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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 10, 1995
95-148
CONTACT:
Darrel Anderson (360) 407-6272
Mary Getchell (360) 407-6157
ECOLOGY GIVES EMERGENCY MONEY FOR PE ELL’S ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ADVISORY
OLYMPIA, WA -- This week, the Washington State Department of Ecology authorized Pe Ell a $100,000 grant and low interest loan to help address the environmental health problems facing the community. The money will be used to fix the emergency posed by raw sewage being discharged into Stowe Creek and the Chehalis River at the 3rd and 6th Street pump stations in Pe Ell.
"As we said last week when we issued the Environmental Health Advisory with Lewis County, raw sewage discharges are a very serious health and environmental hazard. We’re issuing Pe Ell an emergency loan because of the significant threat posed by the raw sewage overflows,” said Mike Llewelyn, Ecology’s water quality program manager. "We rarely issue emergency loans--this is about the eighth such loan we’ve issued in five years.”
The loan will give Pe Ell both technical and financial assistance. Pe Ell may incur up to $100,000 of eligible costs to correct the environmental health problem. Eligible costs include activities such as fixing the existing pump stations and engineering costs associated with the pump stations’ repairs. Ecology will negotiate the final financial assistance amount and terms of the assistance with Pe Ell. The town may be eligible for further loans or grants under the Centennial Clean Water Fund administered by Ecology.
The Pe Ell town council is making plans to repair the pump stations. The town hired an engineering consultant to prepare cost estimates and final designs for repairing the pump stations. Ecology will need to approve the plans before construction begins.
"There are two points to the problem. It is a serious problem and it’s good we’re getting funding to address the problem,” said Jack Rutledge, Pe Ell mayor. "The sewage overflows have been a problem for many years.”
Last week’s Environmental Health Advisory continues to be in effect as a warning to people to not have contact with the Stowe Creek and Chehalis River, between the bridge crossing Highway 106 and Pe Ell. The advisory warns people in Pe Ell to not fish, swim, drink or otherwise have contact with the water in the area of the discharges.
Two of Pe Ell’s pump stations, one at 3rd and one at 6th Street, have been experiencing frequent overflows of raw sewage, dumping the untreated sewage into Stowe Creek and the Chehalis River. Raw sewage can spread diseases such as hepatitis, typhoid, giardia and cryptosporidium in people. So far, there have been no reported outbreaks of diseases because of the overflows. The overflows could also be harmful to fish and other aquatic animals.
Ecology, Lewis County Health Department and Pe Ell officials will continue to work together to stop the immediate environmental and human health problem and then work toward long term solutions. The organizations will be providing people with further information through updates to the media and postings throughout the community of Pe Ell.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
