ARLINGTON — The city’s planned $30 million wastewater treatment plant upgrade and expansion is getting some national attention.
A story in the December issue of the water and wastewater trade publication WaterWorld describes the project and why it must be done.
WaterWorld editors asked Arlington public works director James Kelly and members of the city’s project consultant team to write the article. The national magazine is read by those who work in the water treatment industry, Kelly said.
“Word of our project has been spreading among technical engineers and plant operators, but we were still surprised and honored that our plant would be recognized by this national magazine,” Kelly said. “This makes ours a showcase project. It demonstrates our commitment to cleaning up the Stillaguamish River.”
The sewage plant is being upgraded to meet state Department of Ecology requirements to reduce pollution levels in the Puget Sound region, Kelly said. 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, he said.
The process of treating wastewater and sewage will change in order to meet new discharge limits, Kelly said. The process will filter effluent through membranes with pores that are much smaller than the width of a human hair.
IMCO General Contractors of Bellingham was selected this week as the qualified low bidder. The construction company plans to get started on the project in March and hopes to complete it by December 2010, Kelly said.
The project is difficult, he said, because improvements have to be made while the plant is still operating.
City officials have been working since 2005 to find funding for the project. City sewer fund reserves and low-interest loans will pay for much of the project, but Kelly said he is still hoping that the state will obtain federal economic stimulus money for its completion.
If the money doesn’t come through, some of the final elements of the upgrade and expansion, such as a new lab, can be left undone, Kelly said.
Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.
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