Arlington opens doors to new water treatment plant
By Brian Kelly
Herald Writer
ARLINGTON — All this, and not a drinking fountain in the place.
But you wouldn’t expect to find a carton of cream cheese in a bagel factory, would you? Maybe. One thing’s certain, however: Arlington public works employees are thrilled with their new water treatment plant, which was officially dedicated Saturday.
Arlington would almost be a town with parched petunias and dehydrated daffodils without its water treatment plant. Although the city’s water customers also receive water from a well at the airport and through a PUD line, most of the water that flows through Arlington’s faucets, taps and garden hoses comes via the treatment facility next to Highway 9 near Haller Park.
In an average day, Arlington uses 1.4 million gallons, enough water to flush a toilet more than 200,000 times. About 864,000 gallons are treated at the plant every day.
Construction of the new facility, which replaces one built in 1924, began in spring 2000.
Inside, beyond the huge bay that’s dominated by three water filtration treatment "trains" — monstrous water tanks made of gleaming aluminum — the facility also boasts a modern operations office, water-quality testing lab and segregated chemical storage rooms.
The new plant itself is fully automated and built to withstand hissy fits from Mother Nature. A massive generator has been installed near the treatment train bay, big enough to run the entire plant at full load during a power outage. And during the Nisqually earthquake on Feb. 28, people inside the plant couldn’t feel the earth outside move, said Karen Latimer, water utilities supervisor.
From a computer in the plant’s main office, the city’s water workers can monitor every motor, pump and reservoir in the city’s water system, watch each step of the treatment process, and shut off or start machinery miles away.
The plant is so automated that only one shift of workers is needed.
If problems arise, an autodialer controlled by the water system’s computerized brain calls water utility employees on their cell phones with word of what’s not working right. If someone doesn’t answer their cell phone, the autodialer will start ringing employees’ pagers and home phones.
The plant’s security is also substantial. There are sensors on the facility’s doors and windows, motion detectors and intruder alarms.
During the construction project, the city also upgraded its three wells at Haller Park with new pumps and well houses.
The new treatment plant has been operational since the beginning of August. And though the controls and operations are more complex, workers at the facility say they enjoy the challenge.
"Compared to what we had, it’s terrific," Latimer said. "It’s much more complex than the system we had; it provides a great challenge every day.
"And it’s just more fun to operate," she said.
You can call Herald Writer Brian Kelly at 425-339-3422 or send e-mail to kelly@heraldnet.com.
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