Arlington hopes to make Stilly $31 million cleaner

Published 11:23 pm Sunday, February 17, 2008

ARLINGTON — Up until 1959, everything flushed down toilets and poured into sinks in Arlington went straight into the Stillaguamish River.

Over the years, concerns about river health and the safety of the salmon that spawn there have led to improved sewer systems.

Now the city is preparing for its most technologically advanced sewage improvements ever. A planned $31 million renovation of the Arlington Wastewater Treatment Plant is expected to filter out two-thirds of the solids that currently wind up in the river, while helping the plant meet stricter environmental standards, said James Kelly, Arlington’s utilities manager.

“It’s not just Arlington,” he said. “It’s going to affect everyone. We all have to work together to clean up Puget Sound.”

The upgrades are also expected to help Arlington accommodate the population boom planners anticipate over the next few decades. City planners predict Arlington’s population will nearly double to around 30,000 people by 2025.

The improvements should enable Arlington to treat twice as much waste, Kelly said. Major developments hinge on the improvements, including the city’s transfer of development rights program, which aims to protect farmland and focus growth east of the city.

“As our population grows, so do our needs for treating wastewater generated by homes and businesses,” said Ralph Svrjcek, a water quality specialist with the state Department of Ecology. “The city of Arlington is growing like many communities, and their wastewater treatment plant needs to grow as well,” he said. “There’s only so much capacity for us to put things other than rain water back into water bodies.”

The city is applying for low-interest loans and grants to help cover the cost.

The plant is scheduled to open in 2010, with the bidding process beginning later this year, Kelly said.

Engineers are helping the city design the upgrades and create blueprints.

Earlier this month, crews completed an archeological study of the area the plant may expand onto, and found artifacts from the 19th century settlement known as “Haller Town.” Archeologists found a pipe, old pennies, boots and a bottle of medicine they believe belonged to Dr. Calvin Teager, who lived on the land in the 1890s and operated a drug store near the bank of the Stillaguamish River, Kelly said.

All the artifacts were removed and are being studied in Seattle, so the discovery shouldn’t affect the city’s ability to build in the area, Kelly said.

Arlington is among the many towns in Snohomish County trying to clean up the way waste is processed, said Jason Anderson, a project manager with the nonprofit Stilly-Snohomish Fisheries Enhancement Task Force.

“Because Arlington is right on the banks of the Stilly and has a stake in the health of the water in the river, and of course with the importance that plays with salmon recovery efforts, I think they want to be as proactive as possible,” said Anderson, who lives in Arlington. “They try to be ahead of the curve.”

Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.