Larey McLaren for
Alderwood Water District
Commissioner, Pos. 3 (non-partisan)
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Larey answers ratepayer questions ...
Question: What, specifically, is your position on Brightwater? For or against?
Answer:
During the 1960’s, Washington State – through pressure brought by the State Department of Health – “inspired” Alderwood Water District to enter the wastewater treatment business. The District Board during that period complied with the letter of the requirements imposed and constructed the facility at Picnic Point which was subsequently expanded to a treatment capacity of 3 million gallons per day. I am quite sure that nobody foresaw the growth we have experienced since then. The Alderwood service area currently generates about 35 million gallons of wastewater every day.
The Picnic Point Wastewater Treatment Facility serves the northwestern corner of the District and processes a bit less than 10% of all District wastewater. Growth in the area will exceed the current capability very soon. As a result, a larger facility utilizing modern technology is being constructed. This is a costly, difficult, time-consuming process - one that we don’t want to repeat anytime soon. We have to do our best to get it right. I believe ratepayers are best served by constructing this new facility utilizing technology that will stand the test of time. It must be state-of-the-art to comply with ever-tighter restrictions and it must be expandable to account for the inevitable growth in the area. I believe ratepayers deserve the stability that comes from foresight and thoughtful planning.
What about the other 90%?
Alderwood is not in a position to oppose the Brightwater Project. The seeds for the current melee were sown 40 years ago when the Alderwood Board chose not to involve itself directly in wastewater treatment beyond the limited capacity of the Picnic Point facility. The population grew and septic systems became less viable and Board reluctance to take direct control of wastewater treatment severely limited Alderwood options. A decision was made to contract with King County/METRO for sewer services. We have become increasingly dependent ever since.
Wastewater from nearly the entire District outside the NW corner flows South through large trunk sewers to King County for treatment. Alderwood has constructed the infrastructure and treatment charges are “passed through” from METRO to Alderwood ratepayers based upon a long term agreement.
METRO has reached the limit of their treatment capacity. Capacity must be increased to support increased demands. Addressing the problem by enacting a moratorium on growth is politically unpalatable and is a very short term Band-Aid at best. It is not an option to simply do nothing.
I insisted the Alderwood Board explore the possibility of constructing a treatment facility large enough to serve the entire District during my first term in 1999. That analysis indicated that such a facility was not feasible but the very real necessity for increased treatment capacity did not go away.
King County eliminated the option of expanding existing facilities (all in King County) fairly quickly. Siting the new facility generated heated debate, but in the end, all of the finalists were in Snohomish County. The reality is that those who are calling the shots make decisions that serve their own political interests, and locating the facility in Snohomish county has no adverse political consequences for King County politicians.
The decisions made in the 60’s have had the effect of stripping Alderwood of all but advisory influence on the process so the challenge facing Alderwood Commissioners today is complex. King County/METRO is managing their project in their best interests. Snohomish County is working to protect its interests by imposing restrictions and conditions on METRO affecting configuration and cost to future customers. Alderwood ratepayers are caught right between two competing County governments. It will take a combination of technical expertise and political savvy to minimize negative consequences.
I am very unhappy with Brightwater – the decisions leading to it, the siting process, the politics, pretty much everything about it – but regardless of my personal feelings, Brightwater is going to happen. As a Commissioner, I have to consider issues from a broad perspective. I must support decisions that serve ratepayers and the District as a whole, to the greatest benefit. It is not likely that legal challenges and other delays will have any effect other than to elevate costs and prolong the inevitable. We must recognize that our best option today is to ensure minimal disruption and the lowest possible expense to Alderwood ratepayers.
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Mill Creek, WA 98082