PORT HADLOCK — Jefferson County planners are updating plans for a sewage treatment plant in the Tri-Area urban growth area to include possible water reclamation.
Project planner Kyle Alm said the updating of the plan is in response to a recommendation from the Washington Department of Health.
Randy L. Riley, an engineer in the Department of Health’s Water Reuse Program, suggested reclamation be part of the plan.
“Based on concerns regarding the availability of adequate water supplies in the future, we would propose the best management practice would demand that all waste water should be reclaimed first, and treated and disposed of as a last resort,” Riley said in his letter.
Riley’s letter urged the county to make the value of reclamation “more easily recognized in this general sewer plan.”
Two county officials believe the ability to use reclaimed water for irrigation could be one of the benefits of building a sewage treatment plant in the Tri-Area urban growth area.
County Commissioner Dan Titterness, R-Port Townsend, sees the possibility as “a very positive thing.”
Jim Parker, manager of Jefferson County Public Utility District No. 1, also envisions potential for using reclaimed water for irrigation. The utility district provides water for Jefferson County residents.