Chapter 3 - Current Wastewater System
Within the City and its Urban Growth Area (UGA), the Wastewater Utility is responsible for collecting wastewater, also known as sewage, from residences and businesses at the point where privately owned pipes enter the publicly owned wastewater system. Wastewater flows through City-owned and maintained sewer infrastructure into larger pipes owned by the LOTT Clean Water Alliance (LOTT) and eventually to LOTT's Budd Inlet Treatment Plant. At the treatment plant, it is treated and either discharged to Budd Inlet, or reclaimed for beneficial uses. City operations and maintenance staff ensure the safe conveyance of the wastewater flows from the City's extensive pipe and pumping systems to LOTT's infrastructure.
Figure 3.1 is a conceptual diagram showing the components of the City’s sewer system.
View Figure 3.1 Components of the Collection System
Gravity sewer pipes and regional pumps (lift stations) are the conventional way to convey wastewater from homes, businesses and other buildings to central treatment facilities. Wastewater flow in sewer pipes generally follows the street system downhill. If needed it is pumped by a lift station over hills in a force main (pressurized pipe) and then continues flowing by gravity to one of several large LOTT interceptor pipes which convey it to LOTT's Budd Inlet Treatment Plant.
Olympia's wastewater collection system consists of:
• Approximately 187 miles of gravity sewer pipes with 4,000 maintenance holes and 1,100 cleanouts,
• Thirty-one lift stations with 9.5 miles of force mains,
• Approximately 1800 residential and commercial STEP (septic tank effluent pumping) systems with 27.5 miles of STEP force mains, and
• 280+ privately owned grinder pumps with over one mile of grinder force main.
Maintenance of publicly owned infrastructure is a key responsibility of the Wastewater Utility. See Appendix J for maps showing wastewater system components. In addition, the Wastewater Utility maintains a database of attributes related to each feature listed above, for example, the diameter of each gravity sewer pipe and the capacity of each STEP tank. Since the adoption of the 2013 Wastewater Management Plan, approximately 3 miles of City owned gravity sewer pipes have been added to the wastewater system, as well as two lift stations and 1.3 miles of force main.
There are also about 4,225 privately owned and managed septic systems, also known as onsite sewage systems (OSS) in Olympia and its UGA. Thurston County and the City of Olympia jointly regulate the permitting and use of these systems. See Chapter 4 for more details about OSS.
The following sections describe in more detail each of the main components of the wastewater collection system:
• Gravity collection system
• Lift stations and force mains
• STEP systems
• Grinder pump systems
See Chapter 10 for an assessment of these components and an analysis of their capacity to handle current and projected wastewater flows.
3.1 Gravity Collection System
About 89 percent of the Wastewater Utility customers are served through a gravity sewer connection. Gravity sewer pipes, typically buried beneath the center of public streets, but occasionally located within easements on private land, convey wastewater downhill by gravity. Gravity sewer pipes include side sewers, submains, mains (also known as trunks) and interceptors. A side sewer connects individual buildings to the public sewer system. A submain is a sewer that receives flow from one or more side sewers. A main (or trunk) is a sewer that receives flow from one or more submains. An interceptor is a sewer that receives flow from a number of mains or force mains.
Maintenance holes are located where the gravity sewer pipes join or change direction and at intervals of 400 feet or less to allow access for inspection and maintenance. A cleanout is a pipe with a cap or lid that extends from the surface down to the sewer for cleaning and inspection of pipes. Cleanouts are sometimes located at the upstream end of submains instead of a maintenance hole if the sewer pipe length does not exceed 150 feet. Cleanouts are also located on private property to provide access to side sewers.
Olympia's gravity sewer pipes range in size from six to 42 inches in diameter. The LOTT system has another 18 miles of gravity sewer interceptors in Olympia's Sewer Service Area. Appendix J includes detailed mapping of the sewer system.
Table 3.1 summarizes the inventory of gravity sewer pipes (including submains, mains and interceptors), showing diameter, length and materials. Most of the utility's pipes are made of either concrete or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Since the mid-1970s PVC piping has become the industry standard for sewer pipes. PVC pipe is durable, easy to construct, resistant to corrosion and relatively inexpensive. Recently, high density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe has been promoted as a more environmentally-friendly alternative to PVC pipe because it uses a less toxic manufacturing process than PVC. The Utility will consider the use of HDPE pipe when appropriate. In addition, many of the older sections of the collection system contain pipes made of vitrified clay (VC), asbestos cement (AC), cast iron (CI) and ductile iron (DI). The condition of these pipes varies with age and type of materials.
