Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Drinking Water topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Alderwood manager says water supply and storage adequate for near term; Everett contract negotiation will set 2025 rates
Summary
Alderwood Water and Wastewater District general manager John McClellan briefed the council on wholesale water supply from Everett, reservoir storage, and the district’s contract and rate negotiations with Everett that will determine 2025 wholesale charges to Mountlake Terrace.
John McClellan, general manager of Alderwood Water and Wastewater District, told the council that Alderwood buys 100 percent of its drinking water from the City of Everett and currently has more firm contractual water rights and storage capacity than it uses.
“...we have, in our district, about 90,000,000 gallons of storage,” McClellan said, and he reported average and peak daily figures: the district’s average is roughly 26,000,000 gallons per day and peak demand around the low 50s (million gallons per day). He said Alderwood’s contractual rights with Everett are “probably close to twice that,” leaving margin for growth.
McClellan said the district is beginning its annual rate discussions with Everett and expects negotiations to extend into April or May; Alderwood does not yet have finalized wholesale rates for 2025. He offered to return to Mountlake Terrace council with a detailed rate presentation when negotiations finish.
Council members asked about long-term water security under climate change and winter snowpack decline. McClellan said Spada Lake’s reservoir levels and the region’s snowpack can fluctuate, and he described competing demands: fish flows, non-consumptive hydroelectric use and Everett’s consumptive drinking-water rights. He said Everett historically has more water per capita in its service area than many large Puget Sound utilities, which gives Alderwood some resilience compared with other suppliers.
McClellan also described Alderwood’s storage and ongoing plans to add another reservoir in about 10 years to serve growth east of Interstate 5. He recommended that interested council members arrange tours through Everett’s public information officer to inspect watershed and treatment facilities.
Ending
Alderwood reports adequate storage and unused contractual capacity for the near term; final 2025 wholesale rates will depend on ongoing negotiations with the City of Everett and will be shared with Mountlake Terrace when available.
