By Sharon Michael, The Chronicle, 5/23/98
"A bad water system and a bad distribution system caused a boil-water order to be issued without documentation of contaminated water," Penberth said during a meeting at the Lucky Eagle Casino.
He said the county health department called the action a "preventative measure."
Pe Ell is now under an agreed order to completely rebuild the water plant and distribution system.
"It's a great hardship on our community," Penberth told the partnership of cities, counties, private organizations, and tribes working together on watershed-management issues.
But Tuesday, the state delivered another punch to the community of about 600 when the Department of Ecology issued a moratorium on new sewer hookups.
"I've been on the road for five months looking for funds," Penberth said Friday.
He said the town is now $500,000 in debt for about 250 customers.
"By the time I leave office, we will be $5 million in debt," he added.
The town's water and wastewater system upgrades are estimated to total $13 million.
Penberth said Lewis County towns and cities, and the county itself, need more than $200 million for water and sewer system upgrades to meet state and federal water quality standards.
"Ladies and gentlemen, where in Christ's name is this money coming from - " he asked.
"The world is being taken over by planners," Penberth mourned. "What we need is problem identification."
Earlier, the partnership agreed to apply for an Ecology planning grant to pay for watershed planning and public education aimed at improving water quality, restoring salmon and steelhead runs, reducing flooding and improving flood-warning systems, and improving recreational opportunities throughout the basin.
Ecology must award $1.4 million in grants by June 30 or lose the money. The department has another $2.5 million to distribute next fiscal year.
The intergovernmental agreement formally establishing the partnership as an official watershed group under state law is still circulating among its members. But partnership chairman Dick Nichols said, "We're almost there."
Nichols, a Thurston County commissioner, urged Penberth to stay with the partnership. He said water quality has become a national crisis, and no community can afford to address problems and costs alone.
"Somewhere along the line, someone is going to have to get real at the federal level because that's where the money is," Nichols said.
Nichols likened the nation's water-quality problems to the Cold War. He said the government obliterated that threat with money and by "arming to the teeth. Clean water is in the same category."
Counties and cities have to do a better job of lobbying legislators and congressional representatives, he added.
"We don't do it very well, so we're treated like special interest groups rather than citizens who have a problem," Nichols added. "Pe Ell has a real problem."
Chehalis Mayor Bob Spahr called the Clean Water Act "a great national policy. What you do and how you get there is the issue."
"What we're being required to do will require us to spend almost $30 million," he said.
Chehalis, Centralia and Darigold Corp. are working out legal language in a settlement agreement that would resolve lawsuits filed against Ecology over wastewater discharge permit conditions.
But the agreement isn't signed yet, and Chehalis officials continue to argue that the money they will have to spend to comply with permit conditions will not buy better water quality.
Spahr said he is also afraid Ecology will further increase restrictions on so-called point-source dischargers if they are unable to control nonpoint pollution coming from dairy farms, agriculture and logging operations.
Ecology estimates up to 50 percent of pollution in the Chehalis River comes from nonpoint sources.
Ecology just completed dairy inspections in Lewis, Grays Harbor and Thurston counties. Dairy farmers found discharging manure directly into streams are placed under a state permit. The permit requires them to develop and implement a scheduled plan to correct the problem.
Kahle Jennings, Ecology water quality specialist, said preliminary results show that more than half of the 54 farms inspected were in compliance.
Twenty-three Lewis Count dairies were inspected. Three were placed under a permit; five more may be placed under a permit after further evaluation.
"Dairies are not the only problem,"Jennings said Friday.
Ecology is initiating an 18-month project to control pollution from non-dairy livestock operations. Jennings said that will be accomplished by educating livestock owners and providing technical advice.
"We need to start working on the septic issue," he added.
The department will work with county health departments to deal with failing septic systems.