In the past, all side sewers were owned and maintained by the owner of the property being served. In 2016, to reduce public health and safety problems, the Utility modified the side sewer ownership regulations as follows. If a cleanout exists at the property line or easement boundary, City ownership of a gravity side sewer is from the sewer main to the property line. The property owner owns and maintains the side sewer from the premises to the cleanout at the property line or easement boundary. The property owner is responsible for installing and maintaining the cleanout so it is accessible to the City. If no cleanout exists at the property line or easement boundary, the property owner owns the side sewer from the premises to the sewer main, until the property owner installs a cleanout at the property line or easement boundary. This new policy has solved several problems and has had minimal impact on utility operations.
|
Pipe Diameter (inches) |
Concrete |
PVC |
VC |
AC |
CI/DI |
HDPE |
Steel Trestle |
Other or Unknown |
TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
6 |
39,172 |
4,878 |
14,965 |
1,335 |
|
|
|
|
60,350 |
|
8 |
248,994 |
396,491 |
48,294 |
8,004 |
5,523 |
3,800 |
|
770 |
711,876 |
|
10 |
31,231 |
13,672 |
10,623 |
|
670 |
|
215 |
|
56,411 |
|
12 |
33,194 |
22,274 |
4,406 |
|
|
|
|
159 |
60,033 |
|
14 |
|
|
654 |
1,778 |
31 |
1110 |
|
|
3,573 |
|
15 |
21,734 |
16,124 |
9,229 |
109 |
187 |
|
|
|
47,383 |
|
18 |
19,132 |
11,434 |
1,760 |
|
2,052 |
|
|
|
34,378 |
|
20 |
|
|
619 |
624 |
|
|
|
|
1,243 |
|
21 |
1,605 |
228 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,833 |
|
22 |
|
|
584 |
|
|
|
|
|
584 |
|
24 |
4,627 |
151 |
465 |
|
123 |
|
|
|
5,366 |
|
30 |
3,189 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3,189 |
|
36 |
1,705 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1,705 |
|
42 |
884 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
884 |
|
Total length of each type of pipe, and their percentage of the total system length: |
|||||||||
|
Feet |
405,467 |
465,252 |
91,599 |
11,850 |
8,586 |
4,910 |
215 |
929 |
988,808 |
|
Miles |
76.8 |
88.1 |
17.3 |
2.2 |
1.6 |
0.9 |
< 1 |
0.2 |
187 |
|
Percentage |
41% |
47% |
9% |
1% |
1% |
< 1% |
< 1% |
< 1% |
100% |
3.2 Lift Stations and Force Mains
Olympia's rolling terrain requires the use of lift stations (also known as pump stations) to push wastewater over hills through force mains, to the nearest gravity sewer that can carry flows further downstream without pumping. The City owns 31 lift stations. Two of these, Chestnut Village and Mill Pond, and their associated force mains, were constructed since the 2013 Wastewater Plan was adopted. These lift stations were both constructed by private developers in conjunction with new housing developments. One existing lift station, Motel 8, was decommissioned when the wastewater flow was transferred to a new gravity pipe installed by the City of Lacey. In addition, the Utility transferred responsibility for the maintenance of three private lift stations to the owners. Previously, the City was maintaining the lift stations and charging the owners for the cost of maintenance. Table 3.2 shows information on the City-owned lift stations and their force mains. Additional information such as pump sizes and force main lengths is stored in a lift station database. Dedicated operations and maintenance staff oversee the operation of these critical systems.
The lift station system has about 9.5 miles of force mains, ranging from 4 inches to 30 inches in diameter. The Utility's force mains are made of concrete, asbestos cement (AC), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), or high
density polyethylene (HDPE) as shown in Table 3.3. The Utility replaced the majority of the force main serving the East Bay Marina lift station in 2018. The replacement was in response to a portion of the force main being at risk for exposure and failure due to soil erosion on the banks of Budd Inlet.
