The ins and outs regarding wastewater treatment

COEUR d'ALENE - Judicial confirmation, election, back to judicial confirmation, and deadlines looming all the while.

With wastewater treatment issues in the news recently - and how the city plans to pay for them - the city public information officer caught up with Wastewater Superintendent Sid Fredrickson to go over the ins and outs of the $33.5 million in upgrades the facility in the education corridor will undergo.

The project will happen, and after some back and forth, the city secured funding through a judge's ruling that said the project is ordinary and necessary and voter approval isn't required to take on debt to pay for it.

What will the $33.5 million fund?

A new filtration system that will reduce the level of phosphorus that is discharged into the Spokane River.

Why do you need to reduce phosphorous levels?

The Environmental Protection Agency says there is a high level of phosphorus in the Spokane River. As a result, it is requiring all dischargers along the river to reduce phosphorus going into the river. Dischargers must implement a third level (tertiary) of advanced wastewater treatment to filter out the phosphorus.

Are high levels of phosphorus bad?

Yes, they kill fish and adversely affect our ecosystem.

How much phosphorus needs to be reduced?

All dischargers must reduce phosphorus by 99.3 percent. To meet that limit, we need to upgrade the system.

Who are the other dischargers?

Spokane, Spokane County, Liberty Lake, Post Falls and the Hayden Lake Area Regional Sewer Board. Non-governmental agencies are Kaiser Trentwood Works and Inland Empire Paper. Avista also has a responsibility.

Do those entities face similar upgrades?

Yes, combined the upgrades are in excess of $500 million.

How do you know the upgraded system will work?

We piloted three advanced tertiary filtration units. The unit that removed the most phosphorus also helped us control oxygen-depleting ammonia. That potentially saves us $20 million in separate ammonia-control facilities.

When does the upgrade need to be completed?

The EPA needs to issue a final permit, which establishes total water quality limits. At that point, we'll have 10 years to meet the phosphorus requirement. Before then, we'll need to meet deadlines in EPA's mandated compliance schedule.

What are those deadlines?

Deadlines start within a year after the final permit is issued. By the third year, we'll have to have the full-scale facility built and operated, and we'll need to produce at least one year's worth of results.

How will the city pay back the money it borrows?

Through wastewater rates. Rates already have been adjusted in anticipation of this debt. Council approved the increase of 8 and 8.5 percent over the next five years for residential users. Commercial users will see a 53 percent increase over that time.