PORT ANGELES — City Hall will soon own a portion of Rayonier’s former mill site.
The Port Angeles City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday, with council member Max Mania opposed, to acquire 11.86 acres of the 75-acre property for $995,000.
The city made the purchase to acquire a large tank that sits on the purchased land to control its sewage overflow problem.
Mania didn’t say why he voted no but has said in the past that he thinks the city should focus on disconnecting storm drains from the sewer system as a means to reduce overflows.
He has consistently voted against plans to use the tank since he joined the council in January.
Legal language
City Attorney Bill Bloor said the purchase will be made final as soon as language regarding the placement of sewer lines across Rayonier’s remaining property can be added.
City engineers should have that information to Rayonier in the “next few days,” he said, but didn’t have a date for when the agreement will be signed.
The city had intended to acquire the tank through the Harbor-Works Development Authority. The city began negotiating with Rayonier directly after the company chose to end negotiations with Harbor-Works last summer.
Under the purchase agreement, Rayonier is still required to pay for the environmental cleanup of the land to the extent that its agreement with the state Department of Ecology mandates.
The city will use the 5-million-gallon tank to temporarily store untreated sewage and stormwater that would otherwise overflow into Port Angeles Harbor during heavy rainfall.
The land purchase also gives the city room to expand its wastewater treatment plant near the tank.
Glenn Cutler, city public works and utilities director, said the city wants to add a “receiving station” for septic tank effluent.
No other expansion plans are being considered, he said.
Ecology has mandated that the city reduce its sewage overflows from between 30 and 100 per year to no more than four on average by 2016.
The land purchase and all other expenses associated with the approximately $40 million project will be paid for with low-interest loans and a wastewater utility fee.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