Within Olympia's Sewer Service Area, LOTT owns and operates another two lift stations and two miles of associated force mains.
Twenty-seven of the Utility's lift stations are of a wet/dry well design with two separate below-grade chambers. The wet well holds the wastewater, and the dry well contains the pumps (usually two, which alternate pumping under normal conditions), controls and electrical equipment. In the other four stations, a pair of submersible pumps is contained within the same wet well chamber as the wastewater, and controls are in a separate panel located above grade or in a vault separate from the wet well.
The results of an assessment of physical condition and analysis of pumping capacity are presented in Chapter 10 as the basis for determining the need for lift station upgrades.
Since 1996, there has been a significant increase in sewer lift stations, as well as other assets such as commercial STEP systems-over twice as many, with no increase in staffing. During that time, operations staff have leveraged technology and used good maintenance practices to inspect and maintain each new asset as it comes online. There has not been a CSO for over twelve years. In order to maintain the high level of service needed to provide for public and environmental help, technology and staffing resources will be needed in the future. Chapter 7 addresses the technical and staffing needs to support these systems.
|
|
Name |
Type |
Generator |
Force Main Size and Material |
Construct Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
Division & Jackson |
S&L wet well / dry well |
No |
6” PVC |
1957 |
|
2A |
Water Street 1 |
Concrete wet & dry wells |
Yes |
30” RCP |
1961 |
|
2B |
Water Street 2 |
Concrete wet & dry wells |
Yes |
18” RCP |
1961 |
|
3 |
West Bay |
Concrete wet & dry wells |
Yes |
12” PVC |
1961 |
|
4 |
East Bay Drive |
Flygt submersible |
No |
4” AC |
1963 |
|
5 |
Black Lake |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
8” PVC |
1966 |
|
6 |
Woodcrest |
S&L wet well mounted |
No |
4”AC |
1967 |
|
7 |
Holiday Hills |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
6” AC |
1969 |
|
8 |
Ken Lake |
S&L wet well mounted |
Yes |
4” AC |
1969 |
|
9 |
Roosevelt & Yew |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
6” AC |
1970 |
|
10 |
Miller & Central |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
8” AC |
1970 |
|
11 |
Goldcrest |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
6” HDPE |
1970 |
|
12 |
Old Port 1 |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
4” AC |
1971 |
|
13 |
Old Port 2 |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
4” AC |
1971 |
|
14 |
Jasper & Eastside |
Paco submersible |
Yes |
4” AC |
1972 |
|
15 |
Rossmoor |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
6” PVC |
1978 |
|
16 |
East Bay Marina |
S&L wet well / dry well |
No |
4” PVC and 4” AC |
1982 |
|
17 |
Ensign Road |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
10” PVC |
1989 |
|
18 |
Woodfield |
S&L wet well / dry well |
No |
4" PVC |
1990 |
|
19 |
Kempton Downs |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
6” PVC |
1993 |
|
20 |
Colonial Estates |
S&L wet well / dry well |
No |
4” PVC |
1994 |
|
21 |
Division & Farwell |
Myers submersible |
Yes |
4” PVC |
1995 |
|
22 |
Miller & Ann |
Cornell wet well / dry well |
No |
6” PVC |
1995 |
|
23 |
Springer |
Hydronix wet well / dry well |
No |
6” PVC |
1996 |
|
24 |
Cedrona |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
6” PVC |
1997 |
|
25 |
Cooper Crest |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
6” PVC |
2005 |
|
26 |
Mud Bay |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
8” HDPE |
2008 |
|
27 |
Briggs |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
4” PVC |
2008 |
|
28 |
Sleater Kinney |
S&L wet well / dry well |
No |
6” HDPE |
2010 |
|
29 |
Yelm Hwy |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
10” HDPE |
2011 |
|
30 |
Chestnut Village |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
6” PVC |
2013 |
|
31 |
Mill Pond |
S&L wet well / dry well |
Yes |
10” HDPE |
2014 |
|
Pipe Diameter (inches) |
Reinforced Concrete |
AC |
PVC |
HDPE |
CI/DI |
TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4 |
0 |
4,028 |
9,163 |
0 |
153 |
13,344 |
|
6 |
0 |
2,894 |
10,598 |
3,177 |
78 |
16,747 |
|
8 |
0 |
735 |
1,946 |
850 |
0 |
3,531 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
676 |
7,718 |
0 |
8,394 |
|
12 |
0 |
0 |
5,919 |
0 |
0 |
5,919 |
|
18 |
121 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
121 |
|
30 |
1,954 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1,954 |
