Yacolt’s water supply will soon be added to Clark Public Utilities’ main supply, rather than remain on its current satellite system to prevent possible contamination in the future.
Currently, the town of Yacolt is on one of Clark Public Utilities’ 24 satellite water systems but will soon be added to the existing 875 miles of water main the utility operates countywide.
Clark Public Utilities media specialist Dameon Pesanti said, currently the majority of Yacolt households and buildings with restrooms are served by septic systems to dispose of waste rather than sewer, which creates a risk of groundwater contamination. To prevent possible groundwater contamination as the town continues to grow, the water project will switch the water supply from the Yacolt aquifer to the main system, fed mostly by the Columbia River.
“When you have an area of high concentrations of septic systems, whatever chemicals or materials you put down in your sink or down your drain, down your toilet, can eventually make their way into the ground and then percolate down into the groundwater supply,” he said, adding that additional town growth will lower the aquifer level, increasing the concentration of possible contaminants.
Currently, everything is below the mandated treatment levels, Pesanti said of Yacolt’s current water supply.
CPU first acquired the town of Yacolt’s water supply in October of 2000 to operate and maintain the satellite system, Pesanti added.
“The system has really grown,” he said. “In 2020, there were 161 connections. Today, there are 646 and the town is projected to grow by about one and a quarter percent over the future. And you know, it’s great that there’s growth and development up there, but at the same time, that poses problems for that groundwater supply.”
According to a State Environmental Policy Act statement by CPU, the project to connect Yacolt’s water system to the main water supply will be constructed entirely within the public right-of-way of Northeast Kelly Road and Northeast W H Garner Road, not requiring an environmental impact statement as the utility determined that the project will create no significant environmental impacts in the work area. The construction will occur west of Yacolt proper, beginning on Northeast Kelly Road west of the Northeast Yacolt Mountain Road intersection and ending west of the Yacolt Creek crossing of Northeast W H Garner Road.
The project currently sits at 90% designed and will likely go to bid in the first quarter of 2025 with construction possibly taking place in the early summer, Pesanti said. He added that the utility applied for a state revolving fund loan that offers financial resources to water purveyors for the project.
With the project occurring on a roadway, Pesanti said that the public will experience travel delays due to the construction, but he added that residents will be pleased with the new water system.
“Connecting the satellite system to our main system today will bring immediate benefits to the folks that live there in terms of water availability and water quality,” Pesanti said. “We’ll also guarantee the town of Yacolt holds a good, clean and adequate water supply years into its growth and development. Additionally, [the area of] Amboy is also on a satellite system and we foresee in the future that we may want to connect that to our main system, as well, and this project lays the groundwork for that possibility in the future.”
Yacolt Mayor Ian Shealy did not respond to calls and messages from the Reflector regarding this and other town of Yacolt projects tying into the growth of the community.
