(Washington, D.C.) – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that she has included $900,000 in a Senate spending bill to support critical water infrastructure improvements in Cowlitz County and the City of Puyallup. The funding will go toward replacing and upgrading local water pumps used for sewage, drinking water, and fire fighting.
“By investing in local water infrastructure and improving safety and efficiency, this funding will create jobs, boost the economy, and is a strong investment in clean water for our state,” said Senator Patty Murray. “Improving the safety and quality of our water systems is absolutely critical for our families’ health and for our state’s economy.”
The funding for City of Puyallup will support the addition of two sewage pumps and the upgrade of the force main: $500,000.
“The City of Puyallup is committed to providing the infrastructure that will serve our citizens and also help us to be good stewards of the environment,” said Puyallup City Manager Gary McLean. “This project is a preemptive step in protecting Puyallup and the region’s water quality. We appreciate the support of Senator Murray of this important project.”
The City of Puyallup operates and maintains a sanitary sewer pump station located at 19th St SW and W. Pioneer Ave. The station currently has three pumps which must be used at full capacity during peak flows. The Department of Ecology (DOE) requires that the city have a stand-by pump in case any of its pumps fail. To remain in compliance with DOE regulations, the city must upgrade this portion of the system.
The station was last upgraded in 1996, and currently three pumps are operating in the station. The upgrade will add the two remaining pumps that will bring the station up to full capacity. The project will also modify the existing motor control hardware so that all five pumps can be operated simultaneously on the stand-by power that is currently installed at the station. A parallel force main will be installed and extended approximately one mile from the pump station to the sanitary sewer structure located at 13th Ave NW and 21st St NW. It will then flow directly into the treatment plant to be processed.
This funding will help bring the pump station into compliance with DOE requirements and also have the ability to show measureable results through flow metering. The new pump would not only deliver sanitary sewer to the sewage treatment plant more efficiently, it would allow for scan data and real time flow information to be documented.
The City of Puyallup estimates that the construction project will employ approximately 30 skilled construction workers, and that suppliers and vendors will employ another 20 personnel for the project.
The funding for Cowlitz County Public Utility District #1 will help replace the Alderwood pump station, as well as the Williams Finney Pump Station and hydropneumatic tank: $400,000.
“We greatly appreciate Senator Murray’s hard work to secure this grant on behalf of our water customers,” said Kim Adamson, General Manager of Beacon Hill Sewer District, which operates the system. “It will help us replace two pump stations that are beyond their useful life. The construction work will benefit the community by creating jobs and will benefit our customers with improved reliability and safety of their water service.”
Funding will be used to upgrade the water supply system serving Cowlitz County residents to improve health and safety, including replacement of the aging Alderwood pump station to provide addition fire flow capacity. The existing structure housing the pump equipment is no longer structurally sound. It is also not large enough to add the third pump necessary to supply required fire flows.
Funding will also support the replacement of the Williams Finney Pump Station and hydropneumatic tank. The existing pump station and hydropneumatic tank have passed their expected life span. The controls between the pump station and tank have failed and require replacement. Control failure can allow loss of pressure in mainlines with a risk of infiltration threatening public health.
The Cowlitz PUD employs 10 employees in its water supply system in Cowlitz County. They estimate that this project will employ 117 people directly and support an additional 42 indirect jobs in manufacturing and service related fields
The funding for Cowlitz County PUD and City of Puyallup was included in the 2010 Senate Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, which will now move to the full Appropriations committee after passing through the subcommittee. Senator Murray is a senior member of the Appropriations Committee.
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