North Bend council to revisit water issue on Sept. 21

Published 11:42 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

NORTH BEND – A financial and procedural balancing act needed to bring the city out of a five-year construction moratorium due to lack of water rights is expected to approach a critical step next week.

At its Sept. 21 meeting, North Bend City Council members are expected to discuss upgrades to the city’s sewer treatment system, which ties in with North Bend’s plan to lift a construction moratorium.

If all goes as planned, a possible lifting of the moratorium could occur in May of 2005.

While all council members are eager to lead the city out of moratorium, a few are concerned that if for some reason the water plan is not approved by the state or it is tied up in a possible legal battle with an environmental group or American Indian tribe, the allocated funds for the proposed sewer revamp could be for naught.

It was discovered in 1999 that the city essentially had used all of its water rights and entered into a self-imposed building moratorium. Since that time, North Bend officials have been struggling with the problem that has negatively impacted the city’s coffers.

The current plan to lift the moratorium – now under review by the state’s Department of Ecology (DOE) – calls for the city to pump water from the Snoqualmie River, treat it and send it to customers. That water would be replaced with raw water taken from a well that the city owns, or mitigation water purchased from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). A pipeline would be used to transport the SPU water back into the Snoqualmie River.

City officials said the preliminary design for the pipeline has been completed as well as negotiations with SPU for the purchase of raw water.

The city expects to receive a final contract for the rate structure associated with the water being purchased from SPU later this month. Although it is likely that mitigation water will be used initially, the city continues to explore the possibility of pumping water from its own well.

The city currently is accepting bids for the construction of the pipeline, which should be completed by the end of the year, according to city administrator George Martinez.

Because the city’s sewer treatment system is running at full capacity, upgrades will be needed to lift the moratorium because of the projected increase in usage.

At a Sept. 7 City Council study session, veteran Councilman Mark Sollitto, who has supported all water rights funding in the past, said he’s concerned that the city has the “cart before the horse” and is proceeding cautiously. If the DOE does not approve the water right’s plan, Sollitto said, the city could be spending much-needed funds on a sewer system that will be unusable.

If North Bend heard it would be guaranteed water rights, he said, supporting the sewer upgrades would not be a concern.

Mayor Ken Hearing said although no guarantee has been made, recent conversations with DOE officials lead him to believe the plan will be approved.

Martinez said to dissuade any potential lawsuits, the city has included the Snoqualmie Tribe in their discussions.

The City Council is expected to discuss this issue at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at the Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S. in North Bend.