Thurston County is set to conceptualize plans to construct alternative and cheaper wastewater solutions within the cities of Rainier and Rochester.
Thurston County’s Community Planning and Economic Development (CPED) Interim Director Ashley Arai said that the current problem in the two cities is that businesses and homes are on septic systems.
“Some of the challenges that these communities face… they are limited by the lack of wastewater treatment. They don't have a centralized wastewater treatment plant,” noted Arai.
Establishments using septic systems are more at risk of potential groundwater contamination and nitrates getting into the water, Arai explained.
The agenda packet for a Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) September 4 work session stated that a municipal wastewater treatment solution is expected to be prohibitively expensive, and the Large On-site Sewage Systems (LOSS) is being suggested as one of the alternative solutions.
Unlike centralized municipal sewage treatment plants, LOSS serves about 10 to 370 individual residences, or equivalent flows from schools and churches, campgrounds and RV parks, resorts, state park sites, or smaller cities or towns.
A LOSS solution may also provide a way for new businesses and services to locate at sites like Rochester's Main Street, which has limited economic development opportunities due to onsite septic requirements.
Dawn Peebles, Environmental Health Program Manager, said that two of the issues that limit licensing and economic growth are the required minimum lot size and impacts of nitrate loading from the wastewater which LOSS may positively address.
CPED sought the board’s direction to move forward with the plan in one to two years, to engage local partners in Rainier and Rochester, scope a feasibility analysis, and apply for various grant funds.
The BoCC gave a thumbs-up on the proposition to start working on the project’s concept development.
Editor's note: attribution for the water diagram goes to user nancygladstone on Wikimedia.
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ChuckCross
The comments attributed to our public servants' sound like public servant's looking for projects to justify their jobs. A quick survey at the Rainier City Hall found no evidence that the City of Rainier had approached the County seeking assistance with wastewater management. Neither could I find any instance of groundwater contamination attributed to septic tanks in the Rainier area. The County Comprehensive Plan reflects one of the lowest twenty year growth rates within Thurston County. Wonder of wonders! How about focusing County growth and planning efforts of Yelm and Tenino, where the County Comprehensive Plan says the growth will be????
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