Bickleton seeks centralized water-sewage
Rachel Cavanaugh
News Editor
Bickleton residents have begun an ambitious project to install the town’s first ever centralized water-sewage system.
The network, estimated to cost upwards of $12 to 13 million, will run underground and connect neighbors to one another, replacing self-contained wells and septic tanks.
Earlier this month, officials made the decision to move forward after a mailer was sent out asking the opinions of 65 property owners.
There were 36 votes in favor, 12 against, and 17 who did not vote. With the required majority, members of the town’s planning committee have said they will move on to seek grant money from state and federal agencies.
Committee members, who hope to petition the Klickitat County PUD for system management, guessed it will be two to three years before the project gets off the ground and building begins.
“It’s an arduous process,” said Jennifer Wilson, chairwoman of the Bickleton Community Action Planning Committee (CAPC). “We’re still in really baby step stages.”
The public’s reaction has been mixed.
“At first I was opposed to it, but I can see the benefit to it,” said John Jensen. “The hard part is we don’t know anything about it yet. What are the hookup fees? What’s it going to cost?
“There are a lot of unanswered questions right now,” said Jensen.
Concern over cost has surfaced repeatedly, especially among property owners who have functioning wells or septic tanks right now.
However, many in favor of the system have pointed out a possible link to jobs and the economy. For example, maintenance technicians for nearby wind projects currently must commute in, which is costly with gas prices. With a centralized system, housing could be provided for them locally.
Others, however, worry the infrastructure would set up the town for added growth, which some locals are against.
“That’s where the controversy comes in,” said resident Dave Whitmore, who attended a July 17, meeting. “Some people want the growth, others do not.”
Larry Jensen, who was also at the meeting, said he does not like the idea of major growth.
“I live in this community by choice and the reason I do is I like the small town atmosphere, and I’m afraid if you start bringing in development that’ll change,” said Jensen.
Whitmore said he is “on the fence,” about the water system, but thinks moderate growth is necessary. He said without it, the community has nowhere to go.
“On one hand, I don’t know if I want to see the growth, but if we don’t…we’re going to shrivel up and die,” said Whitmore.
The water-sewage issue has come up in recent months and years as wells and septic systems become more expensive to install. Currently, wells run $12,000 to $15,000 and septic systems cost $8,000 to $10,000.
Many people don’t have space for the latter because regulations have made footage requirements broader for drainage fields.
At present, there are 30 to 35 wells in town. Wells have been failing and maintenance costs are high. Last year, about 10 local residences had to have their septic fields pumped due to an exceptionally wet winter that saturated the drain fields.
“Time has just kind of caught up with town,” said Wilson.
Beyond that, nitrates have become an increasing issue.
Earlier this year, the Washington State Department of Health ordered mandatory upgrades to a well that links two local restaurants. High nitrate levels were cited as the reason.
According to Jeff Martin of the Klickitat County Health Department, which was also involved with the mandate, acceptable levels of nitrate are 10 milligrams per liter.
The restaurants’ well tested at 11.8 milligrams per liter, which Martin said was just “barely over.”
He said the levels do not pose a health threat, except to newborns and people with specific stomach conditions, reiterating it is safe to eat at both restaurants.
However, the mandate served as one more hint the town may be ready for a change. He said he thinks a centralized water system would be good for the community.
“There is a great public health benefit to that,” said Martin. “Public water systems are tested once per month.”
However, Larry Jensen pointed out that nitrates have always been present in the water, especially in agricultural areas. He said the difference now is advances in technology have made testing for it more specific. Furthermore, what is considered an acceptable level has decreased.
At this point, however, plans are moving forward. Members of the local committee met in May with two officials from the Klickitat County PUD for advice on planning and funding.
“The best thing they can do is contact an engineering group to put them on a fast track to get something like that going,” said Tim Furlong, manager of the water-wastewater department.”
He indicated the PUD would be open to talks, but emphasized they do not build water systems, they simply manage them. All construction would have to be done by the citizens prior to their involvement.
If the plan is carried out, residents will be asked for an initial startup fee once building is complete. That will be followed by a monthly water bill, like any urban community.
Wilson said the bill is the financial tradeoff for other fees incurred by private well owners in upkeep and maintenance costs.
At this point, it is unclear whether or not people would be able to keep their private wells if they chose to for uses like watering their lawns. It is unlikely it would be mandatory for homes to hook into the system, but doing it later would be more expensive.
For that reason, some officials have recommended connecting during the initial setup.
Despite the various reservations, the majority of the town seems to be standing behind the idea, at least at this point.
“It’s very important for us to think about the future with this little town,” said CAPC committeewoman Nelda Flores. “This is all new to us…We’ll try to cross all our T’s and dot all our I’s and make sure what we’re doing is worthwhile for everyone in the community.”
“We’re looking at the long-term,” added Wilson. “We’re asking the big questions…we’re growing up, I guess.”
KVH passes survey with flying colors
The Klickitat Valley Health (KVH) pharmacy scored 100 percent on a recent survey conducted by the Washington State Board of Pharmacy.
“Our pharmacy staff are to be commended for this accomplishment and their dedication to excellence in pharmacy services,” said John Rohrer, interim CEO for the hospital.
Rob Pollard, pharmacy director, said he has only seen about five perfect survey scores in his 25 years in the pharmacy business.
The pharmacy is responsible for all medications used at KVH but is not a retail pharmacy for outpatient use.
Staff consists of Rob Pollard, Linda Shull, and Crystal Scott.
Exploding well injures four at gas exploration site
An explosion and fire southeast of Bickleton sent a blast of fire from an exploratory well, early Friday morning. Four people were injured and transported to Sunnyside Hospital. A spokesperson for Delta Petroleum Corporation, the primary contractor for the operation, could not comment on the condition of the workers, other than to say injuries were not life threatening.
The drilling was described as exploratory and the accident was presumed to have occurred due to the release of natural gas. The project began May 18, of this year. Washington State Labor and Industries is currently investigating the accident.
According to Delta Petroleum’s web site, the company is an independent energy company engaged in exploration, acquisition, development and production of natural gas and crude oil. They describe their leases in the Columbia River basin, as “significant” and “a prospective frontier resource province.”
Labor and Industries expects results of their investigation to be completed in two months.
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