Work begins on Arlington’s $30 million wastewater treatment plant

Published 9:25 pm Tuesday, May 5, 2009

ARLINGTON — Construction began even before the groundbreaking ceremony.

The $30 million expansion and upgrade of Arlington’s wastewater treatment plant is the first project funded in part by federal stimulus money to get started in Snohomish County.

“We had a lot of help getting the funding,” city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said. “We’re glad it was shovel-ready and happy it’s under way.”

The City Council and Mayor Margaret Larson were on hand for an official ceremony Monday evening, after IMCO Construction of Bellingham had already been on the job earlier in the day.

Planning and design on the expansion and upgrade project began about four years ago, and construction on the primary phase of the project isn’t expected to be complete until nearly January 2011, Banfield said.

The sewage plant is being upgraded to meet state Department of Ecology requirements to reduce pollution levels on the Stillaguamish River and in the Puget Sound region. The expansion is required because the city’s plant has reached 85 percent of its capacity and must be enlarged now to meet state and federal standards. The expansion should allow for sufficient capacity for the next 20 to 25 years, Banfield said.

The project is difficult because improvements have to be made while the plant is still operating, public works director James Kelly said.

The process of treating wastewater and sewage will change in order to meet new state and federal discharge limits. The process will filter effluent through membranes with pores that are much smaller than the width of a human hair, Kelly said.

The city had previously received $15 million from the state to expand and upgrade the plant. The federal stimulus package provided the remaining $15 million needed for construction, Banfield said.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427, gfiege@heraldnet.com.