|
Total length of each type of pipe, and their percentage of the total force main system length: |
||||||
|
Feet |
2,075 |
7,657 |
28,302 |
11,745 |
231 |
50,010 |
|
Miles |
0.4 |
1.5 |
5.4 |
2.2 |
< 0.1 |
9.5 |
|
Percentage |
4.1% |
15.3% |
56.6% |
23.5% |
< 1% |
100% |
3.3 STEP Systems
A septic tank effluent pump (STEP) system integrates the technologies of septic systems and gravity sewer pipes. A STEP system service at a residence or business consists of a tank where solids are collected and a pump which moves the liquid waste via a low-pressure pipe into the gravity sanitary sewer system for treatment at LOTT's Budd Inlet Treatment Plant. The solids are pumped out regularly, usually at an interval of once every seven years for residential systems, and every one to six years for commercial systems. The pumped solid STEP waste is hauled to the plant for treatment. High quantities of STEP solid waste can cause upsets to the treatment process at the plant.
In low-lying areas or flat terrain, STEP systems have some construction advantages over more expensive gravity sewer pipes and lift stations. Pipes can be buried as shallow as 36 inches, and because they are pressurized and do not rely on gravity to maintain flow, they can follow the terrain. Because only liquids are pumped, the pipe can be small diameter. As a result, installation costs are less than gravity systems that typically require deeper and precisely sloped trenching.
However, maintenance costs of STEP systems are typically higher since pumps and associated equipment occasionally require maintenance or replacement and the tanks must be pumped periodically to remove the accumulated solids. In addition, the anaerobic STEP system effluent produces odorous and corrosive gases, namely hydrogen sulfide. As a result, in some cases odor control facilities are needed where these gases are released to air at locations of discharge to the gravity collection system. The corrosive nature of the gases can and has damaged downstream concrete gravity pipes and maintenance holes leading to added maintenance and repairs.
Furthermore, under Washington State regulations, the City owns and maintains STEP systems and will eventually replace them, as needed. City operations and maintenance staff are responsible for these systems. Failure of the STEP system pump or its associated pipe system can result in sewer overflows.
Figure 3.2 is a conceptual diagram of a STEP system. As with OSS, each home, multi-unit residence, or business requires its own STEP system.
View Figure 3.2 Conceptual Diagram of a STEP System
The Utility currently maintains 1,800 STEP systems (including 25 commercial STEP systems) and 27.5 miles of STEP force mains, serving approximately 9 percent of sewer customers. Forty of the residential STEP systems and one commercial STEP system have been constructed since the adoption of the 2013 Wastewater Management Plan.
Since 2013, new STEP systems have typically not been permitted in Olympia's Sewer Service Area. All of the residential developments that were "vested" to use STEP systems are either under construction or have already been constructed. The only new STEP systems allowed to be constructed since 2013 were for infill lots in existing residence subdivisions served by STEP systems, for connections for houses served by OSS. Due to these regulations, no additional STEP force mains have been constructed since 2013.
As a result of a strategy in the 2013 Plan, regulations were changed in 2018 to allow for the use of STEP systems for short plats on properties currently adjacent to an existing STEP force main. This allows for small-scale developments for which the construction of a lift station would not be feasible. At the same time, it continues to restrict the use of STEP systems due to their higher maintenance cost.
The most extensive use of STEP systems is in southeast Olympia. Other areas are located in northeast Olympia along Lilly Road; northwest Olympia along Overhulse Road, 11th Avenue NW and 14th Avenue NW; and along the west slopes of West Bay and Capitol Lake. See Chapter 5 for more information on the locations and density of STEP connections and mains in each basin.
3.4 Grinder Pump Systems
A grinder pump system consists of a macerating (chopping) type pump that conveys wastewater from a building through a small-diameter pressurized pipe to the City's sewer collection system. The grinder pump is typically located in a tank located on private property. It is similar to a STEP system, but without the solids settling tank (Figure 3.2).
