Council hears public works update on sewer flows, plant upgrades and service costs

City Council received a detailed public works briefing on Feb. 24 in which staff outlined ongoing maintenance work, upgrades planned for the wastewater system and near‑term operational issues.

Brent, a public works staff member who led the presentation, said seasonal variations drive large swings in sewer flows and explained the city's inflow‑and‑infiltration (INI) work. "We see flows go down to roughly 1.1 [on our internal scale] in the summer months and we hit over four for December," he said, noting roof drains and previously unknown cross‑connections were common inflow sources. He described smoke‑testing planned to locate and eliminate those cross‑connections.

Staff said the city has three remaining original basins to address and that downtown basins with high groundwater were prioritized. Brent said the city is partway through a multi‑year program of pipe replacement and estimated progress at "half to two‑thirds" for many mainline segments. He offered to provide council with multi‑year flow reports and a copy of the debt‑repayment schedule used to time future capital work.

On plant capacity, staff discussed efforts to move new flows away from the main plant and toward the Norway diversion (NBR) station to preserve main‑plant capacity. Council and staff noted sewer rates reflect planning for future basin replacements and continued loan repayments. "Some of those loans start dropping off in 2028," a staff member said, adding that reduced debt service will free money for proactive sewer projects.

Staff also described facility operations: the city produces about one to two loads of dewatered solids ("cake," roughly 30 tons per load) that are land‑applied; the plant's dryer is currently offline, with parts expected next month; and the city is studying whether hauling sludge out or drying it locally is cheaper given fuel and energy costs.

On capital projects, staff said headworks plans are 90% complete and that the existing headworks capacity is currently being described in daily flow figures; the new screen is expected to increase capacity toward the staff target of about "1.2–2 MGD," and bidding is planned later in the summer with grant funding covering much of the work. Brent said sledge hauling, line flushing and sewer locates remain regular operational tasks and reminded council that the city is required to respond to locate requests within two days.

Staff also reviewed stormwatch operations — diverting flows to holding tanks and notifying the health department so shellfish beds can be reopened when water quality permits — and described recent emergency repairs to a storm vault on Olympic Highway South where debris had undermined the bank.

Council asked for follow‑up: staff agreed to provide the debt repayment schedule and additional detail on basin timelines and grant requests. No formal actions or votes were taken during the presentation; the discussion will inform future agenda items and capital planning.