PORT ANGELES — The costliest public works project in the city’s history will be the topic of a special City Council meeting Tuesday.
City staff, along with its consultant, Brown and Caldwell, and a representative of the state Department of Ecology will provide a presentation updating the public on efforts to eliminate sewage overflows.
The meeting will be held at 6 p.m. in council chambers at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.
The project is expected to cost upward of $40 million, an expense being covered by low-interest loans and utility payments.
The monthly charge is currently at $14.95 for residents and is expected to rise to $17.45 next year.
The rate is planned to continue to increase until 2015, when it is expected to reach $26.40 per month. The rate will expire after another 20 years.
To eliminate the overflows, as mandated by Ecology, the city plans to use a 5-million-gallon tank that it owns on the site of the former Rayonier mill to temporarily store sewage during heavy rainfall.
New sewer pipes will also be added along the waterfront, and modifications to pump stations and the city’s wastewater treatment plant will be made.
The city experiences between 30 and 100 overflows a year.
The city has until 2015 to complete the project.
