  |
|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 21, 1995
95-198
CONTACT:
Darrel Anderson, Ecology, (360) 407-6272
Mary Getchell, Ecology, (360) 407-6157 or Pager, (360) 534-8590
Mike Vinatieri, Lewis County, (360) 740-1238
LEWIS COUNTY FIXES SEWER PROBLEM THREATENING PUBLIC HEALTH
OLYMPIA, WA -- Good news for people living in the Wallace Road-Jackson Highway area of Lewis County: the Washington State Department of Ecology and Lewis County Health Department have fixed a sewage problem that was threatening public health. The agency and county provided a sewer collection system to serve residents in this area. The septic systems were discharging raw sewage into Dillenbaugh Creek and the Chehalis River--posing a direct threat to the health of people and the environment.
Several years ago residents brought the concern of failing septic systems to Lewis County. The problem was caused by sewage leaking from the private septic systems into ditches and into Dillenbaugh Creek and the Chehalis River. Because of the seriousness of the problems associated with raw sewage going into the creek and river, the Washington Department of Health and Lewis County Health District declared a public health emergency declaration in the area. A public health emergency exists when a situation poses an imminent threat of illness, and sewage in ditches in neighborhoods poses such a threat.
"The county was very happy to be able to work with the neighborhood residents and Ecology to solve this serious health concern. The willingness of the city of Chehalis made this project possible ,” said Mike Vinatieri, environmental health director for Lewis County.
To fix the septic system problems, county workers connected the Wallace Road neighborhoods to the city of Chehalis’ sewer system. The project, completed this month, connected 70 homes. This eliminated the health hazard in the affected neighborhoods, and it stopped the contamination from entering Dillenbaugh Creek and the Chehalis River.
"Fixing the septic system problems was a big project. Putting the homes on the Chehalis sewer system means the water quality in Dillenbaugh Creek and the Chehalis River, and the health of the public is being protected again,” said Mary Riveland, director of Ecology.
Eliminating the failing septic system is a step toward responding to the Total Maximum Daily Load or pollution loading project Ecology completed on the upper Chehalis River last year. The pollution loading project showed one of the pollution problems was high levels of fecal coliform bacteria coming from failing septic systems and other nonpoint sources, such as agriculture. Fecal coliform can cause illnesses in people. One solution to reducing and stopping fecal coliform from getting into the river is taking homes off of failing private septic systems and putting them onto public sewer systems.
The total project cost approximately $1,003,000. Ecology issued Lewis County a Centennial Clean Water Fund hardship grant totaling approximately $680,000, and a State Revolving Fund loan of approximately $323,000. Because the total costs of the project would have likely placed an economic hardship on many of the homeowners in the community, Ecology issued a hardship grant to Lewis County, meaning Ecology paid 75 percent of the total project costs with a grant versus the typical 50 percent of the project costs.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