Before 2006, there was little effort to control the use of grinder pump systems, other than a general ban on "community" grinder pump systems, where a group of residences each have a grinder pump that connects to a common pressurized sewer main in the right-of-way.
Concurrently with the 2007 Wastewater Management Plan, the Olympia Comprehensive Plan was changed to allow the use of grinder pump systems under certain conditions. The municipal code was updated to clarify under what circumstances grinder pumps can be used.
Unlike STEP systems, grinder pump systems are not owned or maintained by the City. However, the Department of Ecology's Criteria for Sewage Works Design requires utilities to develop "uniform standards for system design, installation, operation, maintenance, and emergency response measures" for grinder pump systems. It also requires utilities to "maintain a library of operation and maintenance manuals for the type(s) of systems installed within their service territory." For these reasons, and for consistency in design and reliability of service, the City stipulates the types of grinder pumps that can be connected to its sewer system. See Chapter 7 of the Olympia Engineering Design and Development Standards (EDDS) for more information on the specific pump type, required appurtenances, and design requirements.
Currently, there are approximately 280 grinder pumps in the Olympia Sewer Service Area, all of which are owned and operated by the property owners. This accounts for about 2% of the Utility's customers. The Utility owns just over one mile of grinder force main. See Chapter 5 for locations of current grinder pump connections in each basin.
3.5 Neighboring Jurisdictions (LOTT Clean Water Alliance Partners)
The City coordinates regional wastewater issues with the neighboring jurisdictions of Lacey, Tumwater and Thurston County through LOTT staff, a Technical Sub Committee and LOTT's board of elected officials (see Section 3.6). Specific development proposals located within Olympia's UGA are coordinated by planners and engineers at the staff level. Common operational and maintenance issues are routinely handled with field staff coordination as needed.
There are a few instances of crossover between Olympia's wastewater system and the Lacey and Tumwater systems, particularly in areas where city boundaries are complex. Three examples are the region surrounding South Puget Sound Community College, where some pipes serve both Olympia and Tumwater customers, the neighborhood south of Carlyon Street and East of Capitol Boulevard, and the area on Sleater-Kinney Road, north of 6th Avenue.
3.6 LOTT Clean Water Alliance
LOTT provides wastewater treatment and reclaimed water production services for the urbanized area of north Thurston County. Its four government partners (Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and Thurston County) formed the LOTT partnership in 1976 to jointly construct and operate wastewater treatment facilities. In 2001 the partnership was reorganized as the LOTT Alliance (now LOTT Clean Water Alliance), a non-profit corporation with a governing board representing the four partner jurisdictions. A City Council member represents Olympia on the LOTT Board of Directors. The Technical Sub-Committee (TSC), consisting of the Public Works Directors of the four partner jurisdictions, advises the Board on technical matters and capital projects. Both groups meet monthly.
LOTT Treatment Facilities
LOTT's overall service area encompasses the city limits and urban growth areas for the cities of Olympia, Lacey and Tumwater. LOTT currently serves a population of about 118,000, roughly 68% of the total population in the service area. The remaining 32% are served by OSS. In the long term, the entire service area is expected to be served by public sewer.
LOTT's facilities currently include the central Budd Inlet Treatment Plant, the Budd Inlet Reclaimed Water Plant, the Martin Way Reclaimed Water Plant, the Hawk's Prairie Reclaimed Water Ponds and Recharge Basins, major interceptor sewer pipes, reclaimed water pipes and three regional lift stations. Table 3.4 summarizes the volume of wastewater treated for the years 2012-2018.
The treatment of wastewater at LOTT has advanced from primary treatment in the early 1950's to advanced secondary standards in 1983 and tertiary treatment (nitrogen removal and ultraviolet disinfection) in 1994. LOTT's Budd Inlet Treatment Plant is one of the only plants in the Puget Sound area that employs biological nutrient removal. Since 2005, LOTT has also treated a percentage of the flow to stringent Class A Reclaimed Water standards. This high quality water is reused for a variety of non-potable purposes including irrigation, water features, and groundwater recharge. (See below and Tables 3.4 and 3.5). Flows to LOTT are highly dependent on precipitation due to inflow and infiltration into the wastewater system.
