$183 million proposed for clean water projects across the state

More than 100 projects would help improve infrastructure and protect the environment. 

Ecology is proposing to award more than $183 million in financial assistance for 107 high-priority clean water projects across the state. Our Water Quality Combined Funding Program supports local communities, helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of other projects to prevent and cleanup pollution. The entire draft funding list is available online.

This year, more than $114 million of our combined funding is for projects that will help support Puget Sound recovery. These projects are a high priority, as they help improve water quality and create a healthy habitat for the endangered Southern Resident Orca, salmon, and the food web they rely on.

Nearly 70 percent of the funding we manage goes to local communities for environmental projects. Our clean water funding comes from a mix of state and federal funds dedicated for water quality improvements and protection. State financial managers calculate that 11 direct and indirect jobs are created in Washington for every $1 million spent on building clean water infrastructure.

The funding is contingent on passage of state and federal budgets appropriating funding for the projects. We will announce the final project list this summer, as soon as funding is secured.

Find proposed projects in your area using our interactive map. 

Here are a few project highlights

As proposed, 38 communities across the state will split $33 million in grants to implement projects to treat and reduce stormwater pollution. More than $20.5 million of the stormwater grants funding is for Puget Sound recovery projects. The highest-priority stormwater projects include:

Renton's grant-funded Sunset Terrace Regional Stormwater Facility
bioretention cell provides enhanced treatment for 2.9 acres. 

• The City of Bremerton in Kitsap County may receive a grant of more than $800 thousand to construct a system to treat runoff from 6.31 acres of urban roads and parking lots and 8.32 acres of other surfaces to improve water quality in Ostrich Creek. The creek is considered the most polluted stream in Kitsap County, with restrictions on contact due to pollution. The project was the highest rated stormwater project among this year’s applications, and is a high priority in the Puget Sound Action Agenda.
• The City of Tacoma in Pierce County is slated for a $5 million grant and more than $2.7 million in loan to replace nearly 27 blocks of failed residential roadway in the Larchmont Neighborhood. The project will treat stormwater and reduce stormwater flows from 43 developed acres through infiltration using permeable pavement and sidewalks. The project will help restore more natural hydrologic conditions to Flett and Chambers creeks.

Thirty-three projects are tagged to receive about $21.4 million in grants, forgivable loans that do not have to be repaid, and low interest rate loans to address nonpoint pollution. Nonpoint pollution has a significant impact on water quality; it comes from activities that are widespread usually across an area instead of a single identifiable source of pollution. The projects proposed for funding include an expansion of the highly successful Regional Loan Program for repairing and replacing failing on-site sewage systems at homes and small businesses. Examples of other nonpoint projects that may be funded include:

Grant-funded riparian restoration prevents stream channel erosion, 

filters pollutants, and improves salmon habitat on the Palouse River. 

• The Underwood Conservation District in Klickitat County is in line to receive a $250 thousand grant to conduct riparian planting, install cattle exclusion fencing, implement livestock best management practices, monitor water quality, and provide education and technical assistance in the White Salmon River Watershed. The primary areas of focus for the project are streamside agricultural areas in the Trout Lake Valley.
• The Cascadia Conservation District in Chelan County is on track to receive a grant of about $245 thousand to implement a large-scale riparian restoration plan through a community-wide clean water outreach and education campaign and by providing technical assistance to landowners to take steps to reduce nonpoint source pollution and practice good stewardship. The project is consistent with actions recommended in locally developed water quality improvement reports and management plans.

There are 36 wastewater treatment projects marked to receive approximately $125 million. Nine of the projects qualify for hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills. These hardship projects may receive a combination of grants, forgivable loans that do not have to be repaid, and low interest rate loans. High priority wastewater hardship projects include:

An exposed outfall pipe goes from Vader's lagoon

 to Olequa Creek. The pipe has leaks that will be fixed 

if the project is funded.

• Yakima County is proposed to receive nearly $1.5 million in grant and $700 thousand in loan to design and construct critical repairs and improvements at the wastewater treatment facility in the community of Buena. The repairs and improvements are necessary to ensure proper treatment of the wastewater discharged from the facility. The project was the highest rated of all projects submitted for funding this year.
• The City of Vader in Lewis County may receive about $4.8 million in grant and loan to protect Olequa Creek by constructing significant improvements to its wastewater treatment facility. If adequate funding is included in the state budget, the funding for the project will be approximately half grant and half loan.

