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City planner: Thurston County may pursue $500,000 study of a shared downtown septic system
Summary
Acting city planner Jim Gibson said Thurston County staff asked whether the city would support pursuing roughly $500,000 in grant funding for a feasibility study of a large on-site septic (a centralized 'loss' system) to serve Rainier's downtown commercial corridor; Gibson emphasized the meeting was to explore options, not to commit the city to construction or funding.
Jim Gibson, acting city planner for the City of Rainier, told council that Thurston County asked whether the city would support a county-led effort to seek roughly $500,000 in grant funds to study a large on-site septic and conveyance system for the downtown commercial district.
"They would then take some of their staff time and go look for about $500,000 to do a study in downtown," Gibson said, describing the proposal as a feasibility study to evaluate what kind of system would be needed, what it would cost and whether it is feasible. He emphasized the work would be a study only: "Just because you do the study doesn't mean we're accepting of a sewer system or anything like that." (Speaker 9.)
Gibson explained nitrate limits and county rules currently restrict development — for example, short plats and lot splits are limited because of septic/nitrate constraints — and said the study would examine options such as a shared system large enough (3,500 gallons or larger) to serve multiple commercial properties. He noted examples including a proposed brewery that may need a larger on-site acceptance system to develop.
Council members expressed general support for pursuing further information and asked staff to continue dialogue with the county to determine next steps, funding mechanisms and potential timelines. The planner said county staff turnover had delayed earlier efforts but that conversations are resuming.
No funding commitment or formal council directive to build infrastructure was made during the meeting; the item was presented as a request to support pursuit of grant funding for a feasibility study.
