Two of the four wastewater treatment plants on Whidbey Island were recognized as outstanding by the Washington State Department of Ecology.
The Coupeville Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Holmes Harbor Sewer District Water Reclamation Facility in Freeland were recipients of the 2021 Outstanding Wastewater Treatment Plant Awards, which was announced last week. In total, 124 facilities were recognized.
For the second year in a row, Oak Harbor’s $150 million state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant did not receive the award. The clean water facility exceeded effluent limits for pH on two days, according to Scarlet Tang, the northwest region communications manager of the Washington State Department of Ecology.
Plant Supervisor Jack Robinson said of the plant exceeding pH limits: “These were literally blips, but it is noted as a violation. We have recalibrated the system and added additional flushing steps to ensure this doesn’t happen again.”
Oak Harbor City Administrator Blaine Oborn said the facility is more complex than others on the island.
“The Clean Water Facility provides a higher level of treatment with more complexities than other plants in the area,” he said. “As we learn more, we will continue to adapt as necessary and become more proficient.”
The previous year, Oak Harbor’s plant was dinged for discharging 1.2 million gallons of untreated sewage into Puget Sound during a three-day period of long-lasting rain showers that created an unusual amount of rainwater infiltration into the collection system.
The Langley’s treatment plant simply submitted its report late.
“The Outstanding Wastewater Treatment Plant Awards recognize the plants like Coupeville and Holmes Harbor that have regularly met their effluent limits and permit criteria, conducted their required monitoring on schedule, and reported all data as required,” Tang wrote in an email. “The awards are to celebrate the 40 percent of plants that comply with all terms of their permit, and plants don’t make the list for a variety of reasons.”
This is the twelfth consecutive year the Coupeville wastewater treatment plant has received an Outstanding Performance Award, according to a statement from Coupeville Mayor Molly Hughes.
“I am especially glad that the letter notifying us of this year’s award spoke about the very unusual weather we all experienced in 2021,” she wrote in the statement. “During huge snowfalls, unbelievable rain events and wind storms causing prolonged power outages, our small crew managed the wastewater plant 24/7. They came in at all hours, sometimes during horrible conditions, to monitor operations to prevent any emergencies such as a spill into beautiful Penn Cove.”
This is the 16th consecutive year that Holmes Harbor received the award.
To win the award, facilities must meet state pollution limits, monitoring and reporting requirements, plan to prevent spills, perform pretreatment on wastewater, and fulfill other operation demands as outlined in their permits.
