December 22, 1999

$30 million for 36 water projects

By SAM BENNETT
Journal Staff reporter

The state Public Works Board announced Tuesday the recipients of $27.9 million in Drinking Water State Revolving Fund loans.

The money will be allocated to 36 publicly and privately owned water systems in need of upgrades to comply with the 1996 federal Safe Drinking Water Act. The loans will be used for design, engineering, environmental studies and construction for drinking water system improvements.

For a complete list of recipients, check the Daily Journal of Commerce Web site at djc.com. In some cases, the projects are already complete and the money will be used to refinance loans, while others are in the preliminary stages of planning.

For small municipalities where water quality is a serious concern, the loans will go a long way toward remedying the problem.

Stoner Bell, project manager with Bell Design Co., said the loan is a "godsend" for the communities of White Salmon and Bingen who he said have been in a health crisis due to contaminated water.

The cities will receive $3.8 million in low-interest loans to complete about $5 million in water supply improvements, including new wells and a reservoir. The cities have depended on surface water which was recently discovered to be contaminated with microorganisms, according to Bell, whose firm is the engineering firm of record for White Salmon. "We've been on a boiled water advisory since summer," he said.

Other cities or municipalities receiving loans include Kalama, which will receive $2 million for a $4.5 million water filtration plant. The city of Chelan will receive $2 million toward a $10.8 million water filtration plant. Both cities received the maximum amount possible to meet state-mandated water quality standards. Irvin Water District No. 6 will receive $1.2 million toward a $1.3 million water tower and transmission main project.

Other large loans went to: Cle Elum, $2 million; Kelso, $2 million; City of Connell, $1.1 million; Chehalis, $918,000; Mason County Public Utility District No. 1, $663,000; and Malaga Water District, $364,000.

About 80 percent of the loans come from the federal government, and the rest from the state. To apply for loans in 2000, call Leslie Hafford, coordinator of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund, at (360) 586-1310.

"We encourage anyone who is out of compliance with the standards of the Safe Drinking Water Act to apply," Hafford said.