Your PUD
News Release
Senator secures grant for Monitor water users
Chelan County PUD
News Release
12/19/2007
Chelan County Public Utility District (PUD) and the Washington Public Utility Districts Association (WPUDA) announced today that approximately $600,000 in federal grant funding has been secured for the much-needed Monitor domestic water system near Wenatchee.
The work of Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., as a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, was specifically noted by the PUD and by WPUDA.
“This grant is great news for the citizens of Monitor,” said Steve Johnson, executive director of the Washington PUDs Association. “We greatly appreciate the work of Sen. Murray, Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., and other Washington members of Congress in securing it. It’s an excellent example of helping communities build projects needed to protect public health and the environment.”
This week Congress approved Fiscal Year 2008 spending bills, including a State and Tribal Assistance Grant (STAG) to assist in extending water to the Monitor area. The STAG funding will help make the $6.5 million project affordable for Monitor area property owners, where over 81 percent of the households meet criteria as low or moderate income.
“Senator Murray’s support and persistent efforts will have a real-life effect on the residents of the Monitor community,” said PUD General Manager Rich Riazzi. “Chelan County PUD is grateful for the senator’s hard work. This is a fine example of federal assistance making a difference in the lives of local residents and businesses.”
The need for the project dates back to 1994 when Chelan County PUD was first asked to study the feasibility of extending the District's regional water system to serve the Monitor area. Domestic water in the area comes from several small public systems and an estimated 150 private wells. Laboratory tests have confirmed coliform bacteria and nitrates in some private wells. Foul-smelling water caused by high sulfur content is also impacting homes and businesses. Other wells have gone dry. Despite the presence of commercial businesses and controlled atmosphere storage plants, firefighting flows are inadequate. The new water system is designed to serve 263 customers and 42 hydrants. Construction will include 7.9 miles of new pipe to carry water from an existing PUD system nearby.
Previous efforts focused on paying for water system improvements through debt financing repaid by property owners. However, this approach proved too costly for many residents. A multi-agency task force representing the Monitor Community Council, Chelan County, Chelan/Douglas Health District, Chelan County Port District, Chelan County PUD, and state and federal agencies was formed in 2005. The 20 members of the task force were successful in securing a combination of state and federal funding to finance the Monitor water project through the Washington State Legislature; Washington State Department of Health; Washington State Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development, and Chelan County PUD.
Construction of the system is scheduled to begin later this month.
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For further information, contact:
Jeff Smith
Community and Intergovernmental Relations manager
Chelan County PUD
(509) 661-4379