The City of Tumwater Public Works Committee voted Oct. 23 to place an interlocal agreement with LOTT Clean Water Alliance for a Class A+ reclaimed water demonstration project on the Nov. 3 City Council consent calendar with a recommendation to approve and authorize the mayor to sign.

The demonstration project, led by LOTT and described in committee materials as a roughly $2‑million‑plus effort, would install and operate two different multi‑step treatment trains to test methods for producing Class A+ reclaimed water and to evaluate whether treated water could meet potable‑quality standards for select non‑potable and product‑use applications. Dan, a city staff member presenting the project, said LOTT is taking the largest share of project cost; Tumwater’s commitment is $30,000 per year for two years ($60,000 total). Council Member Althauser said both Olympia and Lacey are contributing $50,000 per year according to the presentation.

Why it matters: city staff framed the project as part of a long‑term strategy to address limited water supply and to study reclaimed water as a potential supplementary resource. Presenter Dan said the city’s 2024 source‑of‑supply study found acquiring new water rights is difficult under current rules; the city is pursuing conservation and recycled water options as primary near‑term strategies. “The top options for us… are expanding water conservation and the expansion of reclaimed or recycled water,” Dan said.

Project goals and scope

- Treatment testing: Install and operate two distinct treatment trains to compare treatment performance and monitoring approaches and to demonstrate whether the product can achieve Class A+ or potable quality under regulator oversight.

- Product demonstration and community outreach: Produce demonstration products (presenters cited potential uses such as beer, kombucha and other food production) and engage the public in conversation about recycled water and future water supply options.

- Regulatory coordination: LOTT is convening state regulators including the Washington State Department of Health and Department of Ecology to define testing and permitting assumptions for any demonstration work.

Funding and city commitment

The project budget is described as “2 plus million dollars,” primarily borne by LOTT. Tumwater’s stated commitment in the presentation is $30,000 per year for two years (total $60,000). Presenter Dan said Olympia and Lacey are each contributing about $50,000 per year. The interlocal agreement presented to the committee documents Tumwater’s participation and cost share for the demonstration pilot.

Committee questions

Committee members asked whether conservation work includes leak detection and system loss. Dan said the city runs an annual leak‑detection program and has a goal of limiting unaccounted‑for water to under 5 percent; he reported the city has stayed below the state requirement of 10 percent and has reached under 5 percent in at least one year. The committee also discussed timing: city staff emphasized that being under contract before year‑end is desirable so partner jurisdictions can use allocated funds and preserve the project timeline.

Next steps

The committee voted to place the interlocal agreement on the Nov. 3 City Council consent calendar with a recommendation to approve and authorize the mayor to sign. If council approves the agreement, LOTT and participating purveyors will proceed with the demonstration planning, regulator coordination and contracting steps described in the presentation.

Provenance

topicintro: “That’s a plus reclaimed water demonstration project. And, this was a regional, title selection, so I really couldn't keep that shorter for you.”

topicfinish: Motion and vote to place the interlocal agreement with LOTT Clean Water Alliance on the Nov. 3 consent calendar with recommendation to approve and authorize the mayor to sign.