Update: Woodland Creek Sanitary Sewer Project

In the next few weeks, Thurston County will begin bidding the first phase of STEP system installations for over 60 new systems. We expect bidding to begin in late May and end within three weeks.

During this time, you may see prospective bidders driving in your neighborhood as they review sites to prepare their bids. 

Thurston County is NOT allowing bidders onto private property. Please don’t hesitate to call Matt Unzelman at: (360) 867--2335 or send an email to unzelmm@co.thurston.wa.us if you have any concerns.

Thank You!

NOTE: The following is a copy of the recorded Interlocal agreement optimized via OCR for publication here and as such there may be some errors in the spelling. You may view the scanned original document on our Internet site at Thurston County Public Works after 5/30/2012. 

RETURN ADDRESS
Document Title(s)
INTERLOCAL WASTEWATER AGREEMENT
Reference Numbers(s) of related documents
Auditional Reference #=s on page
Grantor(s) (Last, First and Middle Initial)
CITY OF LACEY
THURSTON COUNTY
Additional grantors on page
Grantee (S) (Last, First and Middle Initial)
CITY OF LACEY
THURSTON COUNTY
Additional grantees on page
Legal Description (abbreviated form: i.e. lot, block, plat or section, township, range,
quarter/quarter)
Additional legal is on page
Assessor's Property Tax Parcelf Account Number
Additional parcel #=s on page
The Auditor/Recorder will rely on the information provided on this form. The staff will not read the document
to verify the accuracy or completeness of the indexing information provided herein.
4268099 Pages: 4
05/29/2012 10:41 RM Rgreement
Thurston County Washington
TC PUBLIC WORKS
===================================================================
INTERLOCAL WASTEWATER AGREEMENT
THIS AGREEMENT is entered into by and between the City of Lacey, a municipal
corporation, hereinafter called "City", and Thurston County, a municipal corporation,
hereinafter called "County", pursuant to the provisions ofRCW 39.34.080.
WHEREAS, it is to the mutual advantage of the parties to cooperate as described
herein in order to make the most efficient use of their resources and to provide services and
facilities needed by the citizens and ratepayers residing within their respective jurisdictions or
service areas, and
WHEREAS two neighborhoods, located adjacent to Woodland Creek, are currently
served by on-site septic systems. Due to unsuitable soils and high groundwater tables, raw
septic tank effluent is draining to Woodland Creek, Henderson Inlet and ultimately Puget
Sound; and
WHEREAS, on October 11,2011, the Thurston County Board of Health adopted
Resolution No. H-3-2011 which directed that these two neighborhoods abandon their on-site
systems and connect to public sewer when it becomes available; and
WHEREAS, the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) issued a loan and a
grant to Thurston County for construction of the Woodland Creek septic tank effluent (STEP)
public sanitary sewer system (Woodland Creek Sewer); and
WHEREAS, the Woodland Creek Sewer will discharge to the City of Lacey's existing
collection and conveyance system; and
WHEREAS, the terms of the DOE loan agreement require that Thurston County own
Woodland Creek Sewer until the loan is retired, which will be approximately 20 years from
the end of construction; and
WHEREAS, the Woodland Creek Estates and Covington Place subdivisions are
located in the Lacey Urban Growth Area, and
WHEREAS, the City, as the wastewater provider for the area in which the Woodland
Creek Sewer is located, can most effectively and efficiently provide maintenance and
operation of the Woodland Creek Sewer: and
WHEREAS, the City charges a monthly service charge for sewer services.
NOW, THEREFORE,
-1-
Pursuant to the tenns ofRCW 39.34.080 and in consideration of the mutual
undertaking set forth herein, the parties hereby agree as follows:
1. The County shall construct the necessary wastewater lines and all other
appurtenances necessary to properly connect the 128 developed lots within the subdivisions of
Woodland Creek Estates and Covington Place in Thurston County, Washington to the public
wastewater system of the City. Such work and finished system shall comply with the
Development Guidelines and Public Works Standards of the City. It is understood by the
parties that such construction and contract closeout will be complete on or before December
31,2014.
2. The City will provide plan check and inspection of all STEP improvements at
no charge to the County for this project.
3. The City will provide maintenance and operation of the Woodland Creek
Sewer and will collect monthly services from the property owners connected to the sewer
system.
4. The County shall transfer ownership of the Woodland Creek Sewer to the City
after the County satisfies all the terms of the loan agreement with DOE,.
6. The County agrees to defend and hold hannless the City and its employees,
agents, and members, from any and all liability related to, or in connection with, the
construction project contemplated herein, the connection to City facilities, or the
administration of this Agreement, except as such claims may arise from the sole negligence
of the City._Provided that in the event of the concurrent negligence of the parties, the
County's obligations hereunder shall apply only to the percentage of fault attributable to the
County, its employees, agents or subcontractors
7. The City agrees to defend and hold hannless the County and its employees,
agents, and members, from any and all liability related to, or in connection with, the
maintenance and operation of the Woodland Creek Sewer, except as such claims may arise
from the sole negligence of the County. Provided that in the event of the concurrent
negligence of the parties, the City's obligations hereunder shall apply only to the percentage
of fault attributable to the City, its employees, agents or subcontractors.
8. This agreement creates no Joint Board and no separate legal entity.
9. This agreement shall be effective on the date of the last signature affixed
hereto and shall tenninate upon completion of the tasks necessary to accomplish the purposes
of the agreement.
-2-
10. This agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of Washington as to
interpretation and performance. The parties hereby agree that venue for enforcement of any
provisions shall be the Superior Court of Thurston County, Washington.
11. Prior to its entry into force, this agreement shall be recorded with the Thurston
County Auditor's Office or posted upon the web sites of the parties as provided by RCW
39.34.040.
By ____ ~~~~~-------------- Date -----------------------
Date -----------------------
C)-L..)-Il.
Date _____________________ _
S-l-")-\?-
Date _____________________ _
Approved as to form:
Elizabeth Petrich
Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney
-3-

