Othello council approves subdivision water hookup

OTHELLO — The Othello City Council on Monday approved providing water from the city’s new irrigation system to the final phase of the Sandstone subdivision at a cost of $36,171 to the city.

The final phase of the subdivision, which is between Seventh Avenue and 14th Avenue north of state Route 26, consists of 39 lots.

According to city engineer Shawn O’Brien, water from the residential irrigation system — which will use treated and purified water from the city’s water treatment plant — still needs pumps in order to function and will not be able to provide water to customers until next year.

“There’s no pressure in the system yet,” he said.

Council member Angel Garza, who is also a real estate developer, said he was concerned that at $3,600 per hookup, the cost of the system was too high for most homebuyers.

“That’s a lot of money,” Garza said. “I’m with it, but we need to work on the price we bill to the homeowner.”

Mayor Shawn Logan said the city was still working on the best way to bill customers.

The irrigation water system has been set up for new homes in Othello as a way to save water by ensuring homeowners do not use drinking water — drawn from a series of wells around the city — to water their lawns.

In a reflection of hope for the future, the council also approved an application from the Barracuda Swim Team to host a regional swim meet at the city’s pool on July 24-26.

Parks and recreation coordinator Randy Gomez said he expects to be able to open the pool, located in Lions Park, in early June. The swim meet, which Othello last hosted in 2014, will bring teams from across the Columbia Basin and the Yakima area. It should also bring around 500 visitors to Othello.

Charles H. Featherstone can be reached at [email protected].