Orcas Village plant, sewer hook ups, screw press processing among items discussed

In light of the matter before the County Council on Sept. 29 to grant easements along Dolphin Bay Road to pipe water, Commissioner Ed Sutton asked if the district wanted “to make a statement of position from the context of long-term development of a comprehensive utility system” at the Eastsound Sewer and Water District (ESWD) meeting on Sept. 25.

Commissioner Mike Stolmeier said that his understanding was that the council decision was whether private entities have access to public utilities, and that conveying water fit within that scenario.

“There’s no basis to make a statement [such as Sutton suggested]. We’ll certainly monitor it with interest; it’s a narrow issue before the county – the utility easement.”

Sutton said that it appeared that a separate pipeline would be “going in the opposite direction of a comprehensive water supply plan – I see it as a dangerous precedent, with a spiderweb of piping.”

ESWD Manager Roy Light said that the more water lines are placed in public easements, “the more difficult it is to put in sewer lines because of separation rules.”

Sutton said, “I’m curious where we’re headed; is it towards a PUD [Public Utility District] for the island that deals with the oversight and management of water resources?”

Stolmeier said that, in his view, the ESWD was in a position of “responsive responsibility, where other entities approach us, rather than being proactive.

“We’ve left open the option that non-Eastsound entities or citizens can approach us to expand what we do. It’s possible for someone to come to us demonstrating a need – we’ve left the door open.”

Sutton said, “As these things develop rather quickly, we should know how we want to respond.”

Stolemeier said, “Our vision is that we’re going to have a big-picture view of things. We’re proactive on making the policy-makers aware of ESWD potential capabilities.”

In other matters, the Orcas Village treatment plant was shut down because its gravel filters were not treating the liquids to a sufficient level to prevent permit violations, according to Light.

Currently, waste is being hauled to the Eastsound plant for treatment. Light estimates that when replacement machinery is brought in, it will take two weeks to process and recharge.

ESWD Commissioners discussed revising the policy manual to reflect that the STEP process used by the Eastsound treatment plant is a secondary treatment process, and the manual is written for primary treatment. The Commissioners advised revision to set contamination levels at “reasonable enforceable levels.” They will consider a resolution change at the next ESWD meeting.

Commissioners also discussed with Rollie Sauer, a member of the Orcas Highlands Property Owners’ Association, the progress on deadlines for hooking up to sewer collection lines. Currently, homeowners are required to connect to the sewer line within one year. However, if the septic system fails on a property, or the property is sold, the property owner must hook up to the sewer collection line immediately, or set aside a portion of sale proceeds to do so. The Board instructed the staff to modify language to reflect the one-year timeline.

ESWD’s consideration of a screw press operation to recycle bio-solids into nutri-mulch has been noted by the Department of Ecology and the potential operation may enable the district to handle sewage for the entire island, and beyond that, to county-wide operations.

The screw press has not been ordered, and the district is looking at the feasibility of such an operation, in terms of cost, (estimated at $500,000) size of ESWD property and infrastructure.

Commissioners reported that a septic density study had been completed recently and that a report to the district will be forthcoming. “We will better understand the capacity of the Eastsound basin for on-site septic systems, what the aquifer really is and the character of its influent,” said Sutton, noting that the aquifer influent had been monitored and measured on a daily basis for 20 years, and that it has been primarily treated through septic tanks.

The commissioners agreed to change their regular meeting schedule to the second and fourth Tuesdays at 4:45 p.m., effective Oct. 14.