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Consultant presents 20-year wastewater facilities plan, urges DEQ-focused upgrades
Summary
Civil West Engineering summarized a 20-year wastewater facilities plan for Westfir, identifying needed upgrades to the treatment plant, an outfall replacement and a capital improvement program to support expanded service to the Old Mill site; council was advised to pursue state funding and permitting steps.
Clinton Chaney of Civil West Engineering presented the citys wastewater facilities plan, describing the existing Hemlock-area collection system and the Arango biofiltration and UV disinfection treatment train. Chaney said the collection network, installed in the early 2000s, is in generally good condition but the treatment facility has mechanical and electrical components that will exceed typical useful life during the planning period and need staged replacement.
"A wastewater facilities plan is an important planning document for a city that has a sewer utility," Chaney said, explaining the plan is required for many state and federal funding applications. He flagged the plants outfall, which discharges close to the riverbank, as a regulatory concern: DEQ required three years of effluent ammonia data in the last permit cycle and may require the city to submit a plan addressing potential ammonia concentration issues in the next permit renewal (expected in 2028). Chaney recommended replacing the outfall and conducting a mixing-zone study to demonstrate improved dilution.
The plan groups work into three main project categories: expansion of system service to downtown and the Old Mill area; regulatory-driven outfall replacement and associated permitting and studies; and treatment-plant mechanical and electrical rehabilitation plus capacity expansion. Chaney told the council that, with a completed facilities plan, the city is positioned to request coordinated funding meetings with state agencies including DEQ and potential funding partners.
Councilors asked about operational implications and whether existing 8-inch pipes could serve expanded loads; Chaney said the appendices model EDU (equivalent dwelling unit) capacity and that the existing pipes can serve substantially more houses than currently connected. No formal action was taken; staff and the consultant agreed the next steps are pursuing funding and permitting advice and coordinating the plan with the citys comprehensive-plan update.
The weeks presentation also noted recommended maintenance actions: add redundancy to aeration fans serving the pods, replace recirculation pumps and UV-ballast components as needed, and schedule replacement of textile filter media in treatment pods as part of a broader rehabilitation to limit repeated mobilizations.
