and thanked Kennelly; the council did not take legislative or funding action in the meeting on LOTT items.

Looking ahead Kennelly said LOTT will continue capital projects, pilot testing of new technologies and regional coordination on water quality through 2050. The utility intends to keep annual and multi-year planning and to report performance to its board and member jurisdictions.