Pierce County plans to issue $62 million in bonds this fall to begin a $350 million expansion and upgrade project of its sewage treatment facility at Chambers Creek.
The County Council took action Tuesday that will lead to sale of revenue bonds, likely sometime in the next couple of months.
They’ll be backed solely by the utility, not by other county funds, analyst Paul Bocchi told council members. Utility ratepayers will help pay for the expansion with rate increases and higher hookup fees.
The work to be done at the sewer plant includes replacing worn-out pumps, pipes and other equipment and eventually expanding capacity to around 45 million to 50 million gallons a day, public works and utilities director Brian Ziegler said.
The county’s sewer system serves about 120,000 customers and has reached its capacity of 28 million gallons a day, Ziegler said.
The huge expenditure will expand the plant to handle growth for at least two decades after work on the plant is completed in about five years, he added.
At the same time, the county must meet more stringent environmental regulations and more rigorously treat the effluent that goes into Puget Sound, he said.
The county is the largest sole-source contributor of nitrogen into the Sound south of the Tacoma Narrows, deputy public works and utilities director Toby Rickman told council members.
Too much nitrogen harms water quality, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Tacoma resident Ken Paulson, a candidate for the state Senate from the 29th Legislative District, was the only member of the public to speak on the issue during Tuesday’s council meeting. He wanted to know who would pay the $350 million and how costs would be distributed among ratepayers.
He said he’s talked to people in the county who “don’t know this is coming.”
Costs of the work will be passed to the utility’s customers through higher monthly bills and larger fees for initial hookups, Rickman replied.
Sewer system charges went up from about $25 a month to $29 a month this year, Ziegler told The News Tribune before the meeting.
Plans call for additional $4 monthly rate hikes in each of the next three years.
The county also will charge more for the two fees charged for each first-time hookups.
• The one-time connection fee, based on how far a home is from the treatment plant, is going up, but Rickman didn’t have a ready number for the increase. The way those fees are calculated is changing, he explained.
The one-time capacity charge someone pays when hooking into the system will go up from $1,200 per residence now to $1,800 when the plant is completed, Rickman said.
Councilman Dick Muri, R-Steilacoom, asked Rickman whether utilities officials briefed area builders and Realtors on the coming cost increases.
Yes, Rickman said. Plans for the wastewater treatment plant project have been in the works for some time, and public workshops have been conducted.
Kris Sherman: 253-597-8659 kris.sherman@thenewstribune.com
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