Did you know that PAWSD has a budget of $56 million? That’s more than the budgets of the town, county, and school board.

Do you know how that sewer charge on your bill is calculated? Do you know where that money is going?

The Snowball water treatment plant is being rebuilt at a cost of $44 million. Most of the cost is paid for by ratepayers. The plant will serve downtown and points east and south.

When completed the plant will NOT be connected to Hatcher Lake and the PLPOA and uptown. PAWSD has promised a connection, but has not published a master plan showing when, how much, and if the current rate hikes will cover the cost.

Chief Engineer and General Manager Justin Ramsay has publicly stated that a new lift station and several hundred feet of piping will be required to connect the two systems.

Same with Lake Stevens. PAWSD says it is looking to buy land and build a ditch to connect Stevens to Hatcher. PAWSD has not published a master plan showing when, how much, and if the current rate hikes will cover the cost.

Sewer charges are skyrocketing because PAWSD delayed updating the Vista sewage treatment plant in the PLPOA, and it is now under a deadline to bring the plant into compliance. (To be fair, many other small communities are in the same situation.)

PAWSD board members say there is a capital improvement plan (CIP) but it doesn’t seem to be publicly available. If you find it please let me know.