By Theresa Goffredo
Herald Writer
EVERETT — When a project like this comes along that’s going to do so much for so many, Dick Abrams has to wonder why it took two years to get all the permits.
But Abrams, the environmental manager for Kimberly-Clark, isn’t complaining too loudly. After all, in two more years the Snohomish River will no longer be under the strain of trying to dilute millions and millions of gallons of treated wastewater once this project is completed.
The project is a 10,700-foot combined onshore pipeline and marine outfall that will take the wastewater or sewage effluent from Marysville, Everett and the Kimberly-Clark plant on Marine View Drive and discharge it a mile offshore into the 350-foot-deep water of Port Gardner Bay.
Last week in a rare move by the city, Kimberly-Clark got the go-ahead from the city to float $19.9 million in bonds to help pay for the pipeline. The bonds are sold and the money raised through their sale will be put toward Kimberly-Clark’s share of the project. The pipeline will cost about $60 million — Marysville’s share is $40 million and the city and Kimberly-Clark will split the remaining $20 million.
"The Snohomish is not a huge body of water," Abrams said. "With population growth and with everyone discharging into the river, even though it’s treated, the river is a limited body of water and can’t handle it forever."
Marysville currently discharges into Steamboat Slough. City officials decided to partner with Everett because a state Department of Ecology study found levels of treated effluent in the Snohomish River were harming fish habitat.
By dumping their effluent into Everett’s system, Marysville eliminates the majority of its effluent — about 4 million gallons a day — which it no longer needs to discharge into the slough. Everett will be eliminating about 9 million gallons a day from the river. Kimberly-Clark will be eliminating three of its discharge pipes, which empty into the inner harbor.
Combined, the amount of effluent removed from the river every day would fill the two water tanks on Rucker Hill more than 12 times, said Robert Waddle, operations supervisor for Everett public works.
Waddle said building the more than two-mile-long pipeline was the best alternative for the Snohomish River delta.
"The ideal place for an outfall pipe is deep marine water," Waddle said. "What we discharge are natural decaying particles but what makes it toxic in the river and slough is it doesn’t flush very well, and it overfeeds the system."
Initially, the Tulalip Tribes were going to join the pipeline partnership but at one point in the process decided to build their own wastewater treatment plant to treat the 750,000 gallons of sewage per day from their reservation near Marysville.
Though the Tulalips’ reasoning was based on money rather than science, shellfish biologists working for the tribes have expressed concern about the effluent being dumped in Port Gardner Bay, near the tribe’s shellfish harvest areas.
Biologist Kelly Toy questioned that the test samples used to ensure the effluent would not harm wildlife was oyster larvae. But there are no oysters in Port Gardner Bay. There are shrimp and crab.
"I just would have liked them to test the species that are applicable — the ones that are out there," Toy said.
But city leaders continued to believe the outfall project is sound.
"This is a major investment from Kimberly-Clark to the community and with great environmental benefits to the community as well," Everett Mayor Ed Hansen said. "This is a great project."
You can call Herald Writer Theresa Goffredo at 425-339-3097
or send e-mail to goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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