PORT HADLOCK — A low-interest loan to pay a large share of a water system for Marrowstone Island is part of a bill approved by the state House on Wednesday.
A low-interest loan for a sewage treatment plant was also approved in the public works project bill, HB 1049, which authorizes $155 million in loans for 64 projects statewide.
The bill, co-sponsored by Rep. Lynn Kessler, D-Hoquiam, passed 96-0 and moved to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. Rep. Jim Buck, R-Joyce, who supported the bill, is the North Olympic Peninsula’s other House member.
The bill would provide Jefferson County Public Utility District No. 1 a low-interest loan of $2 million to replace private wells on Marrowstone Island with a public water system to serve the island’s growing population.
The $4.4 million project includes installation of 150,000 feet of water mains and accouterments, a new 300,000-gallon storage tank, and expansion of existing treatment facilities to ensure a consistent source of potable water for residents.