Dayton Stumped On Wastewater Issue

DAYTON -- The city of Dayton and its leaders are getting frustrated. The city has just six years to solve a wastewater problem that seems unsolvable.

Dayton's wastewater treatment plant, located at the west end of Commercial Drive, was built in 1938 and has had several tune-ups since that time.

Mayor Craig George said many people have a big misconception about the current treatment plant, thinking it is a brand new facility.

"New things were added in 2000," George said. "But it was basically just a face- lift. Repairs are expensive and don't always update the plant."

George said about four years ago, the Washington State Department of Ecology established a new set of requirements for waste- water treatment plants like the facility in Dayton. The biggest issue Dayton and other cities throughout Washington are facing is the lack of technology to meet the strict requirements the department has set. And if Dayton doesn't comply, the city may be fined.

"That's the crux of it," former Dayton city councilman Merle Jackson said of the technology gap. "Even with all of the mon- ey in the world, we can't do this."

Jackson said the city will need to continue to look at options, but he isn't optimistic that a timely and fiscally feasible solution will emerge anytime soon.

Dayton's wastewater treatment plant is called a point source facility. After it processes and clarifies the city's sewage, the pro- cessed water is pumped back into the Touchet River.

Pat McGuire, Dayton's permit manager from the Department of Ecology, said point source facilities like Dayton's are under the heaviest scrutiny from the Department of Ecology because the processed water contains residual nutrients that can be harmful to fish.

"The nutrient production acts like a fertilizer," Jani Gilbert, communications manager for Eastern Washington Department of Ecology, said. "So the algae growth increases and causes the bodies of water to have a shortage of oxy- gen."

This shortage of oxygen, produced when the algae consume the nutrients from the facility's pipes, causes fish downstream to suffo- cate and die.

The has city commissioned a study from the Anderson-Perry and As- sociates engineering firm to see how it can meet the state's required changes to the plant by the deadline -- 2018. That study will be made public June 2013, George said.

"We have to meet the ob- ligation the Department of Ecology set for us," George said. "But we are still paying off bonds from the 1996 flood, so the financial aspect is difficult."

For Dayton, the financial aspect isn't even the biggest challenge. The sheer lack of the necessary technology has been the biggest road block in achieving the Department of Ecology's requirements.

Oddly enough, it seems city leaders and the Department of Ecology agree on this fact.

"The total maximum daily load requirements are too strict for the technology that currently exists," McGuire said. "The critical period is from May to October when the water is warmer and the flow is lower. If Dayton takes the water out, it needs to be put back somehow and hellip; that water is too nutrient-rich for the river."

George said the water the city of Dayton uses is pumped from an under- ground aquifer, but because about 300,000 gallons of water have been pumped from the aquifer, through the town and processed into the Touchet River. Main- taining the river's water level now depends on that source.

Dayton is not alone in this. The strict requirement predicament Dayton is currently in is happening all over the state, McGuire said.

Regardless, there doesn't seem to be any solution the city or the Department of Ecology can come up with to meet the standards necessary in time for the Dec. 31, 2018 deadline set for Dayton.

"Sometimes they can do that through what they call groundwater recharge or they can buy the wa- ter rights," McGuire said. "(But) with the limits they've got, it would be really hard to satisfy the requirements even if they've got the money."

Gilbert said the county is testing ways to meet the requirements, but there is no way to know how fast technology will advance or if the city can come up with a solution and the financial backing for the solution by 2018.

And if the city is unable to meet the requirements, there could be financial repercussions for falling short of the imposed standards.

McGuire and Gilbert said the Department of Ecology has the ability and right to fine the city for failing to meet the require- ments by 2018. But, this kind of enforcement can be counter-productive and expensive for both the state and the city.

Both McGuire and Gilbert said the city should be concerned about a civil suit. If the plant isn't brought up to meet the requirements set by the department by 2018, the citizens of Dayton have the right to file a lawsuit.

"The odds of a citizen suit are much higher than the Department of Ecology fining the city," McGuire said.

For now, George said, the city is just trying to weigh all of the options.

"Maybe in six months we'll be able to talk again and we'll have made a breakthrough," George said. "We're not trying to pull the wool over anyone's eyes. We all want clean water and we all want con- servation, but we've also got to live."

What Wastewater Problem?

Dayton's Wastewater Treatment Plant Was Built In 1938, Has Gone Through Minor Upgrades Since

New State Requirements To Save Fish In The Touchet River Mean A Wastewater Overhaul Is Required For Dayton By 2018

The Problem: Dayton Has No Funding For An Overhaul, Technology Hasn't Been Developed To Provide An Easy, Cheaper Solution