By Sharon Michael, The Chronicle , 2/4/1998
Discourse was civil and the questions pragmatic Tuesday night when Centralia and Chehalis officials presented details of a proposed agreement with the state Department of Ecology.
Most citizens were concerned about the cost to meet federally mandated water quality standards enforced by DOE by wastewater discharge permit conditions, and where money will come from.
Some of the 30 citizens who attended the public comment session at Centralia High School wanted to know if a regional facility is still a possibility.
Others were concerned about doing the right thing and being good neighbors.
Cost is the most important issue for both cities, which are proposing solutions that officials believe are best for their customers.
Centralia plans a new treatment plant that also could serve Chehalis, Napavine and Lewis County Sewer District 1. Centralia Utilities Director Dick Southworth said Chehalis can delay its decision up to the point design work begins.
Chehalis officials have said participating in a regional facility would be an economic decision for them.
But with or without Chehalis and its partners in the current Chehalis treatment plant, Centralia will proceed with plans to replace its aging facility.
Federal water quality standards were only part of Centralia's decision to replace its plant. The facility is outmoded and has limited potential for upgrade and expansion due to site restrictions and safety issues. The new plant would discharge downstream of the Skookumchuck River.
Facility costs are still not set. But Monday night engineers told the Centralia City Council that they had lopped off about $16 million from an earlier $43 million estimate.
The final price tag will depend on the type of amenities the city council approves in the final design.
Chehalis is looking at $25 million to upgrade its existing plant and set up a discharge point below the Skookumchuck. Part of that cost would be passed on to customers through rate increases.
Both cities are seeking grants and low-interest loans to finance plans. But Chehalis officials estimate user rates still will increase from 40 to 45 percent this summer, and continue to escalate.
Centralia officials are counting on grants, low-interest loans and new industrial customers to help hold down sewer rates.
DOE officials have agreed to help the cities find financing for the alternatives they choose. But agency representatives acknowledged federal money has dried up and state resources are limited.
The tentative agreement would settle lawsuits against DOE by the cities and Darigold over wastewater treatment and discharge requirements. But the settlement won't be final unless it's ratified by the city councils.
Southworth doesn't foresee a problem gaining the council's approval of the agreement, which took nearly a year to negotiate.
A second public meeting is scheduled at 7 p.m. Thursday at Chehalis Middle School. Chehalis Mayor Bob Spahr said he hopes for a good turnout so elected officials can learn if citizens support the proposed agreement.
"We just negotiated to the point that we have something to talk about," Spahr said. "Now we need to talk about it."
But DOE representative Kahle Jennings said the only question is how the cities will comply with discharge permit standards within the negotiated eight-year time frame, not if they will.
"The fact is we do have a law and we have an obligation under the law to do certain things," Jennings said.
"People will make the choices they need to make," said former Lewis County Environmental Services manager Mike Vinatieri.
A dollar a day for water and a dollar a day for sewer doesn't seem unreasonable when people are willing to pay $36 a month for Direct TV, Vinatieri observed.
"Even if we didn't have a Clean Water Act, someday, someone downstream is going to get fed up and say I'm going to sue these guys," warned Dave Palmer of the Chehalis River Council.
"On a river system like this, neighbors upstream and downstream have to work together," Palmer added.
Mike Vinatieri, a former Lewis County health official now employed by Clark County, said Lewis County needs to be a more aggressive player in watershed planning.
The 1972 Clean Water Act requires states to identify sources of pollution in waters that don't meet water quality standards, and set acceptable pollution loads that keep water safe for drinking and swimming.
DOE and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently reached a settlement with two Northwest environmental groups that sued to force implementation of state and federal water quality standards.
That agreement calls for DOE to step up pollution load studies and implement discharge restrictions on polluted waterways.