Let us know what you think

Comments

We invite comments on our draft funding list. Send comments to Daniel Thompson at daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov by 5:00pm on February 18.

Public meeting

You can also join us for a meeting to discuss the draft funding list:
Wednesday, Feb. 6, at 1:00pm
Pierce County Library
Processing and Administrative Center
3005 112th Street E
Tacoma, WA, 98446

More Information

Learn more about clean water grants and loans on our website.

By Daniel Thompson and Colleen Keltz, Water Quality Program

2019 funding awarded to support clean water in Washington’s communities

Drainfields sometimes need to be replaced
 to help prevent pollution from reaching the water.

Ecology is offering more than $155 million in financial assistance for 69 high-priority clean water projects across Washington state. Our funding supports local communities by helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of projects to prevent pollution.

We received a few comments during our draft funding list comment period and have now finalized the list of recipients.

View our interactive map of funded projects.

See the full offer list online.

The funding is binned into three major categories:

• Funding to reduce nonpoint pollution that comes from widespread, hard-to-trace activities. 
• Wastewater treatment projects such as upgrading sewer collection systems. 
• Projects that reduce stormwater pollution that ultimately help us reduce the pollution that runs into our rivers and streams.    

Chehalis Public Works manhole liner replacement helps reduce stormwater in the sewer. 

See our previous blog about the draft list to learn about a few of the project highlights.

Find out more information about water quality grants and loans.

By Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program

Recently passed capital budget unlocks 2018 funds to support clean water

Ecology is offering nearly $220 million in financial assistance for 163 high-priority clean water projects across Washington state. This funding, for the last fiscal year 2018 (July 2017 through June 2018), was held up when the capital budget was not passed during the previous legislative session. Now, these projects can move forward to support jobs and water quality projects in local communities.

Our funding supports local communities by helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of projects to prevent pollution.

We also recently ended a public comment period for this fiscal year’s (2019) funding.

Water quality grants help communities in need of funding protect Washington's waters.

Here are a few project highlights

Nonpoint pollution projects

Thirty-five projects are receiving $16 million in grants and loans to address nonpoint pollution that comes from widespread, hard-to-trace activities. Two projects will also receive $9 million to repair or replace on-site sewage systems.

Examples of these projects include:

• Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, Pierce County
  We have offered Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in association with the nonprofit lender, Craft3, and 15 other counties a $1.5 million grant, a $1.5 million forgivable loan (funding that does not need to be paid back), and a $5 million low-interest-rate loan to expand the Regional Septic Program. The program provides affordable loans to homeowners and small businesses to repair failing onsite septic systems.

• Spokane Conservation District, Spokane County
  Spokane Conservation District will receive a $500,000 grant and a $3.3 million loan to reduce soil erosion through direct-seeding, creating riparian buffers, and implementing the Farmed Smart Sustainable Agriculture certification. Spokane Conservation District will partner with Pacific Northwest Direct Seed Association and Palouse Rock Lake Conservation District for this project.

Wastewater projects 

Thirty wastewater treatment projects are receiving $110 million in funding. Thirteen of the projects qualify for special hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills.

High-priority wastewater hardship projects include:

• Warden, Grant County
  City of Warden will receive a $500,000 grant and a $1 million loan to extend its sewer system to include homes who currently discharge waste to an unlined lagoon. The project will decommission the lagoon which will help protect the city’s drinking water from contamination. 

• Carbonado, Pierce County
  Town of Carbonado will receive a $4.7 million grant and a $3 million loan to replace its old, failing sewer system that was installed in the early 1900s. This failing system is a threat to public health and the environment. If the system fails, it would risk raw sewage entering the environment and coming into contact with the public. Also, replacing this system will improve the water quality in the upper Carbon River.

Stormwater projects

Ninety-six communities across the state are receiving a total of $45 million in grants and loans to implement projects that focus on reducing stormwater pollution. In addition, 67 stormwater projects from fiscal year 2016 and fiscal year 2017 that were in “delayed” status are offered about $39 million in grants.

