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Department of Ecology News Release - November 9, 2004
04-203
YAKIMA - The Port of Sunnyside has been awarded a $3.38 million low-interest loan to build an advanced wastewater treatment system that will reduce the amount of waste water applied to the ground.
The loan was awarded from the state's Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund, administered by the Department of Ecology (Ecology).
The new system will treat waste water to a strict standard that will allow the port to seasonally discharge to the Yakima River for the first time. Currently, the port applies the waste water to land it owns in the Sunnyside area. High levels of nitrates from the waste water have leached into the underground aquifer.
"High concentrations of nitrogen threaten wells that tap into the shallow aquifer, and that is both a health and environmental concern," explained Bob Raforth, an Ecology hydrogeologist. "This new system will allow the port to reduce the amount of nitrogen applied on the ground, and reduce the potential for contamination."
The state fund provides money to local governments to help improve and protect water quality in the state. This fiscal year, Ecology offered approximately $89.9 million to local governments for high-priority water quality projects, compared to $125 million in requests.
"These loans are in high demand," explained Tom Tebb, a manager for Ecology's water quality program in Yakima. "With this money, the Port of Sunnyside has the opportunity to make some much-needed improvements that will benefit the community as a whole."
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Media contact: Joye Redfield-Wilder, public information manager, (509) 575-2610
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
