Even with the possibility of Issaquah assuming areas served by other utility districts within its borders, the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District, which annexed Overdale in 2011, will begin construction immediately on water system upgrades in the neighborhood.
Overdale, in north Issaquah on the Plateau, currently has 153 properties.
“Typically public entities do ground breakings for buildings — we’re going underground,” said SPWSD general manager Jay Krauss.
He said the district’s crew persevered for three years to get this project going. The total cost of the project is $1,446,758. The district applied for and received a $1.1 million Drinking Water State Revolving Fund Loan to help fund the construction of the water system improvements, including the waiver of approximately $560,000 of the eligible project costs.
The district was required to perform cultural and archeological tests (no artifacts were found), environmental and energy studies to get the DWSRF loan.
Kar-Vel construction was awarded the contract to perform the system upgrades.
Overdale Water Association found that its water contained arsenic levels that exceeded state water quality requirements in 2006. Since then, the SPWSD has provided 15 million gallons of water each year to Overdale through an emergency inter-tie while Overdale weighed its options.
The Overdale Water System was built in 1960 by the original developer, A.J. Peters Real Estate Company. In 1962 a 60,000 gallon wooden storage tank was built. By 1963 it was clear that the original well could not meet demands for the burgeoning neighborhood, so an additional well, near the new Bartells, was added. In 1967 the wooden tank collapsed.
By 1968-69 the Overdale Water Association was formed, taking over the water system from the developer. A new 37,000 gallon steel tank was built which will now be decommissioned, since Overdale will now use the district’s nearby seven million gallon storage tank.
In 1986 SPWSD installed a water main near Overdale’s S.E. 58th St. entrance. Since then SPWSD has assisted Overdale during emergency situations, but in 2006 the district began providing a continuous water supply due to the arsenic levels.
SPWSD will be installing new water mains to improve fire flow, and it will also install a new booster station.
Overdale’s wells will be removed from the system, which will allow Overdale to sell water rights to help offset the costs of the water system improvements.
The project should be completed by next spring.
In the meantime, the permit the City of Issaquah is seeking to inject storm water from the Issaquah Highlands into the Lower Reid Infiltration Gallery (LRIG) is on hold.
The LRIG is a piece of land the size of a footall field at the foot of the Issaquah Highlands. Called a vadose zone, it uses sand and gravel to naturally filtrate contaminants before they reach the underground aquifer. The LRIG is above the aquifer and is 600-feet uphill from three wells owned by SPWSD. The district questions the safety of injection, fearing that the practice will contaminate the drinking water.
Jerry Shervey with the State Department of Ecology, office of water quality, said representatives from the city of Issaquah, ecology, attorneys and the SPWSD have had two meetings so far to explore additional water treatment options. Shervey said engineers from all three entities have also met.
“Ben Yazici, city manager of Sammamish, is sponsoring meetings with ecology, Issaquah, and the Plateau Water and Sewer District to check if the parties can agree to additional treatment for the LRIG infiltration system to satisfy the concerns of the district about adequate treatment,” Shervey said. “All parties involved agreed to put the LRIG permit on hold while discussing additional treatment options for the storm water that is treated in the Upper Reid pond above the LRIG.”
Shervey said the permit issuance process will include ample public notification. The proposed permit, comment period and hearing will be announced very openly.
