Fall City breaks ground on future septic system

Fall City had its groundbreaking celebration for the on-site community septic system.

On Aug. 23, Aroma Coffee Co. hosted an event to celebrate as the dream of clean wastewater for decades to follow is on its way to reality. This project will provide clean wastewater going into the ground water that is nearly of drinkable quality, and then it will be filtered again in the ground.

The existing system overall had issues that began in the early 1900s when the highway went through Fall City and the existing businesses along the river had to be moved back 50 feet. In doing so, that placed the businesses over their septic fields. So as the septic systems began to age (like many things), it needed to be updated.

The county started over a decade ago to build a wastewater plant that was big enough for a city, and that became cost prohibitive. There were many public meetings to discuss what the town needed. At these meetings, the residents made it very clear they did not want sewers in the residential area, and the needs were assessed. Then plans were developed to scale the facility down to be more affordable and focus solely on the business district. Then there was another study to establish the exact capacity needed for the town, and a newer plan was established that was not a sewer, but a community septic system.

There was a search for what would be the best placement for the facility, taking in topography and proximity to the river. Many agencies were involved in establishing the engineering, costs, oversight needs and environmental aspects.

As reported in the Snoqualmie Valley Record in Feb. 2022: “The new design will be a pressurized septic system with a central drainage field. Each parcel will continue to have a septic tank, but they will now each have a pump, which will send wastewater east toward an underground drainage field at Bernard Memorial Park, where it will be used for the added benefit of drip irrigation. The new tanks are high efficiency and are expected to only need pumping every 10 to 15 years. After construction is finished, businesses are expected to no longer have to worry about whether they’ll be shut down or fined by the department of health because of their septic tanks.”

At that time the system was expected to be completed by the end of 2023. However, it looks now like early 2026.

At the Aug. 23 event, a King County Public Health employee said she will now be able to say yes to business owners who want to continue doing business, or improve or expand their businesses.

A 2016 survey showed that 14 of the 62 properties in the district had updated septic systems. But many of the older ones were failing and potentially posing a public health risk. So this was all evaluated, and 46 properties will connect to the underground pre-treatment facility. The project will include repairing all non-conforming systems as well as providing capacity for conservative growth in the business district.

The engineer for this system Brian Shuck with Jacobs Engineering. He was dedicated to this project and said he held eight public meetings.

The county employee hired to work on this project was Jeff Wilson. He is a resident of Fall City, so he knew the town and needs well. He also said that he had a strong interest in this project being successful, plus everyone in town knows where he lives.

Funding was a huge obstacle to overcome. Sen. Mark Mullet was chair of the Senate Capitol Budget Committee, and he worked with Rep. Lisa Callan, who also serves on the Capitol Budget Committee in the House, to get the funding. The state is funding the project through construction grants worth $6.5 million, $1.5 million, $1 million and $1 million, along with the county bond construction for another $1.5 million, and $100,000 of County General Fund Design money.

During the days of construction, local businesses will remain open. There will be some temporary closures such as Bernard Memorial Park, which will be closed to the public for up to 12 months. The alley behind the businesses will be closed off and on in 2025 and in early 2026. The alley is where the piping to each business will be placed. As part of this project, the county will maintain the alley so the “swimming pools” known as potholes will be fixed and maintained.

The areas being constructed will intermittently impact parking on the south side of Redmond-Fall City Road SE.

Timeline

• August to October 2024: Build the drain field.

• October to December 2024: Install the main sewer line.

• January to September 2025: Install and commission the treatment facility.

• July 2025 to March 2026: Install and connect the septic tanks.

• April 2026, the project is to be complete.

• For ongoing information, visit kingcounty.gov/FallCitySeptic.