About 16 miles of LOTT's sewer pipes and two lift stations are located in Olympia. LOTT sewer pipes are located under:
• Martin Way
• Capitol Boulevard
• Henderson Boulevard
• Plum Street and other downtown streets
• Mottman Road
• Along Indian and Percival Creeks
• Along the Karen Fraser Olympia Woodland Trail
• Black Lake Boulevard
• Cooper Point Road
• Around Capitol Lake
Wastewater Resource Management Plan
LOTT’s long-range Wastewater Resource Management Plan, completed in 1998, sets the stage for a decentralized approach to wastewater management in the Lacey-Olympia-Tumwater urban growth areas. As population grows and demand for wastewater treatment increases, LOTT will meet the demand by expanding production of Class A Reclaimed Water. This approach creates a valuable resource that can be reused. As development occurs, small units of treatment and reuse capacity will be added “just in time.” LOTT maintains reserve capacity at the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant to accommodate increasing flows during the time needed to plan, design and build new capacity.
LOTT’s production of Class A Reclaimed Water began in 2005 with completion of the Budd Inlet Reclaimed Water Plant located at the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant site. Construction of the first satellite facility, the Hawks Prairie Reclaimed Water Satellite in Lacey, was completed in 2006. The satellite includes the Martin
Way Reclaimed Water Plant, the Hawks Prairie Ponds and Recharge Basins, and pipes to move the reclaimed water from the treatment facility to the recharge site. It diverts wastewater flows from Lacey that would otherwise have been conveyed to the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant. Martin Way has two million gallons per day (mgd) of treatment capacity, expandable to five mgd. The Hawks Prairie Ponds and Recharge Basins provide at least five mgd of recharge capacity.
Note that Table 3.4 shows total water flows managed by LOTT, and Table 3.5 shows reclaimed water production. For the Budd Inlet Treatment Plant, the difference between the two values for any given year suggests the volume of treated water discharged to receiving waters (Budd Inlet), although a small portion of the difference is attributable to recycled flows within the treatment process. For the Martin Way Reclaimed Water Plant, the difference indicates the portion of the flow reused or recycled within the treatment process.
|
|
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Budd Inlet Treatment Plant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Daily Average |
11.30 |
11.82 |
11.17 |
12.57 |
13.73 |
11.62 |
|
Minimum Monthly Average |
9.26 |
8.83 |
9.31 |
9.10 |
9.58 |
8.89 |
|
Maximum Monthly Average |
13.22 |
17.28 |
17.51 |
17.26 |
21.15 |
17.11 |
|
Peak Flow |
25.10 |
32.04 |
38.12 |
31.80 |
34.27 |
27.94 |
|
Martin Way Reclaimed Water Plant |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Daily Average |
0.04 |
1.16 |
1.30 |
1.27 |
0.89 |
1.49 |
|
|
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Budd Inlet Reclaimed Water Plant |
0.53 |
0.48 |
0.52 |
0.54 |
0.56 |
0.57 |
|
Martin Way Reclaimed Water Plant |
0.00 |
0.98 |
1.13 |
1.19 |
0.72 |
1.22 |
|
Total |
0.53 |
1.46 |
1.65 |
1.73 |
1.28 |
1.79 |
LOTT’s Wastewater Resource Management Plan is known more familiarly as the “Highly Managed Plan” because it requires continual monitoring, planning and evaluation of future capacity needs. To identify changes or additions to planned capital projects or programs, LOTT annually analyzes capacity to include treatment capacity, discharge capacity or beneficial use of treated water, and its operational pipeline capacity.
To meet its facility plan requirements for wastewater treatment, the City of Olympia incorporates the LOTT Wastewater Resource Management Plan by reference into its Wastewater Management Plan. This was authorized April 10, 2001 by Olympia City Council adoption of Ordinance 6097, which states:
The Olympia City Council hereby approves the LOTT Wastewater Resource Management Plan’s Highly Managed Alternative, of November 1998, and directs that said Plan be incorporated into the City’s Comprehensive Plan and General Sewer Plan at the time of the next update.
