Lacey will move forward with plan to help septic system

The city of Lacey, after approval by the city council, will present a plan to support a sewage system in the community, which experts say will not take two more years.

If the sewage system at Tolmie Park Estates in the city’s urban growth area goes down, the sewage contained in the system threatens Eagle Creek, which flows into Woodland Creek, which flows into Puget Sound, according to information shared during a city council work session on Thursday.

The city can help by connecting the neighborhood to the sewer system.

The project is to be funded by a Utility Local Improvement District where a bond will be issued and then the cost will be repaid by the property owners through a monthly valuation. If the entire project is funded, property owners could pay around $ 300 a month, according to the city.

However, city officials said Thursday the city was ready to contribute $ 2 million to the project, which would bring the estimate down to about $ 100 a month.

Still, much more needs to be done before the city reaches this stage, said Public Works Director Scott Egger. First, the city needs to meet with homeowners association Tolmie Park Estates to clarify the ULID process and see if the HOA is providing funds that could be used for ULID funding, potentially further lowering monthly ratings.

And the ULID process doesn’t move at all if the majority of property owners disagree.

“If you don’t forward a petition with more than 50 percent, there won’t be a project,” said Egger. “You will have to deal with it when it is convicted.”

The state health ministry could take this step, he added.

Ideally, the city would like to plan the sewerage system in 2022 and build it in 2023, said Egger.

Septic future

For the septic tank projects that follow in 2030, Egger suggested: Around 1,000 septic tanks, both in the city and in the urban growth area, are already on the street in front of a main sewer system. He said the city should go ahead and pay to connect these lots and use more purified water.

Linking those 493 properties in the city will cost about $ 10 million, and about $ 11.5 million for the 574 in the urban growth area, he said. Both projects would be spread over the decade. Until 2039 and beyond, however, the question arises: should the city continue to bear all or part of the costs for the septic tank?

So far, the city’s approach to paying for everything has been as they did in the Capitol City Golf Club area, though the city has also asked these residents to be annexed in exchange for the sewer connection.

For 2039 and beyond, the council, particularly Mayor Andy Ryder and Councilor Lenny Greenstein, said they were unwilling to give direction so far into the future.

Chambers Estates

One question that has been raised is why certain residents paid for their plumbing in the Capitol City Golf Club area and others did not.

Egger stated Thursday that the original focus of the Capitol City Golf Club Estates project was to replace old and undersized water pipes – something that was not a problem in the Chambers Estates neighborhood west of Rainier Road. Then the city had concerns about sewage treatment plants in the area of ​​the golf course, which threatened the city’s No. 4 well. Ultimately, the city wanted to replace the water pipes and connect to the sewer system at the same time, he said.

The Capitol City Golf Club Estates project is much more urgent than Chambers Estates, said Egger.

Rolf has been with The Olympian since August 2005. It covers the breaking news, the town of Lacey, and the newspaper’s business. Rolf graduated from Evergreen State College in 1990.

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