The proposed Ramer Street Pump Station, identified in 2001 as the City of Hoquiam’s top storm water priority, is one step closer to reality now that the city council has authorized the acceptance of Chehalis Basin Flood Authority grants covering the entire cost of the project.

The city approached the flood authority hoping to get partial funding for the North Hoquiam project; in the end, the entire $1.3 million price tag in grant money was awarded from funds that had gone unused by other projects, provided construction begins before July 1 of next year.

The existing drainage pipes along Grand Avenue and between Lincoln and Polk streets were deemed undersized when the city drafted its Comprehensive Surface Water Management Plan dated 16 years ago. At the time there was no money for an upgrade. With this project, larger pipes will be installed, along with a 3,500 gallons per minute pump featuring a tide gate that activates for high tide conditions at the existing outfall just east of Ramer to prevent tidewater from the Hoquiam River from surging into the drainage system causing it to back up and lead to flooding. The city council voted Monday to accept the grant and approve a contract with HDR Engineering for the consulting services necessary to design, permit and manage the project, which will begin Wednesday, with project completion expected by the end of 2018.

Simpson waterline

Council members also voted to approve HDR Engineering Services’ agreement to oversee the Simpson Water Pipeline Replacement project, which will replace old existing pipelines with ones made of 80- to 100-year materials, most likely PVC piping, said City Administrator Brian Shay, who said the project estimate is $1 million. He added that the city will try to ease traffic woes during construction by finishing one full block of work at a time.

Wastewater treatment

HDR’s proposal regarding the city’s wastewater treatment plant biosolids reports was also approved. The firm will look into the required 2018 cleaning of the wastewater lagoon, specifically how to clean it and where to dispose of the biosolid material removed. Also under review is the feasibility and reliability of eliminating chlorine gas, used to remove toxins from wastewater before it is reintroduced to the environment, in favor of UV light or chlorine in its more stable liquid or tablet forms. The reliability of the facility’s backup generator will be reviewed. The current generator can only operate one system at a time, said Shay, “so if we have an outage for, say, three days, we have no way to treat our wastewater.”