New Contact Information

As of April 23rd, our new contact information is as follows:
Roger Giebelhaus' phone number : 360-867-2343
Scott Lindblom : 360-867-2329


The new mailing address is:
Thurston County Public Works
9605 Tilley Rd S, Ste C, 
Olympia WA 98512 

Community Block Grant Application Available

Click letter below for a better resolution image

To access a PDF copy of the application for reading or download click here to be taken to the Thurston County Public Works Website. You will need to print a copy to fill out and submit. Acrobat Reader or a reader capable of rendering PDFs is required.

FEBRUARY 1st, 2012 UPDATE

Property owners will receive four agreements starting early February, 2012.  The agreements, which must be completed by November 1, 2012, are as follows:


• Right of Entry and Agreement for Payment of Connection Fees
• Construction of Sewer (STEP Systems) Improvements Agreement
• Thurston County Property Easement for Operation and Maintenance of STEP Systems
• City of Lacey Property Easement for Operation and Maintenance of STEP Systems


The documents will be mailed to residences on completion of the STEP system design.  Eventually all residences that have provided county staff access to their property will receive the agreements with a copy of the STEP design. The agreements must be signed in the presence of a Notary Public. When you receive your agreements and have read through them, please let us know if you have any questions.  Engineering staff are available to meet with property owners to discuss individual site designs and to notarize agreements. In addition to regular weekday hours, staff are also available to meet on Wednesday evenings. Please call Matt Balder at (360) 754-3355, ext. 7844 or 239-5468 for an appointment.


The Community Development Block Grant Applications 
Thurston County received a $767,412 Community Development Block Grant to ease the financial burden of the $6,640 connection fee on low- to moderate-income residents..  The application and qualification requirements will be sent to all Woodland Creek/Covington Place property owners.  We have had a few delays, but expect to be sending out all the applications in the early February.  We encourage all residents who qualify to apply.  This grant opportunity is being offered twice, once in 2012 and again in 2013 for only the residents and property owners within Woodland Creek Estates and Covington Place developments. If you have questions please call Dwight Edwards, Community Housing Program Coordinator at (360) 867-2601.
                       
