$9.6 million will help keep untreated sewage from spilling in these Pierce County cities

Some East Pierce County cities might be steps closer to preventing untreated sewage from spilling into places it shouldn’t be.

Pierce County recently announced its plan to disburse $9.6 million to jurisdictions in the county to assist with sewer and water infrastructure improvement projects.

Some of the towns include Puyallup, Carbonado, Eatonville, South Prairie and Wilkeson. The money stems from the county’s federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant program, according to a news release.

Carbonado received $1,026,735 for its wastewater treatment plant replacement and large on-site sewage system conversion project. The money will help design a new sewer pump station and force main.

The new equipment is for the city’s lagoon-based wastewater treatment plant near the edge of the Carbon River Canyon. A lagoon system is where wastewater is treated by a mixture of physical, biological and chemical processes.

“If it’s operating beyond its design life there’s potential for a spill or release of untreated sewage,” said Dana Larsen, strategic planning and asset manager for the sewer division of the Pierce County Planning and Public Works Department.

Puyallup received $1,000,000 for the fourth phase of its Salmon Springs water main replacement project from Washington Street to Elizabeth Street. The money will help replace a 100-year-old undersized cast-iron transmission main that is past its useful life.

The main is the primary water source for people who reside in the city, according to the county’s website.

“If a pipe fails you could have a contaminated water supply and complete service outages,” Larsen said.

Eatonville received $990,000 to repair the Mashel River streambank armor. The money will help stabilize the river bank. The river is gradually eroding the embankment of the city’s wastewater solids holding pond.

The project will help prevent the city from releasing 5.8 million gallons of contaminated wastewater if flooding occurs in the treatment facility at 480 Weyerhaeuser Road N.

“The project avoids adverse environmental and public health concerns,” Larsen said.

South Prairie received $860,000 for wastewater collection and treatment plant improvements. The money will help upgrade the city’s treatment plant operations to reduce the risk of sewer discharge spilling into the South Prairie Creek watershed.

Wilkeson received $301,500 for its Davis Street and Rousher Street sewer replacement project. The money will help replace a wastewater pipe and manholes. The pipe is “failing” and causes environmental impact to local groundwater as well as Wilkeson Creek, according to the county’s website.

The county’s planning and public works department received a total of 28 applications from June to August. A group reviewed and ranked the applications based on factors such as a project’s benefit to public health and safety, among other things.

The Pierce County Council created the grant program to “mitigate long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” according to the news release. The council allocated $10 million to the program, some of which funds two employees who administer it.