By Matt Hufman, East County News editor, 10/30/1996
An old stump hangs precariously on an eroded sewer line crossing the Cloquallum Creek in Elma.
For city officials, the scene highlights a troubling concern. Especially now as the rains have come and the creek is rising.
After a summer full of plans, funding requests, and bids, the city is still waiting to complete the project.
A series of delays this summer, mostly waiting on state emergency money, pushed the project back. The sewer line was exposed during the flooding this spring.
The City Council heard horror stories this summer with the possibility of a broken sewer line.
"There's concern about that, that's why we want to get it done before the floods come," said Mayor Dave Osgood. "We're kind of living on the edge. We've already given 'a formal commitment, we want to get it done as soon as possible."
But a slow bidding process, negotiations with a landowner to get permission to get access to the creek, and a late start by the contractor has left work undone.
Last week, the city learned of more trouble. The contractor, C. J. Construction of Kent, tried a boring machine to drill a hole five feet under the creek for the new line. The drill got about nine feet before it stopped and couldn't get past a hard spot.
That's sent the city scrambling. At the City Council meeting, Oct. 21, the Council went into closed session to discuss the possibility of litigation with the contractor over cost overruns.
C. J. Construction is bringing in a bigger boring machine from Nevada this week -
The city approved the plan, with the idea that any extra cost will be dealt with after the work is done.
"We don't want (the contractor) to stop, we want this thing done and out of there," said Osgood, who said the cost could run between $6,600 and $13,000.
City representatives were scheduled to meet with the contractor this week to discuss the cost and the outcome of the project. Osgood expected boring work to be done either later this week or early next week. The project to cross the creek 'will take about a day.
The line runs about 160 feet under the creek, just east of Highway 12 overcrossing. The city is replacing both the sewer and water lines that go to Morton International, the Department of Transportation and other areas in south Elma. The water line is being attached to the Highway 12 bridge.
Morton International gave the city $80,000 toward the work, the city paid about $40,000 and the state picked up about $17,000. The city also plans to replant the area around the creek ' "We're getting this thing replaced at a real good rate," Osgood said.
But now, the concern is the weather and the creek.
But there's also the creek's habitat. The state gave Elma several permits and now doesn't want anyone working in the water.
Gloria Mitchell, a habitat biologist with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the Cloquallum Creek is "one of the most productive for salmon and steelhead."
"Now is the time fish are moving into the creek," Mitchell said. "it's just getting late in the year."
She said she's gotten good cooperation from the city of Elma.
She said the work could be completed, through, "if they're able to get (the equipment) and don't disturb the stream."
Osgood said it won't be a problem. The work is done out of the water. Once concern might be flooding.
"Right now (flooding) isn't" a concern, Osgood said. "(There's) no major flooding coming down the pipe.
"We've had flooding in the later part of November. Hopefully, they'll be out of there by then."
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