2314-S

AN ACT Relating to the development of state-wide wastewater reuse standards; creating new sections; making an appropriation; providing an expiration date; and declaring an emergency.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. (1) The legislature finds that:

(a) The use of reclaimed water was recognized by the legislature as a high priority in 1992 legislation and state regulatory agencies were directed to coordinate their efforts towards facilitating uses of reclaimed water;

(b) The 1995 legislature provided additional directives and funding to complete standards applicable to a wider variety of uses of reclaimed water, but the lack of experience with pilot projects in this state may hinder the development of such standards;

(c) Innovative water reuse projects may help to avoid the costly development of new sources of water and provide a more cost-effective strategy for a municipality's provision of water supplies and treatment of the water following its use;

(d) State and federal expenditures to municipalities in Washington state for wastewater facilities since 1972 has exceeded two billion dollars, the vast majority of which has been spent on funding for secondary wastewater treatment plant upgrades. Most of these facilities will be inadequate by the year 2000 to meet new treatment requirements and meet new demand within their service area based upon expected growth for that area;

(e) The principal state and federal treatment technology requirements are geared toward the discharge of wastewater to a surface water body without reuse before that discharge. The financial resources necessary to construct or expand systems that meet the technical requirements of discharging to surface water render advanced treatment beyond the capability of many communities in Washington state;

(f) The process of recapturing and reusing one hundred percent of a community's treated wastewater has the potential for making advanced treatment a financial and technical reality in many communities across the state. Unfortunately, the use of low-technology, low-cost methods in that process is virtually untested in this state and, therefore, state regulators have no standards to apply to the implementation of such a process. Conversely, a community could not develop a full-scale, one hundred percent wastewater reuse project today because there are no state standards to apply to such a project;

(g) The opportunity to develop a model wastewater reuse facility for the entire state exists in the city of Yelm today. The city of Yelm has completed a pilot project study and determined that a comprehensive, one hundred percent wastewater reuse project is not only feasible, but highly desirable. The city has procured the necessary funds for designing such a project, but is still awaiting funding for the construction phase. The financial share of construction attributable to the benefits to the state of Washington is seven million dollars;

(h) The city of Yelm wastewater reuse state demonstration project will establish a diverse array of applications, from irrigation to industrial uses to constructed wetlands. The treatment process for all of these applications will produce data and information that can be used by the state departments of ecology and health to establish the standards needed by communities state-wide for the development of equivalent systems; and

(i) Without the Yelm project and without state funding for the Yelm project, the state and its municipal subdivisions will be more likely to invest greater financial resources in the provision of water supplies and water treatment. The city of Yelm wastewater reuse state demonstration project is a project for the twenty-first century that will set the standard for a new generation of affordable treatment technology.

(2) It is the purpose of this act to recognize and establish the importance of the city of Yelm wastewater reuse state demonstration project to the entire state of Washington. It is further the purpose of this act to appropriate the funds necessary to construct this project now in order to realize these state-wide benefits as early as possible.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. (1) The city of Yelm wastewater reuse project is designated a state water quality demonstration project for the purpose of providing information and experience to apply in pursuing water reuse strategies throughout the state.

(2) The department of ecology shall enter a grant agreement with the city of Yelm no later than January 1, 1997, that includes reporting requirements, timelines, and a fund disbursement schedule based upon agreed project milestones.

(3) Upon project completion, the city of Yelm and the department of ecology shall report to the appropriate committees of the legislature on the project authorized in this section and its applicability to other potential water reuse projects throughout the state.

(4) This section expires December 31, 1998.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. The sum of seven million dollars, or as much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated for the biennium ending June 30, 1997, from the state general fund to the department of ecology for the following purposes:

(1) The sum of seventy-five thousand dollars to the department of health to develop standards for the use of reclaimed water for direct recharge and the discharge of reclaimed water into created wetlands; and

(2) The sum of six million nine hundred twenty-five thousand dollars for the purpose of assisting in funding the construction of the city of Yelm wastewater reuse state demonstration project.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4. This act is necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and shall take effect immediately.