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Anacortes council awards contract to upgrade Sewer Pump Station 16
Summary
Council authorized the mayor to sign contract 23-259-SEW-002 with Faber Construction to upgrade Pump Station 16 after staff described stormwater inflow and a lack of backup power; the presentation and the contract amount on the record contained differing dollar figures.
The Anacortes City Council authorized the mayor on April 14 to sign contract 23-259-SEW-002 with Faber Construction to upgrade Sewer Pump Station 16, approving the contract by unanimous voice vote.
City staff said stormwater inflow during storm events is entering the sanitary sewer system at Pump Station 16 and that the wet well (the underground holding tank) was not sized to handle the water volume. Staff warned that the undersized wet well risks overtopping, which could cause sewage overflows or backups into homes; the site also lacks backup power.
The upgrade presented to council calls for doubling the wet well storage by adding an underground storage tank, installing an on-site generator, updating controls, and adding a water hydrant and a backflow prevention device. Staff said multiple design scenarios were considered and identified the enlargement and a generator as the most cost-effective solution.
During the presentation staff referenced a construction cost near $2,445,000; when the motion to award the contract was made, the contract amount stated on the record was $1,445,000. The council record contains both figures; the contract authorized at the meeting is identified as contract 23-259-SEW-002 with Faber Construction (the motion as stated on the record set the award amount at $1,445,000). Council members voted unanimously to award the contract.
Councilmember Walters asked whether modern developments would be allowed to rely on a pump station without backup generator capacity; staff replied that new pump stations would include on-site backup power. Staff said inflow is likely caused by sewer pipes installed in rock trenches and that investigators have not found a single decisive cause of inflow, a pattern described as typical for inflow and infiltration (I&I) problems.
The contract award will permit the city to begin construction planning and mobilization with Faber Construction, and staff said they will return with implementation details and timelines.
