Water, water conservation topics of planning and discussion in Othello

OTHELLO — Water, how to conserve it and how to get more of it have been topics of discussion and a focus of experimentation around the Columbia Basin. Othello city officials have been working for almost a decade on a project to reduce demand on the city’s underground aquifer, one that’s inching closer to fruition.

A pilot project tested the possibility of using water from the East Columbia Basin Irrigation District canal system, treating it, and pumping it back into the aquifer. That was successful, and city officials are working on upscaling it, a project that will require a treatment facility. Public Works Director Robin Adolphsen said the facility is in the process of design.

“We’re working on how many gallons per day we want to take from the canal and determine what that plant is going to need to treat water,” she said.

City officials have determined the design will require a storage pond along with the water treatment facility, which will require a relatively large piece of property, and found a tentative location along Lee Road between Seventh and 14th avenues.

Othello School District officials purchased the property in 2016 with the tentative plan of building a school there. But district patrons rejected a construction bond, OSD plans changed, and the property was put up for sale in 2021.

Othello City Council members were asked to consider the possible purchase of the property Monday, but not from the school district. Total cost of the 77 acres would be about $4.2 million.

The request prompted an objection from Council Member Corey Everett, who asked that it be tabled.

“This is a $4.2 million purchase that nobody in the public was given any prior knowledge of – it didn’t even show up on the agenda until today,” Everett said.

He had not had what he considered adequate time to study the request, Everett said.

“It would be very difficult for anybody (on the council) to read through this,” he said.

Mayor Pro Tem John Lallas said the sale agreement would be conditional. Othello School Board members also met Monday and approved the sale of the property to a third party. But the school board met after the council meeting.

Council Member Darryl Barnes said he agreed with Everett.

“I think it would be prudent to provide the public an opportunity to comment on a $4 million expenditure by the city,” Barnes said. “Fourteen days won’t kill us.”

Council members voted to table the sale until the March 24 meeting.

Lallas said the city wouldn’t need the entire parcel for the water treatment facility, opening up other options for the rest of the land.

“A portion of that land is going towards a water treatment plant that we know we want,” Lallas said. “What the plan is to do with the remaining amount of the property, whether we look for a buyer, develop it, turn it into a park, (is still undecided).”

Lallas said less than half the property would be required for the treatment facility.

“There would be a large amount of property that the city would end up owning, and what are we going to do with it?” Lallas said.

Council members also approved water conservation targets for an updated water plan. City officials want to cut water use by 640,000 gallons per year, Adolphsen said, which is unchanged from the previous plan.

“Since the last water system plan, it hasn’t been as efficient as we expected,” she said. “But we also thought we were going to have an irrigation system online by now.”

The plan includes a list of initiatives to cut down on water use.

“Mostly public information to (help customers) better use their water, (reduce) irrigation issues and (detect) leaks, and make sure we’re not wasting water,” she said.