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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2, 1998
98-039
Contact: Sandy Rudnick, Public Information Manager, (360) 407-6239
Kathleen Emmett, Inspector, (360) 407-6281
OLYMPIA - The wastewater treatment plant operated by the city of Woodland is beyond its permitted design capacity, and has prompted the Department of Ecology to place a moratorium on new sewer extensions, connections, or waste-load increases from industrial or commercial sources until new capacity can be added.
"Woodland is growing faster than its wastewater treatment system currently can handle, and that poses a threat to water quality in the North Fork of the Lewis River," said Keli McKay Means, a water quality manager for Ecology. "We want to work with the city to plan and construct a system that provides long-term capacity for its population growth."
McKay-Means noted that the moratorium does not include new residential connections that connect to existing lines.
Woodland’s existing wastewater treatment plant is understaffed and operating well beyond its design capacity. The administrative order calls for the city to increase staffing at the Woodland wastewater treatment facility by 1.91 full-time employees and to cease authorizing new sewer extensions, connections or waste-load increases from industrial or commercial sources until new capacity has been constructed by the city and authorized by Ecology.
The order also calls for the city to present a draft plan by September and a final plan by November, with construction to follow and project completion by April 2001.
More than 16,000 feet of new sewer lines have been added in the city since 1994. Clark County has grown by 27 percent since 1990.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