The highest-priority stormwater projects include:

• Tacoma, Pierce County
  City of Tacoma will receive a $5 million grant and a $3.2 million loan to improve water quality in the Flett Creek Watershed. The project will improve water quality by installing permeable pavement, providing basic treatment, and reducing stormwater flows from 17 blocks in the Tacoma Mall Neighborhood

• Spokane Valley, Spokane County
  City of Spokane Valley will receive a $654,732 grant for a low-impact development project. The project will design and install bio-infiltration swales to treat stormwater runoff along a major street and eliminate three acres of street runoff.

More information

Find out more about clean water financial assistance on our website. See the full funding offer list.

Find projects in your area using our interactive map online.

By Daniel Thompson and Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program

Funding supports jobs and clean water in Washington's communities

This year, Ecology is proposing to award nearly $154 million in financial assistance for 69 high-priority clean-water projects across the state. Our funding supports local communities by helping them upgrade sewage treatment systems, manage polluted stormwater runoff, and complete a variety of projects to prevent pollution.

Nearly 70% of the funding we manage goes to local communities for environmental projects. Our clean water funding comes from a mix of state and federal funds dedicated for water quality improvements and protection. State financial managers calculate that 11 direct and indirect jobs are created in Washington for every $1 million spent on building clean water infrastructure. Using this calculation, the funding will support almost 1,700 jobs, with one-third of them as construction jobs.

The proposed funding is contingent on the Washington state capital budget and federal budgets. Projects on the list can begin as soon as July 1, if we have secured the funding.

Give input on the proposed funding list

We invite comments on our draft list of projects until Feb. 19, 2018. Send comments to Daniel Thompson at daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov. Also, see below for more information on our public meeting.

Here are a few highlights

Twenty projects are slated to receive about $21 million in grants and loans to address nonpoint pollution that comes from widespread, hard-to-trace activities.

Examples of these projects include:

Beaver Dam Analogues placed in a stream to slow down
and clean water which also creates better habitat. 

• Myers Creek, Cheesaw, Okanogan CountyThe nonprofit, Okanogan Highlands Alliance, is proposed to receive nearly $175,000 for the second phase of a project to re-establish the floodplain in Myers Creek, near Chesaw. The project includes the construction and enhancement of Beaver Dam Analogues (see picture), the planting of native plants, and to raise awareness about this critical habitat.
• Nisqually Watershed, Pierce County
  The Nisqually Indian Tribe would receive more than $14 million in a low interest rate loan to help buy and protect 5,221 acres of forest with 42 miles of shoreline in the Mashel River sub-basin and 2,560 acres of forest with 26 miles of shoreline in the watershed’s Ohop Creek sub-basin.

Twenty-six wastewater treatment projects are proposed to receive approximately $99 million. Seven of the projects qualify for hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills. These hardship projects may receive a combination of grants, forgivable loans (loans that do not need to be paid back), and low interest rate loans.

High priority wastewater hardship projects include:

• Pine Creek, Rosalia, Whitman County
  The Town of Rosalia is proposed to receive nearly $7 million in grant and loans to improve water quality in Pine Creek and reduce impacts on public health by fixing its failing sewer collection system.

• Long Beach, Pacific County
  The City of Long Beach may receive $7 million in grants and loans to design and build a Regional Biosolids Treatment Facility. The facility will compost biosolids from several locations and turn it into highly-treated compost. Residents, businesses, and the city could use this compost for landscaping projects.

Twenty-one communities across the state are proposed to split about $27 million in grants to implement projects that focus on reducing stormwater pollution. The highest-priority stormwater projects include:

A completed stormwater pollution reduction
project, a planted swale.

• Johns Creek, Renton, King County
  The City of Renton could receive more than $1.5 million for a project to improve water quality in Johns Creek (a tributary to Lake Washington). They propose to design and construct new bio-retention facilities and permeable sidewalks. The project will reduce toxic pollutants in stormwater runoff.
• Ellensburg, Kittitas County
  The City of Ellensburg is proposed to receive about $2.7 million to treat stormwater runoff from a busy street before discharging into Mercer, Whiskey, and Wilson Creeks. Treatment will include Low Impact Development (LID) practices like building rock-lined swales and permeable sidewalks.

