Kirkland council adopts resolution to study and mitigate Lower Highlands water pressure; staff to expand assistance, hire peer reviewer

Kirkland — After a detailed study session on the Highlands water‑pressure changes caused by a 2024 pressure‑gradient conversion, the Kirkland City Council on Oct. 21 unanimously approved Resolution R‑56‑97 directing staff to pursue near‑ and long‑term steps to restore pressure for affected Upper Highlands residents while retaining the fire‑flow and resiliency benefits of the conversion.

The resolution asks staff to carry the projects into the city’s 2026 Capital Improvement Program update, hire a water‑system engineering firm for independent peer review of modeling and alternatives, expand a financial assistance program to help homeowners install booster pumps and other mitigations, and to implement a targeted outreach campaign. The vote on the resolution was 7‑0.

Why this matters: The April 2024 conversion of an isolated 5‑10 pressure zone into the larger 450 gradient — done while relocating a 24‑inch water main with WSDOT for the I‑405 NE 80th Bus Rapid Transit project — improved hydrant fire flow and system redundancy but reduced household static pressure in the Upper Highlands, particularly at higher elevations and during summer peak demand.

“We are here because the city partnered with WSDOT on the I‑405 NE 80 Fifth Bus Rapid Transit project to relocate a water main line,” Sarah Olsen, deputy director of Public Works, told the council during the study session, explaining the engineering tradeoffs that produced better hydrant flows but lower household pressure.

Nut graf: Staff presented three long‑term capital alternatives ranging in preliminary cost from about $3.2 million to $8.7 million and said none…