Site work for a civil project in Everett, Washington. Completed plans call for site work for a water / sewer project.

https://ecology.wa.gov/blog/june-2026/ecology-proposes-nutrient-control-requirements-for-three-large-wastewater-treatment-facilities Nutrients like nitrogen are essential to life. But they’re too much of a good thing when it comes to the health of Puget Sound. Excessive nitrogen from human sources is entering the Sound and causing algae blooms. When the algae die and decay, they reduce the amount of oxygen in the water, which can harm fish, orcas, and other wildlife. The Salish Sea Model shows that two-thirds of the excess nutrients in the Puget Sound come from treated human waste discharged from wastewater treatment facilities. The facilities don’t produce nitrogen themselves — nitrogen comes from millions of homes and businesses that send wastewater to the facilities. However, the treatment plants form the last line of defense before nitrogen-rich wastewater is released into the Sound. We invite you to review and comment on draft modifications to the permits for three large wastewater treatment facilities: King County’s West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, the City of Everett’s Water Pollution Control Facility, and the City of Bellingham’s Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. The modifications, once finalized, will add conditions to the permits to regulate the discharge of nutrients into Puget Sound from these facilities. They’re intended to put the facilities on a path towards planning, designing, and constructing new or improved technologies that will significantly reduce the amount of nitrogen they discharge. The proposed modifications also require the communities to optimize the amount of nitrogen they can remove with their existing treatment systems. By investing in communities, and the critical wastewater infrastructure they rely on, everyone can enjoy a cleaner, healthier future for Puget Sound. What about the nutrient general permit? We previously issued a draft general permit to regulate nutrients from 58 wastewater treatment facilities that discharge into Puget Sound. In summer 2025, Ecology accepted public comments on the draft. Based on the feedback we received, as well as legal rulings on permit appeals, Ecology chose not to pursue the general permit approach. Since Ecology is required to regulate nutrients from wastewater treatment facilities, we are now working to include nutrient control requirements in individual water quality permits, which set the limits for pollutants allowed in treated sewage. For the 58 Puget Sound facilities that previously had nutrients regulated by the general permit, we are considering several factors as we prioritize updating permits to include nutrient controls. Those factors include the size of the facility, when the facility’s permit was last reissued, and whether the permits need to address issues other than nutrients. What’s proposed in these three modifications? The draft permit modifications propose requirements intended to maximize what the existing treatment facilities can reasonably do to reduce nutrients with their existing technology. They will also begin planning for facility improvements needed to improve nutrient removal in the future. They are focused on four concepts: Monitoring the current nitrogen levels in the facilities’ discharge water Evaluating annual nitrogen loads and requiring corrective actions if they are too high Incorporating nutrient reduction into regular operations and maintenance Assessing nutrient reduction technologies in two ways: Identifying what treatment changes the community can reasonably afford (called the AKART analysis; AKART stands for all known, available and reasonable methods of prevention, control and treatment). This analysis focuses on identifying the best level of treatment the community can afford to build and operate. What it would take to change the existing treatment systems to achieve a specified low-level nitrogen target (called the Nutrient Reduction Evaluation). Reducing nutrients won’t happen overnight, and we think these changes will help lay a solid foundation for practical solutions that support our growing region and a resilient, thriving Puget Sound. Public comment periods We invite you to review and comment on the draft permit modifications. Details about each permit modification and instructions for submitting comments are available on our webpages below: Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (Bellingham) Everett Water Pollution Control Facility West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (King County) The comment periods run from June 10, 2026 at 12 a.m. to July 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ---------------------------------- The City of Everett owns the Water Pollution Control Facility (WPCF) at 4027 4th Street SE, Everett, WA 98201 and is seeking a Contractor to perform the following work, which includes but is not limited to: 1. Temporary erosion and sediment control measures. 2. Trenching, excavation, shoring, dewatering, bedding, backfill, and compaction for repair of an existing 48-inch TFI pipe section and 48-inch SE pipe section. A portion of the area has been previously excavated by the Owner to diagnose the needed repairs. 3. Additional pavement demolition as necessary to facilitate the work. The Owner has already removed existing pavements to the extents shown and noted in the Drawings. 4. Demolishing an existing 48-inch TFI pipe section and two (2) existing couplings on either side of an existing elbow. 5. Demolishing two (2) existing 48-inch SE pipe couplings on either side of an existing 90-degree elbow. 6. Furnishing and installing a new 48-inch TFI pipe section, flexible rubber connector, two (2) couplings, and associated restraints. 7. Furnishing and installing two (2) new 48-inch SE couplings and associated restraints. Note that the duration of the 48-inch SE pipe repair shall not exceed a 24-hour period between removal of the pipe couplings and elbow and installation of the new couplings and replacement of the elbow. 8. Removing and reinstalling an existing 48-inch TFI elbow and 48-inch SE elbow to facilitate installation of the new pipe section and couplings. 9. Removing mortar coating from the existing 48-inch TFI and 48-inch SE piping and elbows to facilitate installation of the new couplings and restraints. 10. Fabricating and welding U-shaped plates to the existing 48-inch TFI and 48-inch SE piping and elbows for restraint of the couplings. 11. Enlarging the pipe penetration at the existing Recirculation/Bypass Flow Control Structure to facilitate installation of the new flexible rubber connector. 12. Removing portions of the existing screen channel sidewalls and floor grout in the Recirculation/Bypass Flow Control Structure to extend the new 48-inch TFI pipe section past the interior face of the structure wall. 13. Remove and reset the existing electrical vault near the east side of the Recirculation/Bypass Flow Control Structure. 14. Filling under the existing stairs along the east side of the Recirculation/Bypass Flow Control Structure. 15. Constructing a new dumpster pad, furnishing and installing a new area drain for the pad, and connecting piping between the area drain and Recirculation/Bypass Flow Control Structure. 16. Prepare subgrade and place asphalt pavement where the asphalt has already been removed by the Owner and any other areas where asphalt is removed by the Contractor to facilitate the Work. All bids/proposals must be made upon the City forms provided in the bidding documents and must be accompanied by a bid bond or certified check or cashiers check in an amount not less than five percent (5%) of the total amount of the bid/proposal, all in accordance with the bidding documents. A one hundred percent (100%) performance bond (and a one hundred percent (100%) payment bond, as may be required in the bidding documents), on form(s) provided by the City, will be required of the successful bidder to guarantee faithful performance of the contract. The City reserves the right to reject any and all bids/proposals and to waive any irregularities or informalities. Except as may be provided in the bidding documents, no bidder may withdraw its bid/proposal after the hour set for the opening thereof. The City further reserves the right to make the award as deemed in the best interest of the City. The right is reserved by the City to postpone the award for a period of 45 days after bid opening.