Politics & Government
Ribbon Cutting Celebrates New Wastewater Plant
As city officials and plant workers were celebrating the successful overhaul of Gig Harbor's wastewater treatment plant last week, they were already preparing for the next — and final — phase of the project.
The crowd was all smiles last week at the ribbon-cutting ceremony showcasing the completion last month of Gig Harbor’s largest utility project to date — the $16 million upgrade of its
There was a lot to smile about. The two-year overhaul, which increased capacity by nearly 70 percent, came in on time and $122,000 under budget while keeping the plant running without any spills or violations. It even earned an outstanding performance award from the state.
“This is a really messy job. The wastewater never stops flowing,” said Mayor Chuck Hunter, who was among the city and state officials on hand for the . “Not only did the staff keep the plant running, they didn’t have any spills and that’s an impressive thing.”
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The project involved replacing nearly all of the utility’s aging equipment with new machinery, including six state-of-the-art turbo blowers from South Korea that pump oxygen into the system to keep cleansing organisms alive. Gig Harbor was the first in the United States use the blowers in the treatment of wastewater, said plant supervisor Darrell Winans.
“A vendor wanted to rep the blowers in the U.S. so we got one to use on loan,” said Winans. “We installed it and within minutes we were sold and made them the basis for our bid for the project.”
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Due to upgrades like these, the plant now runs quieter, is both energy and environmentally efficient, and requires less upkeep. It now has the ability to treat 1.6 million gallons of wastewater a day, allowing the city to add 2,600 Equivalent Residential Units (ERUs) of capacity and put an end to its moratorium on new development. Plus, the plant is showing a 30 percent reduction in the amount of nutrients going into Puget Sound once wastewater has been treated.
City officials and plant workers aren’t resting on these achievements, however. With half of the additional 2,600 ERUs already issued, they are out scouting for low-interest financing and potential satellite facilities for phase two of the overhaul. This will increase the utility’s capacity for waste treatment to 2.4 million gallons a day.
“This provides the infrastructure for the future development of Gig Harbor,” said Hunter. “Increasing capacity from 1.6 million to 2.4 million gallons should keep us in business for the next 40 years."