$600,000 needed for UV facility replacement

ROYAL CITY – The ultraviolet facility at the Royal City wastewater treatment plant needs to be replaced, and it will cost the city approximately $600,000 to replace it.

Nancy Wetch of Gray & Osborne Engineering of Yakima told the Royal City Council at its Sept. 20 meeting that the City’s UV facility is 20 years old and no longer supported by the manufacturer.

Wetch said the facility at Royal no longer meets the standards set by the Department of Ecology.

The City has already received $40,000 in planning funds. It will apply for project funds later this fall. The total project funding estimate stands at $600,000.

Current estimates show that sewer rates may be required to be increased by as much as 10 percent as a result of this project.

In other Council business, Royal City SummerFest representative Leslie Fanning approached the Council about the recently-adopted ordinance regulating park use.

City Finance Director Greg Pike said Fanning thought the rules were established to stop use. He said the Council was only setting up rules to protect the City from liability while the park is being used by others.

Public Works reported to the Council that Blue Star will soon have a final cost proposal for the replacement of the pump at City well No. 3. After that is approved, the work will take about three weeks, Pike said.

The Council approved a consent agenda that contained the meeting minutes for the Sept. 6 meeting, a $19,656.76 payroll and $90,436.64 in claims.