Construction of Phase 1
Construction is progressing quickly for the Phase 1 contract which includes the force main installation as well as the service connections. Construction is on schedule to be completed by this spring. Currently most of the force main has been installed within the Woodland Creek neighborhood and installation along 15th Ave and the Covington neighborhood should begin shortly.  The contractor has installed approximately 20 service connections to date.  Service connections will be installed quicker once construction of the force main has been completed. We thank you for your patience and cooperation.

Phase 1 Contract Awarded

Public Works awarded Phase 1 of the project to DLB Earthwork of Olympia Washington.  DLB will be installing force main and side sewer connections (service connections) throughout the Woodland Creek and Covington neighborhoods.  Work began in the first week of December and will continue through the Spring of 2012.  Thurston County survey crews have staked the proposed service box locations for each residence.  The Public Right of Way line has also been staked for each residence.  The service boxes will be installed at the back of the Right of Way.  The STEP systems to be installed in phases 2 and 3 of the contract will connect into the service boxes.  Currently DLB is installing the force main along Mark Street.  This force main in being installed using the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) method.   Once DLB has installed a larger amount of force main along Mark Street they will begin tapping the main and installing the service connections.  Residents should expect 5 to 10 minute traffic delays during working hours (7:30 am to 5:00 pm).  Residents should not have any restricted access to their properties or be without sewer service during this phase of the contract.  


Engineering staff are continuing to complete the individual site designs for the STEP systems.  Staff will notify property owners shortly to begin signing agreements to install the STEP systems in phases 2 and 3 of the project.

Fee Deferral Announcement

The Thurston County Board of County Commissioners has agreed to set a cap on the maximum amount residents will be required to pay toward this project.  This cap of $6,640 is based on the combined amount of the sewer connection fees from the City of Lacey and LOTT Clean Water Alliance at the 2010 rates.  Residents connected to the new sewer system will pay a maximum of $6,640, regardless of increases in connection fees or project cost overruns. 

Thurston County is also pleased to announce that through an agreement between the county, the City of Lacey and the LOTT Clean Water Alliance, collection of sewer connection fees has been deferred to 2014.  The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Thurston County already received will pay the entire connection fee for those who apply and qualify for this program. If you think you may qualify as a low to moderate income household, or own rental property with tenants that qualify, we encourage you to apply.  More information on the CDBG will be mailed to all residents in early 2012.

For those who do not qualify for the CDBG, we are working on securing a low interest loan and potential grants to help further reduce the connection fee costs or make them more manageable.   Please note: All residents will still be required to pay the monthly sewer charge to the City of Lacey.  Please contact the City of Lacey to see if you are eligible for discounted utility services.

We will soon begin contacting residents to review and discuss the construction and easement agreements needed to install each new STEP System.

If you have any questions about this announcement or the project in general, please email Roger Giebelhaus or by phone at (360) 754-3355, Ext. 7809.

Notes from Sept 20th Public Meeting

Woodland Creek Public Meeting 9-20-11

Notes by: Matt Balder and Roger Giebelhaus

Speaker: Brent Payton

Q&A

Q: Where will the sewer main be located?

A: It will be within the county right of way roughly 25’ from the centerline of the road. The depth of the force main will be 68” from the 15^th Ave and College St tie in location to the intersection of Woodland Creek St and 17^th Ave. The force main depth will be 42” throughout the rest of the neighborhood.

Q:  How deep will the tanks be from the existing ground to top of tank and existing ground to bottom of tank? What are the tank dimensions? What are the restoration requirements after the tank has been installed?

A:  The depth from existing ground to top of tank will be 1.5ft minimum and 4ft maximum. The depth from existing ground to the bottom of the 1500 gallon concrete tank (most common) will be 6.9ft minimum and 9.4ft maximum. The 1500 gallon concrete tank height is 65in (5.4ft), width is 65in (5.4ft) and length is 145in (12.1ft). A 1500 gallon fiberglass tank will also be available for locations where tank installation using large equipment is restrictive. This tank has similar dimensions to the concrete tank and will have the same coverage requirements. In select cases, such as duplex homes, a 3000 gallon concrete tank will be used. The restoration requirements after the tank and service pipes are installed will include placement of topsoil 5in deep and grass seed or restoring the disturbed landscaping to pre-construction conditions.

