This upgrade would cost cities tens of millions of dollars. While it’s a noble goal, and one that should eventually be implemented for the health of the Salish Sea, poorer counties like Jefferson and Clallam would be put in a very difficult position financially. There is no money coming out of Washington D.C. to fund these efforts anymore, thanks to the folks who elected our current President and Senate. You can’t have both an anti-environmental President and expect to get help to do such things as improve the sewage outflows of our rural cities. As to the State of Washington providing for these upgrades, given the current demands of culvert replacement and the McCleary Decision, I wouldn’t expect any funding for this anytime soon, if ever. By the way, I’ve heard that Port Townsend is reaching the end of life of it’s sewage treatment plant, and is making plans to eventually look at tertiary treatment. But it’s really expensive.
An environmental group, Northwest Environmental Advocates, is calling on the Washington Department of Ecology and Gov. Jay Inslee to invoke a 1945 law in hopes of forcing cities and counties to improve their sewage-treatment plants.
https://pugetsoundblogs.com/waterways/
Filed under: Around the Sound, Puget Sound | Tagged: Puget Sound |
Sadly, though tertiary treatment brings the water closer to potable standards, it is still disposed of into the colder, more basic, saltwater of the Sound (Salish) sea, where it will still do about the same amount of damage
On Fri, Feb 1, 2019, 9:52 AM Olympic Peninsula Environmental News Al B. posted: “This upgrade would cost cities tens of millions of dollars. > While it’s a noble goal, and one that should eventually be implemented for > the health of the Salish Sea, poorer counties like Jefferson and Clallam > would be put in a very difficult position finan” >
Jim do you have any scientific research that substantiates that claim?
Thank you for your comment, Al. I worked 13 years in Seattle supporting the communications and community relations needs of the King County wastewater treatment utility. Although some folks likely won’t consider that a legit credential, I’m quite aware of not just the value of treating wastewater but also the costs of building improved treatment facilities and trying to locate and operate them where no one wants them.
Treating wastewater to tertiary levels in the years and decades ahead is a worthy goal for human and environmental health. But the citizens of our communities, states, and country — and their elected representatives — must be willing to pay for it. It can’t happen without increasing taxes and fees significantly and/or taking funds from other important government services to help pay for it.
We all gotta remember that we humans ain’t gonna stop shittin’ and pissin’! Our very own waste must go somewhere for treatment and disposal — along with the wastes produced and used for our benefit.