Workers lower the second piece of a 120-inch wet well for the new Dash Point Pump Station in Pierce County. / Helmut Schmidt, Pierce County Water Programs

This winter’s near-record rainfall put the Dash Point Pump Station to the test, but nature’s deluge was no match for the new stormwater system installed in late 2004 by Pierce County.

That’s good news for residents of Beach Drive N.E. In the past half-dozen years, heavy rains and winter high tides regularly flooded their homes, garages and streets. The old stormwater system was undersized, and beach sand had crept over the end of the outfall pipe, preventing it from adequately discharging stormwater into Puget Sound, especially during heavy rains.

In the process of fixing the flooding problem, engineers at Pierce County Water Programs uncovered other obstacles.

First, county staff discovered that fecal coliform was seeping into the stormwater drainage system. Definitely not good. The local health department confirmed the bacteria was coming from at least one septic system in the neighborhood of 12 homes and one restaurant. To prevent seepage into the existing pipe, the county installed a new one.

Work resumed. Then biologists from Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) informed county engineers that they wouldn’t be able to extend the existing outfall pipe beyond the troublesome sandy area because that section of beach was important habitat for surf smelt, young salmon and eelgrass beds.

Working with WDFW, county engineers found an alternative location for the outfall, away from the more sensitive habitat. But this required re-routing the drainpipes through more of the neighborhood, which meant getting easements for many of the privately owned tidelands.

“This project shows the importance of considering water quality and habitat issues when figuring out solutions for flooding problems,” said Kathy Taylor, Ph.D.,the Action Team’s Regional Liaison to Pierce County.

The new system includes two 8-inch submersible pumps that automatically switch on as needed to control flows. Since completion, the pumps have put in 41 hours of work, Schmidt said. The $600,000 project took 3-1/2 months to complete.

Contact: Al Zehni, Pierce County Water Programs, 253-798-4677 or azehni@co.pierce.wa.us

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