The Port of Royal Slope waiting on rail line transfer
The yellow outline represents the Port of Royal Slope's water service area. The red outline is the proposed expanded water service area.
ROYAL CITY - The Port of Royal Slope is still waiting for the Royal Slope rail line to be transferred to PORS ownership by the state legislature.
According to Executive Director Cathy Potter, the House bill that would make that happen is lingering in the Senate Transportation Committee. Potter said there has been a hearing but no vote to move it on to the rules committee before it can head to the floor.
The Senate bill, which was identical to the House bill, has been scrapped, Potter said. Only one of the bills needs to be passed to make the transfer.
When the title transfer from the Washington State Department of Transportation to the Port is made, Potter said, the Port will have five years to find an operator. If it can't, the line's ownership will revert to the WSDOT.
Potter said no one has spoken against the transfer. Even the WSDOT has supported it, she said.
Potter said the Port has had one interested operator waiting all along for the legislature's decision. She said a new one has approached her.
"The interest is there," she said.
Meanwhile, the Port is working on other projects. One is the expansion of its water service area.
According to Potter, the Port's two wells and pumping systems can serve much more area than they currently serve. However the Department of Ecology water permit allows only the area that is served now.
"We can do commercial and fire-flow only," Potter said.
Potter noted Brown Boy Onions, which is across the road from the Port's No. 2 well, would like to buy Port water but can't.
"They would like us to put a hydrant on their property," Potter said.
Potter said it will cost the Port $1,000 to apply. The application goes to the Water Conservancy Board. After a review, the WCB can send it on to the DOE.