2020-04-13-minutes-public-works-study-session

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ECOLOGY and USFS no longer support the spray field treatment of the area's wastewater as a sustainable and desirable treatment solution. To discharge to a nearby surface water, a higher level of treatment is required. The community's interested developers have placed pressure on the Special Purpose District (SPD) and Kittitas County to provide additional water services to support their projects in the Snoqualmie Pass area. To strategize changes that could affect water treatment, water rights, and economic development, the Snoqualmie Pass Utility District initiated development of three interrelated planning documents in April 2018: a Water System Plan, a GeneraI Sewer Plan, and a Facility Plan. The General Sewer Plan will replace the previous Snoqualmie Pass Utility District Comprehensive Sewer Plan dated June 1994 and revised August 1995. The Water System Pian will update the current Water System Plan that expires in the spring of 2020. Advancements in wastewater treatment have made discharging into rivers and creeks an environmentally sound practice provided treatment can be done to National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) standards. Discharging the treated water from the MBR system will allow the Utility District to obtain a foreign water right credit from the clean effluent they discharge to Coal Creek. Because the Snoqualmie Pass area has reached limitations on water rights, development has stalled. Commercial and residential, domestic water and sewer services are provided in the Snoqualmie Pass area by the Utility District. The area placed a water moratorium on itself. The moratorium was lifted in September 2019 following water system leak repairs and conservation measures. To support planned developments, the Utility District has been creative and considering holistic solutions which can address both economic vitality and environmental needs. The Phase 1 project initiates best practices immediately and will provide the Utility District with the area -specific data needed to expand the WWTF in subsequent phases until 100°fo of the effluent is treated with MBR technology. Wastewater treatment improvements are being planned to be expanded as needed to meet the long- term service area needs. The Utility District anticipates the number of residences and businesses will double when current planned developments are completed. However, water right limitations are expected to be reached in 2020 unless additional water rights are obtained. The Utility District's customers include ski resorts and supporting services to travelers on Interstate 90 (I-90) such as rest areas, gas stations, hotels, stores, and restaurants. Multiple conversations with the ski resorts have already been initiated to explain the planned improvements to the water system and wastewater treatment facility. The Utility District's additional water capacity, because of the wastewater improvements, would encourage residential construction. An increase in residents during recreational and tourist seasons allows commercial enterprises to draw employees during the seasons in which they would be needed most. Increases in capacity can allow commercial operations to consider off-peak strategizing to expand operating days and evening use. Related but separate ski resort improvements are being planned to accommodate increased demand. Currently, an estimated 30,000 people travel to Snoqualmie Pass area in the winter on peak weekend days. Increased snow -making, expanding hours, adding days to the season, and expanding evening skiing, can increase the number of customers the ski resorts can serve while lessening the peak demand impact of seasonal tourism on other infrastructure systems