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Sewer options for Point Roberts: community drain field, centralized sewer or keep septic
Summary
The Port's study presented three sewer approaches — maintain on-site septic, private/public community drain field, or centralized sewer (including cross-border conveyance to Tsawwassen) — with discussion of per-dwelling costs and next-step feasibility study funding via CURB grants.
The economic development presentation included detailed consideration of sewer alternatives, which participants said are central to unlocking upland development. Staff outlined three primary approaches: maintain on-site septic systems where appropriate, install one or more community drain fields (pumped septic tanks feeding a shared drainfield), or build a centralized sewer collection and conveyance system.
Tyler Schroeder described an option to convey wastewater to a treatment plant in Tsawwassen, Canada, noting that "Sumas currently pumps their wastewater north of the border, and then it's treated in that location" as an operational precedent. He emphasized that while centralized sewer carries the highest upfront cost, it typically yields the lowest cost per dwelling once development scale increases.
Community members and contractors gave ballpark cost figures during Q&A: single-family gravity systems around $22,000 and alternative installs up to about $33,000; an installed community drain-field serving approximately 32 homes was cited at roughly $750,000. Schroeder recommended a sewer-feasibility study (potentially funded through CURB grants) to clarify preferred alternatives, estimate funding needs and identify likely operating entities.
