PORT ANGELES — The City Council authorized an additional $381,100 Tuesday to be spent on the city’s effort to prevent sewage from overflowing into Port Angeles Harbor.
The funds were approved in a contract amendment to the city’s consultant, Brown and Caldwell.
The total amendment is for $589,600, but the National Park Service, as part of the project to remove the two Elwha River dams, will provide $208,500 to offset the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe’s contribution of waste water into the city’s sewer system.
The additional work, according to a city staff memo, includes:
• Design of a new stormwater collection system along First Street downtown, paid for by the Park Service.
• Sewage overflow and wastewater treatment plant monitoring.
• New “headworks screens” designs.
• New force main and pipe designs, investigating construction locations for cultural artifacts, sampling sediment and inspecting an outfall.
Some of the work was unanticipated, said Glenn Cutler, city public works and utilities director.
That includes the additional archaeological work, overflow and plant monitoring, new headwork screens, and the new stormwater collection system.
Cutler referred to the additional archaeological work as a precaution.
He attributed the other unanticipated tasks as additional requirements from state regulators.
Such additions are not unusual, Cutler said.
“We are doing this incrementally as we go along versus requesting a large amount of authorizations at one time,” he said.
“It’s more of a journey for a very large project.”
The amendment also authorizes Brown and Caldwell to design a septic receiving station for septic tanks, which is not related to sewage overflows. No cost has been allocated to that project.
The total project to prevent sewage overflows is projected to cost between $38 million and $45 million.
The city plans to use a large tank on the site of Rayonier Inc.’s former pulp mill to temporarily store sewage that would overflow during heavy rainfall.
It plans to acquire the tank either through the Harbor-Works Development Authority or eminent domain in August.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or at tom.callis@peninsuladailynews.com.
