Hoquiam getting new pump station

By Matthew N. Wells The Daily World • January 13, 2022 1:30 am
Matthew N. Wells | The Daily World The current pump station, which sits at the corner of Emerson Avenue and Lincoln Street, will receive some assistance from across the street when a new pump station gets built, likely in May 2022. The new pump station, 107 Lincoln St., will cost $1.8 million, but the funds will come from a 30-year loan from Washington State Department of Ecology.
Matthew N. Wells | The Daily World The current pump station, which sits at the corner of Emerson Avenue and Lincoln Street, will receive some assistance from across the street when a new pump station gets built, likely in May 2022. The new pump station, 107 Lincoln St., will cost $1.8 million, but the funds will come from a 30-year loan from Washington State Department of Ecology.

The city of Hoquiam has agreed to purchase a new wastewater pump station that should help with future flooding issues in town and Grays Harbor County.

The new pump station will cost a little more than $1.8 million.

The funds for the $1,834,305.07 bid come through a 30-year loan of $2,115,463 from the Washington State Department of Ecology, according to city documents. City staff also requested authority to approve any change orders up to $75,000 should any issues happen throughout the project.

Hoquiam City Administrator Brian Shay said any time there’s a big construction project that there are always things that come up.

“Just in case there’s a piece of equipment we need,” he said.

Shay said since the City Council only meets twice per month, if something happens, such as there’s a need for another valve, they don’t want to wait for the next council meeting.

“If something comes up, you need to make the decision right then and there,” he said.

On Monday, Jan. 10, the City Council voted unanimously in favor of the project and the project bid from Quigg Brothers Inc., in Aberdeen. The new wastewater pump station will be built in an empty city space northwest of the existing wastewater pump station on Emerson Avenue. The station will be located across from Al’s Hum-dinger restaurant. It’s exact location will be between the house at the corner of Emerson Avenue and Lincoln Street, and Mario’s Auto Repair, 111 Lincoln St.

The new pump station, which also includes installing a new pump station wet well, valve vault, flow meter vault, submersible pumps, gravity sewer and a force main to connect the new and existing pump station sites. The project will also include the demolition of process and mechanical equipment within the existing pump station and the installation of a new standby generator, plus civil work.

Shay said construction on the new pump station should start in May 2022.

City council also approved the $113,548 — plus sales tax — purchase of an emergency Cummins diesel generator that will be located at the new Emerson Avenue pump station.

The purchase is a planned, eligible expense through the city’s loan through the Department of Ecology.

Shay said the new generator will be an upgrade from the old one.

“It will have sound-proofing cover,” he said. “It’s supposed to run very quiet to avoid noise concerns in the neighborhood.”

He said the generator would only run during a power outage and-or once a month to test to make sure it’s working properly.

Shay said the pump station and the generator should help the city be proactive in terms of the North Shore Levee Project.

“One of the things we need to do in building levee projects is you have to make sure your flood system can handle a 25-year flood event,” Shay said.

Hoquiam had its wettest day on record with 5.78 inches of rain on Thursday Jan. 6.

He said the city is doing its storm system improvements in advance.

“(The project) could have been done as part of the levee project, but we’re being proactive by doing it now,” Shay said.