New wastewater pump station coming for Pacific, Algona residents

King County is starting construction of a new wastewater pump station in the city of Pacific. The current pump station is more than 30 years old and at the end of its useful life. King County's Wastewater Treatment Division is upgrading the station to ensure safe and reliable operation while protecting public health and water quality.

The existing underground pump station is at First Avenue Northwest and Tacoma Boulevard North. The new pump station will be built on Frontage Road South next to Custom Iron Co.

The pump station pumps wastewater from the cities of Algona and Pacific to King County's South Treatment Plant in Renton. It does not have capacity to handle future flows or meet current design standards. It also lacks odor control equipment and on-site backup power.

The new pump station, to cost about $3.8 million, will include pumps, odor control equipment and a backup generator to keep the pumps running during power outages. An aboveground structure will house the electrical equipment. A new pipeline will connect the pump station to an existing sewer line under Tacoma Boulevard North.

The public art for this project, already installed at Pacific City Hall, is the city's first public artwork reflecting the long history of agriculture in the Pacific area.

Construction is scheduled to be completed in summer 2006. Mid Mountain Contractors of Kirkland is the prime contractor for this project. It has a local office on Frontage Road.

For more details about the new pump station, visit the project Web site.

King County's Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 18 cities, 16 sewer districts and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional utility now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for nearly 40 years.