Unfortunately, due to insufficient funds there are 41 projects eligible for more than $17.5 million in Centennial Clean Water Program grant and 20 projects eligible for $225 million in Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan that may not receive full funding.

Example of a wetland habitat education project. 

Let us know what you think

We invite comments on this draft proposal list.

Submit comments by Feb. 19 at 5:00 p.m. Email Daniel Thompson at daniel.thompson@ecy.wa.gov.

Public meeting
Join us for a meeting to discuss the proposed funding list.

Feb. 1, Thursday at 1:00 p.m.
Pierce County Library
Processing and Administrative Center
3005 112th Street E
Tacoma, WA, 98446

After Feb. 19 we will respond to any comments received in the Final List document. We expect to publish the Final List by June 29, 2018, after the passage of the state 2017-19 Biennial Capital Budget.

More information

Find out more about clean water financial assistance on our website.

By Stacy Galleher, Water Quality Program

Affordable Clean Water Loans are a lifeline when your septic system fails

It’s not even Halloween, but it can be pretty scary finding out that your toilets are backed up and your home’s septic system is failing.

Not only do you not have a place to – you know – go, you’ve got a smelly mess and it can cost you tens of thousands of dollars to fix the problem.

You are not alone. There are about a million privately owned and operated septic systems across Washington and many are at risk of failing due to old age.

Septic systems, or on-site sewage systems as we call them, are the suburban and rural counterpart to urban city sewer systems. Properly functioning systems are vital in protecting our health. They are also vital to protect clean, healthy groundwater and our lakes, rivers, streams and Puget Sound. And they are vital to local industries that depend on clean water to thrive.

Fully functioning septic systems provide sustainable infrastructure so people can live around Puget Sound without polluting it.

When your septic system fails, it’s a public health and an environmental problem

When septic systems are not working properly, untreated sewage can contaminate drinking water with bacteria, viruses, nitrates, and chemicals. Failing systems can pollute shellfish growing areas. They can make water-recreation areas unsafe, and lower oxygen levels in water, harming fish and wildlife.

Whether it’s backing up in the basement, ponding in the backyard, or closing beaches, the bacteria and other contaminants associated with untreated sewage are a major water quality and public health concern.

Affordable loan program 

For several years, the state departments of Health and Ecology partnered with local health jurisdictions and the local nonprofit lender Craft3 to provide financial assistance to help property owners fix failing systems and stay in their homes. They created highly affordable Clean Water Loans to cover the full costs of repairing or replacing failing septic systems, which are a significant burden to most household budgets.

What’s new is that a Puget Sound Regional Septic Program joined the Clean Water Loan program in July, giving Western Washington residents more access to the program.

“This new loan program exemplifies partnerships at their best. It responsibly invests in critical infrastructure, supports Puget Sound recovery, builds family resilience in rural areas, and helps ensure access to clean water that is essential to our communities,” said Polly Zehm, Ecology’s deputy director. “I’m thrilled to see counties, the state and Craft3 come together to strengthen local families and businesses, while making a measurable impact on our region’s water quality.”

The loans allow residential and commercial property owners with failing septic systems to pay for:
• Septic system design
• Relevant permits
• Installation of the new septic system
• Ongoing maintenance
• Essential safety measures, such as those to prevent children from falling into septic tanks
• Or to connect to a municipal sewer system, if required

Are you eligible?

If you live in one of the following counties, you can apply for a Clean Water Loan from Craft3: Clallam, Grays Harbor, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Mason, Pacific, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Wahkiakum, and Whatcom. We also expect Island County to join the regional loan program soon.
If you live San Juan, Skagit or Spokane counties, funds are available through your local health jurisdiction.

It's SepticSmart Week, so take action by getting your system inspected, and if you need help, learn more about the Clean Water Loans at www.craft3.org/cleanwater

Visit our education website or the Environmental Protection Agency to learn more about keeping your septic system healthy.

By Rebecca Brown, Water Quality Program Financial Assistance