Lewis County leaders are considering taking on ownership and operation of 54 small water systems in the county that are currently run by the Thurston Public Utility District.
The PUD owns many water systems throughout the state, many of which it acquired in the sales of companies or other transactions. It’s looking to offload many of those systems outside of its main base of operations, as it’s a challenge to service infrastructure that’s several hours of driving away.
“We’ve been trying to consolidate. We wanted to see if someone else could take these systems off our hands,” said John Weidenfeller, the PUD’s general manager. “We’re certainly willing to work with Lewis County in any capacity they’d like. … We hope these systems are a good fit for them.”
The 54 systems the PUD owns in Lewis County service 691 connections, many of them private subdivisions or communities. Only six of the systems have more than 15 connections.
For Lewis County, the potential transfer comes as leaders weigh the extent to which they want to get into the water business. The county was forced to take over the struggling Vader water system in 2014, and it’s working toward a potential takeover of long-troubled Water-Sewer District 5. Uncertainties with water systems in Boistfort and Pe Ell have also caught commissioners’ attention.
Public Works director Josh Metcalf and Betsy Dillin, a senior engineer with Public Works, have toured many of the water systems to get a sense of the infrastructure’s condition. They’re planning to continue meeting to come up with a strategy and a plan for commissioners to consider.
“They’ve done a lot of due diligence out in the field,” said county manager Erik Martin. “Hopefully within a few weeks or so we can have that (plan) for you.”
One of the things the county will explore is the amount of staffing necessary to keep that many water systems operational.
“We just have to weigh our risks and the long-term maintenance costs of the systems,” Metcalf said. “There’s a capital cost, but an operating and maintenance cost as well. If we have more water systems, we’d have to staff it appropriately. … This gives us an opportunity to look at what that structure looks like from an overall resources standpoint, and make the right decision before we do it.”
Wiedenfeller said the PUD is happy to help the county with staffing estimates, and it would take on a partnership role during the transition.
“Probably with that number of connections, three people who knew what they were doing would be fine,” he said. “We have offered to Lewis County, we would agree to help them, mentor them, assist them for a period of time. ... It would be a partnership for awhile until they got real comfortable with it.”
