Harstene Point gets $14 million for sewer updates

A $14-million state Department of Ecology loan will help Harstene Point Water and Sewer District, on Harstine Island, update 50-year-old lines and reduce operating costs, according to General Manager Jeff Palmer.

“We are very excited to receive this loan, which is $14 million, but $5 million of it is forgivable principle, bringing it down to $9 million in repayable,” Palmer told the Journal.

DOE provided the money from its clean water fund at 1.2% interest.

“Washington’s clean water funding is a mix of state and federal funds dedicated toward improving and protecting water quality. This includes approximately $40 million from the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure law to assist small, financially disadvantaged communities and addressing emerging contaminants,” according to a DOE news release.

Water and sewer were installed at Harstene Point in the early 1970’s. Some of the installation was “sub-par from the beginning,” Palmer said, especially the sewer.

They are gravity lines, so the sewage flows freely down the pipes. After 50 years of ground shifting, some joints in the sewer lines aren’t tightly sealed, Palmer said.

“So no sewage leaks out, but when it rains enough, the ground becomes saturated with water, which exerts greater pressure on the pipes than what’s inside them,” he explained.

It’s a common problem called inflow and infiltration (I&I), when groundwater enters sanitary sewers. It can affect the treatment process, making it less efficient.

“While some wastewater treatment plants are designed for combined sewer and stormwater, ours was designed only for sewage,” Palmer said.

DOE permits set limits on daily and monthly flow, and when heavy rains occur, Harstene Point’s sewer becomes inundated.

“Our permit allows for a maximum daily flow of 342,000 gallons and an average monthly flow of 186,000 gallons per day,” according to Palmer.

“Every year, when we experience extended or heavy rains, the ground becomes saturated, and the water then finds its way into the sewer lines. So much so that we can count on getting higher flows during the rainy season, in particular when there is an atmospheric river event,” he said.

Last December, the district saw an average of 193,00 GPD and a 11-day max of 681,000 GPD.

“When this happens, it requires us to be up all hours of the night, costing us more in labor and equipment runtime,” Palmer said.

The loan will help the decades-long problem by allowing the district to rehabilitate the existing sewer mains by Cured-in-Place-Pipe lining and the replacement/relocation of a primary sewer main running along a deteriorating bluff overlooking the Puget Sound, according to the DOE.

The project will also help mitigate the risk of a primary sewer line failing.

Palmer said the problem “couldn’t be rectified” without DOE funding.

“Our top priority is to support communities. Across Washington, we are using innovative ideas to help put money to work faster and with greater benefits. We are excited to support clean water pilot projects that are already proving successful and to continue trying new approaches,” Vince McGowan, Water Quality program manager, said in the news release.