With only about 1,000 customers, Klickitat PUD’s Water/Wastewater department has not been a highly visible portion of KPUD in the past. Now, with new sewer plants in both Lyle and Klickitat, as well as capital improvements to some of the water systems, that is all changing.

Grants and low-interest loans are an integral part of improving KPUD’s water and wastewater systems. In December of 2002 the water/ww department completed installation of a new water treatment plant in Klickitat, a project funded by a $427,600 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency, and a $100,000 grant from Klickitat County. In May of 2003 renovation of the Wishram Wastewater Treatment Plant was finished, with funds from the Department of Ecology grant/loan package totaling $425,000. Planning and engineering work is also taking place on both the Klickitat and Lyle Wastewater Systems. The planning on Klickitat includes $50,000 through USFS Pacific Northwest Assistance, $17,500 through USFS Old Growth Diversification fund, $3,500 through Washington State Rural Opportunity Fund and a $24,000 Community Development Block Grant. The Lyle project planning is funded through a $45,000 USFS Pacific Northwest Assistance Grant and two Public Work Trust Fund Loans totaling $211,172.

A $35,000 Department of Ecology grant was just received to install new source metering, which will trace unaccounted-for water. The department applied for funds to complete a system-wide SCADA telemetry system, and to fund planning work on a new water source for the Ponderosa Water System. They are working to complete a cross-connection water protection program, which prevents alternate sources of water from flowing back into the public water system, and to complete a wellhead protection program.

To receive loans and grants, KPUD needed to have a grant administrator. Twenty year KPUD employee Roxie Hunter, formerly the executive assistant to the general manager, took on the position in April of 2002. Roxie says she is thoroughly enjoying assisting the water department, even though it’s been a “sink or swim” approach since she made the move.

“I’ve been writing grant and loan applications; learning the requirements involved in the weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports required by each funding agency; and setting up accounting spreadsheets,” said Roxie. “This is a much more complicated process than I ever imagined.”

Proper operation and maintenance of KPUD’s eight water systems and five wastewater (sewer) systems is the key to the success of this department. Doug Miller, Project Manager, with his 25 years of experience on our systems, and one of only 5 people in Washington with double water/wastewater certifications, is worth his weight in gold.

Doug, who started with KPUD in 1977, manages the day-to-day operations of the department. He supervises maintenance, the daily operation and regulation of the five wastewater plants and the eight water systems, acts as the contractor and project liaison, and handles line replacements and scheduling. He also provides technical advice for grant writing.

The Water/WW Operators are a very important part of the department. KPUD now has on-site operators living in the communities of Glenwood and Klickitat, and another operator living in Dallesport who is responsible for the Wishram and Lyle water and sewer systems. A portion of the lawsuit brought against KPUD specified a shortage of operators for the facilities. The operators now work a rotating shift on the weekends, which allows them to correct problems at the time, instead of waiting until Monday. Operators read and record flows, and make sure the chlorine residual meets requirements. The operators are also kept busy with re-certification processes, and additional training. Some certifications include college coursework, and others are on-the-job training. The operators receive fire hydrant training, and Howard Sinor recently completed accident investigation training.

Howard Sinor, Water/WW Operator for Glenwood, is known as “Mr. Fixit”. He started with KPUD in 1996, and provides maintenance for the Glenwood water and sewer systems, and acts as a rover on coverage for the other systems. His typical day might start with a system project, but is normally interrupted for a “locate”, to fix a broken pipe, or turn water on or off somewhere.

Tim McMurrin, the Water/WW Operator for Lyle and Wishram, operates both the Lyle and Wishram water & sewer plants, performs maintenance, and checks wells daily. He started with KPUD in 2001, and part of his work includes lab work in Lyle, as well as lab accreditation.

Eric Shea, the Water/WW Operator for Klickitat is the latest addition to the department, in 2002. His job includes operating the water and wastewater treatment plant in Klickitat, doing permits, lab work, maintenance, landscaping, and anything else that needs doing. He does extra testing in Klickitat, because of the new system, and is watching the levels closely. Eric also compiles the monthly monitoring reports.