Dayton considers the benefits of treating wastewater discharge through natural methods
Could be first in the state
December 12, 2019
DAYTON- Plans for the City's proposed wastewater treatment plant have evolved over the past year from a dry land application method of treating wastewater discharge, to consideration of a wastewater filtration wetlands method of treating the discharge.
Jake Hollopeter, PE, with Anderson/Perry & Associates, Anton Chiono, a Water Transaction Specialist with the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, and Kristina Ribellia, the Washington Water Trust (WWT) project manager for eastern Washington, spoke about those changing plans at last week's city council meeting.
Anton Chiono said the Touchet watershed system is important to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
As their representative, his goal is to try and find ways to help support water resources in the local area, and the broader ancestral homeland of the Umatilla Tribes.
"We have tribal members and staff who live and work in the county so it's a very important place," he said.
Several years ago, Chiono spoke with the City Administrator, Trina Cole, about challenges the City is facing with regard to the wastewater treatment plant, and edicts from the Dept. of Ecology that required the city to forgo discharging effluent into the Touchet River, six months out of the year.
Chiono said he is aware of several interesting projects in the state of Oregon. which use wetlands and natural processes to filter the discharge from their wastewater treatment plant facilities, and wondered if the City of Dayton could benefit from such a method.
One of those projects is the Ladd Marsh Complex, where the City of La Grande discharges its wastewater, for eventual percolation and return to Catherine Creek.
"It's a beautiful marsh complex," Chiono said. "They were facing issues with wastewater discharges, and they were able to address these challenges, very cost effectively, using wetlands and natural processes to filter the discharge."
Chiono said the City of Prineville, in central Oregon, looked to the City of La Grande for inspiration for treating its own wastewater discharge, and ended up saving $50 million, by utilizing a wastewater filtration wetland complex.
"If the ultimate goal is clean water, shouldn't this work just as well, no matter what state it is in?" he asked.
He said a more cost effective method seems worth exploring.
Chiono said the Tribes are interested in working with the City, the Dept. of Ecology, and Washington Water Trust, to see if this might work in Dayton.
Kristina Ribellia Project Manager for Washington Water Trust in eastern Washington said her agency has been working to restore flow in the Touchet River for the last fifteen years, mainly for fish, but also to benefit irrigators.
She said representatives from Washington Water Trust have met with the City, the Tribes, the Dept. of Ecology and AP & Associates to see what can be done to keep the water in the river.
Ribiella said her agency will be a resource for planning and coordination, and to help pursue funding, so the City can meet its objectives in a cost-effective way.
"There's a very good chance the City of Dayton will be a poster child for Washington, if you don't mind being out in front with this," Ribiella said. "I think Washington Water Trust and the Tribes have a very good rapport with Ecology at different levels, and that will help the City make a difference."
"It's the right time," she said.
"As you all know we have been working with the city for several years planning the development and evolution of your wastewater plant. This year there have been multiple meetings with the Dept. of Ecology, as the City's direction has continued to evolve," said Hollopeter.
Hollopeter said many options have been explored, in earnest, but with limited success.
The original plan was to get the effluent out of the river completely, by utilizing a land application treatment system, and the City has attempted to purchase thirteen properties for that, but has been unsuccessful.
"In a bit of good timing the city was approached by Washington Water Trust, and the Tribes, about partnering to investigate other solutions that would keep the water in the basin, and useable," Hollopeter said.
He said after multiple meetings with the Dept. of Ecology, Anderson Perry & Associates is now in the process of preparing a preliminary analysis for this new method of treating effluent.
"That effort started in October, so we're just getting close to finishing up that initial analysis. We don't have the results, yet, but it is promising," he said.
If the City, Dept. of Ecology, the Tribes and Washington Water Trust all agree on this particular direction, the analysis provided by AP & Associates will provide a roadmap going forward, he said.
Hollopeter said not to worry about the City's compliance status with the Dept. of Ecology. The City is compliant with its National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
He said the permit, which was issued in 2011, was set to expire in 2015, but has been administratively extended by the Dept. of Ecology. This is not uncommon, particularly in situations where the community is in the process of developing new solutions.
There are, however, compliance requirements attached to the permit, he said.
One was related to developing a scope of work for the wastewater treatment plant, and that was done in 2011. The second compliance item was to have a treatment facility plan completed, and submitted to the Dept. of Ecology for approval, which was done, in 2016.
The permit was issued with milestones to provide guidance on how the Dept. of Ecology would like to see the project progress.
"Those are not enforceable compliance elements of the permit," Hollopeter said. "They are just milestones, like applying for funding, which the city did in 2017."
"Right now, the target date for having the treatment plant on line is Dec. 31, 2021.That may or may not be met, but that is a milestone target date," he said.
Hollopeter said the City has received a letter from the Dept. of Ecology, outlining its position as it relates to the wastewater treatment plant situation, and stating that the City of Dayton is in compliance.
Hollopeter talked about funding for the project. He said the City has funding through the Dept. of Ecology, for the design, but has no funding for construction.
The City had originally applied for, and received, a loan from the Washington State Public Works Board for land acquisition, but the money was turned back, as the City began looking into this other method of treating discharge, and because 30 percent of construction loans needed to be acquired by June 2020, as part of the stipulation for the loan.
"We were not going to meet the requirements of the loan," he said.
The City can reapply to the Board, and go through the process again when the timing is right, Hollopeter said.
Action items at last week's meeting:
The city council adopted the budget for 2020, adopted the Rules of Procedure for the Dayton Affordable Housing Commission, adopted the 2020 Master Fee Schedule, and authorized Dec. 26, 2019 as the Council's discretionary holiday.
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