Publication Summary

Providing regional wastewater services and managing regional partnerships is an enormous topic. This report can really only serve as a broad overview or introduction to the topic. Some broad conclusions can be drawn, based partially on the case studies presented in chapter 6 of this report. These conclusions are also based on numerous contacts with elected and appointed officials of communities that have experience with regional facilities. And lastly, they are based on decades of professional experience gained by Ecology through NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) and state wastewater discharge permitting processes and the administration and management of water quality focused state and federal grant and loan programs.

Providing regional wastewater services and managing regional partnerships is an enormous topic. This report can really only serve as a broad overview or introduction to the topic. Some broad conclusions can be drawn, based partially on the case studies presented in chapter 6 of this report. These conclusions are also based on numerous contacts with elected and appointed officials of communities that have experience with regional facilities. And lastly, they are based on decades of professional experience gained by Ecology through NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) and state wastewater discharge permitting processes and the administration and management of water quality focused state and federal grant and loan programs.

Wastewater regionalization is broadly accepted and can be seen throughout the state. Regional facilities can be found in large and small communities, east and west of the cascades, and in both urban and rural settings. Approximately 200 local governments have entered wastewater regionalization partnerships. These partnerships have been the recipient of over one billion dollars in state financial support from the Ecology′s Water Quality Program and the Department of Commerce over the past 25 years.

The economic and environmental benefits of implementing wastewater regionalization are real. One of the reasons regionalization is so widespread is that both regulatory agencies and local governments recognize the potential cost savings for construction and operation of regional facilities. Regional facilities have delivered improved environmental outcomes through fewer discharges and improved reliability for the treatment process.