PORT TOWNSEND — The City Council has unanimously approved a $13 million contract to build a new water filtration system expected to be operational in 2016.
The contract for construction at the west end of 20th Street was awarded Monday night to Stellar J Corp. of Woodland.
Of four bids received, Stellar J was the low bidder and will complete the project for $13,046,210.
The project includes construction of a new filtration plant required by federal Safe Water Drinking Act regulations, as well as the replacement of a 5 million-gallon reservoir that serves as a holding tank.
The city gets its water from surface sources, which are susceptible to contamination by bacteria, viruses and parasites that cause illness and disease.
The new system uses ultraviolet light treatment to eliminate those organisms, according to a city document.
Land clearing will begin next week, followed by construction of the new reservoir and the new filtration system, “which should take about a year to finish,” City Manager David Timmons said Tuesday.
The project is funded by a combination of grants and low-interest loans to be paid off within 20 years as well as a monthly capital surcharge fee ranging from $5 to $14 assessed to each water customer.
The fees will remain in place until the loan is paid off.
The facility is secured with no public access allowed so as to protect the water supply, he said.
All the same channels will be used, although a new reservoir will be built south of the existing one.
Currently, water is gravity-fed from the Big Quilcene and Little Quilcene rivers or two reservoirs — Lord’s Lake and City Lake — then channeled either to the Port Townsend Paper Corp. mill or the treatment facility.
Once arriving at the treatment facility, the water is held in its reservoir before going through the current filtration and chlorination system and routed to water customers.
The new system will replace the present filtration system.
The new facility will use less chlorine than in the current process, so water taste could be improved, Timmons said.
Planning for the new facility began well before the current drought and will not affect those conditions, he said.
The holding tank reservoir will not help drought conditions, as it is too small to make a difference and holds less than a five-day supply of water, Timmons said. It is not suited for long-term storage.
Aside from some increased truck traffic, the general public will not be affected during the construction period, he said.
The facility is northeast of the intersection of Rainier Street and Discovery Road, the site of a new roundabout that will open around the time the new plant goes into service.
The roundabout will connect Discovery Road and Sims Way with an extension of Howard Street that will create a new commercial district.
After that, Rainier Street will be extended to connect with Howard Street south of Hastings Avenue.
Timmons said the schedule for this connection is uncertain, as it depends on private development in the area.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
