The construction for Phase 2 of the District’s Water Reclamation Facility (WRF) upgrade is now complete. Century West Engineering was the District’s Engineer and Project Manager for the project. The District’s Inspector, Larry White, was the Owner’s Representative. Design for the upgrade was performed by Esvelt Environmental Engineering, B2 Architecture, Budinger & Associates, Coffman Engineers, LSB Consulting Engineers, and Trindera Engineering. Construction was completed by Williams Brothers Construction/Clearwater Construction and Management as a joint venture. The District would like to commend the outstanding work performed by District staff, design team, consulting engineers, numerous construction contractors, and product suppliers.
The upgrade to the WRF includes the addition of effluent filtration with submerged membranes, chemical equipment for coagulation, modifications to the existing UV disinfection system for future reuse, addition of a second headworks fine screen, and other improvements to existing buildings and sites. In addition to the facility upgrades, the District purchased the Fire Station on Harvard Road from the Spokane County Fire Department for a new lab and operations building for the WRF. The District plans to incorporate an education center in this building to host public tours and education groups. If you are interested in a tour of the District’s treatment facility please contact us.
The improvements will upgrade effluent quality standards and objectives in the Spokane River/Lake Spokane Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for Dissolved Oxygen. This additional treatment will further reduce phosphorous discharge to less than ½ pound per day. This will equate to better than 99% removal of phosphorous entering the facility. The end product will be “Class A” reclaimed water. Total cost of this upgrade is $17 million. In early 2015, the District received loan funding through Washington State Department of Ecology’s State Revolving Fund. The $15.1 million dollar loan must be paid back over 20 years. The District’s NPDES permit mandates the District to have upgrades to the WRF completed to meet the new nutrient criteria by March 1, 2018. The District’s treatment facility upgrades and increase in sampling have ultimately resulted in increased sewer rates in the recent years, as well as planned increases for the future.
