Work on Stanwood water treatment plant starts soon

Published 11:30 pm Monday, March 17, 2008

STANWOOD — Construction is scheduled to begin next week on a new water treatment plant designed to remove trace amounts of potentially harmful minerals from Stanwood’s drinking water.

The $2.6 million plant, which will filter out arsenic and hydrogen sulfate, is planned to treat 80 percent of the city’s drinking water. The remainder of the city’s drinking water already is treated using chlorine pumps.

Earth grading is expected to begin March 27 at the site near Stanwood High School off 268th Street NW. The treatment plant could be finished by November, Stanwood public works director Andrew Bullington said.

“It’s not only an important milestone for the city; I think it goes a step beyond that,” Bullington said. “It speaks volumes to our commitment to the quality of our drinking water for our citizens.”

The 1,840-square-foot treatment plant is being built by RAZZ Construction of Bellingham. City officials and project engineers gathered Monday for the project’s groundbreaking ceremony.

The new plant will use chlorine and filters to treat the city’s water.

Once the plant is finished, Stanwood residents may notice unusual discoloring or odors in their water. This happens as the chlorine breaks down layers of minerals that have coated the city’s water pipes over the years, Bullington said.

The water should still be safe to drink, but the city plans to monitor the water quality, just in case, Bullington said.

“It’s not going to look like dirty water every day,” he said. “It’s hit and miss, as the small particles of chlorine in the water start breaking apart all the minerals that are stuck to the walls (of the pipes). It could be good water for six months, then a day or two of cloudy water.”

Construction of the water treatment plant is just one of the projects underway to improve Stanwood’s water system. The city is conducting tests on a new well for drinking water, and plans are in the works to build a new water reservoir.

Stanwood Mayor Dianne White said the city has grown enough to make the new treatment plant a necessity.

“It’s going to serve the growing population of Stanwood,” White said. “There was no question we needed to do it. You consume so much water, you need to have a treatment plant.

“It’s all part of growing up,” she said.

Reporter Scott Pesznecker: 425-339-3436 or spesznecker@heraldnet.com.