LOTT's Capital Improvement Projects
LOTT updates its Capital Improvements Plan (CIP) every two years. LOTT looks at its capital projects planning in both a near term (six-year) view, and a longer life-cycle (20-year) view. LOTT’s 2019-2024 CIP, including its proposed 2019-2020 Capital Budget, is summarized in Table 3.6.
|
Project Categories |
2019-2020 Capital Budget |
2019-2024 CIP |
|---|---|---|
|
System Capacity |
$39,161,012 |
$68,327,427 |
|
New Capacity |
$188,769 |
$660,691 |
|
Asset Management |
$4,796,715 |
$16,884,373 |
|
Support Services and Projects |
$17,614,433 |
$45,277,429 |
|
Total |
$61,760,929 |
$131,149,921 |
Near-term LOTT projects with direct implications to Olympia include:
• Collection System Piping Rehabilitation (2019-2022)
• Martin Way and Sleater Kinney Maintenance Hole Repair (2019)
• Flow Monitoring Program (Ongoing)
• Flow Reduction Programs (Ongoing)
• Septic Conversion Incentive Program (Ongoing)
3.7 Pretreatment
Industrial Pretreatment
LOTT's Industrial Pretreatment Program is designed to prevent pollutants from entering public conveyance and treatment facilities that could interfere with flow or operations, impact receiving water or biosolids quality, or threaten workers' safety.
Through regulations appended to the LOTT Interlocal Agreement (2000), the four LOTT partner jurisdictions have adopted identical pretreatment ordinances, which are enforced by the partner jurisdiction (see Olympia Municipal Code Title 13 Chapter 20).
LOTT requires that discharges from permitted facilities meet industrial user permit requirements based upon applicable pretreatment standards and requirements. The pretreatment program includes provisions for monitoring, reporting and enforcement to ensure that substances that can harm worker safety, damage infrastructure and affect water quality are not introduced into the wastewater system. Examples of such substances are toxic organics, heavy metals and corrosives. The program is updated as new users seek connections to the system, or as existing users change the pattern, quantity, quality or composition of discharge.
As of the end of 2018, there were nine Significant Industrial Users (SIUs) and two Minor Industrial Users permitted by LOTT in its service area. Table 3.7 summarizes those permittees that are located in the City of Olympia and discharge into the City's wastewater system. Categorical industrial users are required to have an industrial user permit if they discharge or have the potential to discharge to the sewer.
LOTT's annual Pretreatment Report has more detailed information regarding permittees as well as current and planned efforts under the Pretreatment Program.
|
Industry |
Type of Permit* |
Product |
2017 Average Discharge (gpd) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fish Brewing Co. |
MIU |
Beer |
1,555 |
|
Crown Cork & Seal, Inc. |
SIU |
Aluminum Cans |
40,200 |
|
Georgia-Pacific Corp. |
SIU |
Cardboard |
3,600 |
|
J.R. Setina Manufacturing Co., Inc. |
SIU |
Vehicle Accessories |
0 |
|
Roy's Designs, Inc. |
SIU |
Metal Coatings |
0 |
* SIU are significant industrial users and MIU are minor industrial users.
Fats, Oils and Grease
Most commercial food service establishments (FSE) produce waste products of fats, oils and grease (FOG) that if discharged to the sewer at their source contribute to grease build up in the wastewater system, leading to capacity and overflow problems, as well as treatment plant issues. City operation and maintenance staff regularly respond to conveyance problems associated with FOG. A byproduct of cooking, FOG comes from meat, fats, lard, oil, shortening, butter, margarine, food scraps, sauces, and dairy products. Grease interceptors are required of all FSEs that produce FOG.
LOTT, in cooperation with the City of Olympia and its other partners, regularly surveys FSEs and provides technical assistance as needed to help FSEs reach compliance in addressing FOG. The City is responsible for enforcement of the pretreatment regulations related to FOG, if an FSE does not respond to initial efforts to comply.
FSEs are not the only producers of FOG - residential wastewater can contain significant concentrations of FOG that can clog side sewers and gravity sewer pipes, and cause problems with the proper function of lift stations, STEP tanks and grinder pump systems. Educational efforts geared toward reducing or eliminating this problem are found at LOTT's Water Education and Technology (WET) Science Center, on the City's website, as well as through periodic mailings.