Q:  Will the residents have an option of where the tank will be installed?

A:  Yes, we will work with each and every resident to determine where the tank will be located.

 

Q:  How did you come up with the income guidelines for the CDBG.

A: The income guidelines are set by the Federal Housing and Urban Development Agency from which the grant comes from.

Q:  What is the percentage of the projects we have done that have had change orders?

A:  The County will cover the cost over runs. Fortunately our recent bids have been coming in lower than expected.

Q:  What are the impact fees now and are we going to get impact fees that we are responsible for paying?

A:  The project doesn’t have an impact fee but does have a connection fee. It is a one-time user fee that every property owner who connects to sewer pays. The fees are required by the City of Lacey and LOTT to cover the usage and maintenance costs to the separate but connected sewer system.

Q:  What agency is driving the cost on this project?

A:  There isn’t any one agency that is driving the cost.

Q:  Do we have to pay the $6,640 in a lump sum?

A:  Yes, but there may be low interest loans available. We hope to be able to defer connection fees to a later date.

Q:  Will this loan be the same as was done for the water system and the Local Improvement District (LID) in the neighborhood? Will the type of loan be the same type used for the new sewer? The concern I have is the interest rate for the water system loan is high.

A:  The water system project required all costs to be covered by the LID. The difference is that the sewer system is being paid for by the county with grants and loans received. The only costs we are asking residents to pay are the connection fees. There are low interest loans available to help residents pay for sewer system connection fees.

Q:  What happens to the existing septic system?

A:  The existing septic system will be abandoned. The tank will be pumped, filled with soil from the new tank excavation and the lid will be crushed. Another option is to pump the existing tank full with a type of concrete called CDF (controlled density fill) and not crushing the lid. This option will be used if access to the tank by equipment is restrictive. Other aspects of septic system abandonment include removing the existing pump (if present), plugging any inflow and outflow pipes that enter the tank and plugging the main drain field pipe.

Q: Will there be higher sewer rates because we are outside of the city limits?

A: No, you will pay the same rates as residents pay in the city limits.

Q: There are so many fees for utilities these days such as the LOTT fee and water availability fee. I’m on a fixed income and can’t afford the connection fee.

A:  If you turn in the application and qualify for the CDBG then you will have no connection fees and your only cost will be the monthly sewer fee.  The city has discounts on monthly sewer rates for senior citizens

Speaker:  Art Starry

Info:

There are low interest loan programs available for funding your new STEP system. The interest rates are less than 3%.

There is a hearing next week by the board of health to go over two different resolutions.

One is to put a freeze on new septic systems within the neighborhoods and the other is to require all the homes within Woodland Creek Estates and Covington Place to connect to the sewer when it becomes operational.

The resolutions document the studies done by the department of health and require that the septic systems in Woodland Creek and Covington Place are to be abandoned and the homes are to be hooked into sewer.

Q&A

Q:  What studies show that the removal of the septic systems from the watershed will actually improve water quality?

A:  A March 2006 study by the Department of Ecology revealed serious fecal coliform bacteria pollution in Woodland Creek downstream of Martin Way. The Woodland Creek Pollution Reduction Project can be accessed at this website:

http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/stormwater/woodland/woodland-home.html

The March 2006 study can be accessed at this website (click on “view this publication in Acrobat PDF format” at top of page):

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0603012.html

In 2006, Thurston County, the City of Lacey, and the LOTT Wastewater Alliance hired a consulting partnership (Pacific Groundwater Group and Brown & Caldwell), to estimate the amount of fecal coliform bacteria and nitrate pollution coming from various sources in a 5,885-acre area along Woodland Creek, and to identify feasible options for reducing the pollution. This study can be assessed at this website:

http://www.co.thurston.wa.us/stormwater/woodland/woodland-reports.html