Division Street sewer upgrade project almost complete
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 1 month AGO
A project to replace a sewer lift station on South Division Street in Moses Lake is close to completion.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIABASINHERALD
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | February 18, 2025 1:15 AM
MOSES LAKE — A project to upgrade a sewer lift station on South Division Street in Moses Lake is in the final stages.
The project was started last spring, said Lynne Lynch, Moses Lake communications and marketing specialist. Project cost as of Jan. 31 was about $774,000.
The work involved decommissioning the existing lift station equipment and materials, according to the city website; that section was completed in summer 2024. Crews also installed a new wet well, valve vault, pumps and electrical and telemetry panels.
“We are upgrading the capacity and replacing (a) decades-old pumping system and controls,” Lynch wrote in response to an email from the Columbia Basin Herald.
A detour through the left lane for southbound traffic has been in effect off and on throughout the project.
“Final testing is scheduled to begin (about Feb. 14). Then we can get the bypass pumping removed and remove the traffic control. Final cleanup will be completed soon after,” Lynch said.
The site is near a wetland, and the location contributed to the time it took to complete the project.
“There were delays due to waiting for several months for necessary electrical components that were not immediately available and difficulties with groundwater intrusion into existing manholes and vaults,” she said.
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.