By Amy Jennings, Vidette Reporter (Montesano), 7/16/98
Pacific Beach has been assured completion of its $12.8 million sewer treatment plant upgrade and expansion, thanks to a final $3.5 million check presented to the County Commissioners at the Monday, July 13 public meeting.
The Clinton Administration kicked off its 1998 "Water 2000 Initiative" nationwide on July 13, committing $155.8 million to safe drinking water projects. in 38 states and Puerto Rico. The Grays Harbor County/Pacific Beach sewer system expansion and upgrade is the first Water 2000 project in Washington State to benefit from these funds.
State Director for United States Department of Agriculture, Rural Development in Washington, Mary E. McBride, marked the occasion with the presentation of a check to Grays Harbor County Board of Commissioners Chairman Dick Dixon. McBride also presented Dixon with a personally signed letter from President Bill Clinton.
"More than 2 million citizens around the country have problems accessing quality drinking water. Many of these communities have a very high ratio of low to moderate income families, making affordability a terrible issue," McBride stated during her presentation. "Water 2000 is investing monies in those communities... Pacific Beach and Moclips have a large number of low to moderate income households - it's one of our region's most timber impacted communities... Water 2000 will assist in eliminating a serious public health hazard that exists in that area... This project represents an excellent investment of public resources... This initiative invests in the future of our rural communities."
Approximately 750 Moclips and Pacific Beach residents are expected to benefit, first hand, from the project, and though the dollar amounts may seem extravagant when considering the relatively small number of people that will actually be served by them, the current wastewater treatment systems present significant health and safety hazards for many.
The Pacific Beach area as traditionally used individual septic systems, many of which are failing or have long since failed. In addition, there are open cesspools still in use in the area, and the raw sewage is a public health concern that could have severe impacts on safe drinking water for the residents.
The contamination of shellfish along the coast has the potential to impact many more people than just those households hooked to the new treatment system.
Residents and visitors alike consume the area's potentially contaminated shellfish. The Quinault Indian Nation's tribal members rely heavily upon shellfish for subsistence, commercial and ceremonial purposes. Additionally, the poor water quality which is a natural consequence of inadequate sewage treatment, could have an adverse economic impact on all of Grays Harbor - which relies on high water quality for both fishing and tourism industries.
In order to solve the public health hazard created by failing systems and the cesspools, the County must expand sewer service to areas of the community with soils unsuitable for onsite septic systems. In order to expand, it was first necessary to upgrade the old sewer treatment plant to accommodate increased volume and current regulatory requirements.
The treatment plant is nearly complete, and phases one and two of the expansion of collection lines is in the early stages of construction.
The recent funding will allow for phase three - collection system expansion to the area's lowest income households - to begin.
Phase III is estimated to cost $3,751,100 with the Water 2000 Initiative providing a $1,056,000 loan, and a $2,512,400 grant (for a total of $3,568,400). Monies from the United States Department of Agriculture will account for 56 percent of the total $12.8 in expenses associated with the Pacific Beach project.
"For the first 18 years of my life, I was raised in Moclips," County Commission Chairman Dixon said during the check presentation. "This is pretty meaningful to me. I still have friends and family there. My appreciation is more than just for the county. It's personals'
Commissioner Robert Paylor noted that the communities of Pacific Beach and Moclips deserved recognition for their willingness to pitch in and repay the loan portion of the funding.
"The community has stepped up and decided that this type of infrastructure is important to the development of their community," Paylor praised.
The Commissioners also thanked County Director for 'Utilities and Development Kevin Varness for dedicating countless hours to the project.
"This has been Kevin's life for four or five years," Paylor said. "It's thanks to him that we were even considered for all of the necessary funding.
The Water 2000 Initiative was announced in 1994 by President Clinton. The initiative targets funds for projects in needful communities in all corners of the United States.
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