Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Wastewater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Sitka faces federally driven wastewater disinfection project with $2.6 million match risk
Summary
Staff told the assembly an unfunded federal wastewater disinfection requirement will likely require the city to add a disinfection system to its wastewater treatment plant; a congressional funding line could reduce costs but would still require a local match roughly estimated at $2.6 million.
City staff told the assembly that a new permit requires additional disinfection of effluent before discharge, a change that staff described as an unfunded federal requirement the city must meet.
"There's a funded mandate for additional disinfection of the effluent before it is basically released back into the ocean. That is a of our new permit," Speaker 1 said, explaining the city holds a waiver that allows compliance to be phased through 2030 but that the community has reached the point where relying on the waiver is impractical.
Staff said they selected an approach that adds disinfection onto the existing wastewater treatment plant rather than constructing a wholly new facility. They have submitted a congressionally delegated spending request and provided a rough order of magnitude that would require a local match of about $2.6 million if the federal line item is approved.
Public commenters raised concerns about how the treated effluent would compare with ocean water and local shellfish impacts. Speaker 1 acknowledged those concerns and offered to provide the permit requirements and numerical standards at the assembly's request.
Next steps: staff will continue pursuing grant opportunities, refine design and cost estimates and report back on the permit requirements and exact funding match obligations.
