GOLDENDALE — In some ways, the Klickitat County Commissioners’ July 2 session will be remembered for the things that didn’t happen.
It was the first time in several months there was no new information on the county jail situation. That was in part expected, because Human Resources Director Robb Van Cleave said last week that he wouldn’t have an update at this week’s session, and possibly next week as well.
A planned public meeting for preliminary approval of a site plan and recreation park permit for the controversial Under Canvas upscale camping facility was pulled from the agenda. Public Works Director Jeff Hunter said the applicants have not yet shown they have a supply for the 5,000 gallons of water per day the camp would need.
And an item on the consent agenda that would have enacted a moratorium on permits for battery energy storage systems, due to concerns about the fire danger from lithium-ion batteries, was also pulled.
Commissioner Dan Christopher said it didn’t go far enough. “That doesn’t address my worries that somebody goes into the recycled battery industry,” he said, “fills up warehouses full of recycled batteries somewhere, and then declares bankruptcy, leaving it to the county.” Staff will bring back an amended resolution at a later date.
One item that did receive a lot of attention was the question of the Dallesport wastewater treatment plant. The plant was constructed 20 years ago by the county following the failure of a number of septic systems. It was purposely built larger than needed at the time to accommodate future growth, which did not take place. The county contracted with Klickitat PUD to manage the facility, which owns and operates wastewater plants in Glenwood, Klickitat, Lyle and Wishram.
Due to the age of the Dallesport plant, the main systems are at the end of their useful life and will have to be replaced at a cost of more than $6 million. In order to cover the costs of improvements, sewer rates in Dallesport will have to go up.
Some residents have argued that, in their opinion, Klickitat PUD hasn’t properly maintained or operated the facility and the utility should pay for the replacement systems, or that the utility’s liability insurance provider should bear the burden caused by the alleged negligence.
Hunter said his experience contradicted such beliefs. He said his department has never had a problem with KPUD, and that when the residents asked the Department of Ecology to investigate their perceived problems, DOE gave the PUD a clean bill of health. “In fact, they win awards,” he added.
That was a reference to last November, when Marcia Porter of the Washington State Department of Ecology presented Klickitat PUD wastewater operators with outstanding achievement awards for 2021 and 2022.
Hunter summed up the main questions facing the commissioners on the issue when he asked, “Are we looking at an RFP (Request for Proposal) to just have another manager manage the plant, or are we looking at an RFP to actually turn the plant over to somebody?”
He said the county can’t turn the plant over to the Dallesport Water District. “We could do it if they were a city,” he said. “But they are not a certified sewer district in DOE’s (Department of Energy) eyes.”
Hunter also opposed finding a new plant operator. “People in Dallesport turned us into DOE with a laundry list of stuff,” he said. “I’ve given the board that list, and we found no fault. None. The only fault that they could point out is that the plant is at its life expectancy. We already know that. It costs us $60,000 a year to monitor the PUD. And if it’s somebody new, we have to monitor it more closely.”
Commissioners expressed different viewpoints on the subject. Christopher sees it as a county asset and wants an RFP for plant operations that is open to bids from all sources. He noted the City of The Dalles has contracted out operations of its wastewater treatment plant to an engineering firm for decades with no problems.
“I’m not interested in an RFP to sell,” he said. “I’m interested in an O and M (Operations and Maintenance) contract. Reputable companies have contacted me and are interested in entering into a bid process. I think it’s in the county’s best interest to see what’s out there.”
Chair Lori Zoller sees the plant as a potential liability. “It was the intent from the beginning to divest, and I would like to figure out how to divest ourselves after this lifetime of supporting that plant, paying off the grants and moving forward.”
Commissioner Jake Anderson said, “It was my goal originally that once we get the thing paid off, we get rid of the thing, because we’re not in the business and it’s costing us money and we’re on the hook for it.
“This has been a long saga in which a long string of accusations have been made against the PUD, attempting to tarnish their name for a job they’ve been providing,” he said. “And as far as I understand, we have had no downtime in the last 20 years. DOE has done their reviews and they have passed all their reviews ... Right now I don’t think we’re in a position where the county can offload it. It still has immense value. It’s probably $8 plus million of value and we can’t just give it to someone unless they are a city.”
The one conclusion that drew universal agreement was that sewer rates in Dallesport would be going up significantly, no matter who owns the plant in the future.
“Even if we give it to the PUD for dollar,” said Christopher, “and they’re willing to take it for a dollar, they’re going to go out and get the loan to fix the stuff and they’re going to raise the rates 20%, too.”
Hunter added, “Yes, the bottom line is Commissioner Christopher’s correct. The rates are going up whether people like it or not ... The best and only way that you’re going to truly stop the bleeding is when Dallesport actually grows into the size of its waste water treatment plant.”
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