PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County commissioners have awarded a $424,110 contract to an independent consulting firm to survey the Port Hadlock Urban Growth Area Sewer Facility Plan.
The survey will bring the county closer to the end of a zoning battle for the proposed sewer system.
Seattle-based Tetra Tech/KCM, an international consulting firm, has been hired to investigate the best and most efficient sewer system for the community that residents would be able to afford.
Frank Gifford, Jefferson County Public Works director, said five different consulting firms were considered but Tetra Tech/KCM had the best track record and seemed to know more about communities similar to Port Hadlock.
The contract with the firm will establish six-year and 20-year plans for the sewer system.
The firm is expected to look at historical information on the evolution of the sewer program and establish new findings with that information in mind, Gifford said.
Early development stage
The contract approval marks an early stage in the development of an Irondale-Port Hadlock sewer system, but remains a victory for those supporting development in the area, which a sewer facility would enable.
“This is a fundamental service if we’re going to concentrate growth in Port Hadlock,” said county Commissioner David Sullivan, D-Cape George.
“It’ll help us create housing for every aspect of our society — from seniors to low-income housing for workers.”
With most residents and businesses in Port Hadlock using septic systems, a sewage plan has been in the works for some time but has hit snags along the way.
“In one form or another, this has been an idea for 20 or more years,” Sullivan said.
