The Second Supply Project

Lakehaven Utility District will be introducing a new source of drinking water to customers. Beginning November 14, 2005, Second Supply Project (SSP) water, obtained from the protected Green River watershed in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, will be introduced into the water distribution system. Water from the Green River watershed and Howard Hanson Reservoir has been used to serve the City of Tacoma since 1913. With the Second Supply Project, a new pipeline, running over thirty miles from the existing diversion near the Howard Hanson Reservoir through the Federal Way area to Tacoma, is being placed in service to provide additional water to the City of Tacoma, City of Kent, Covington Water District, and the Lakehaven Utility District service areas. When in full operation, Lakehaven will be able to utilize over 12 million gallons of water per day from the new source. The water from the Second Supply Project will allow the District to decrease demand on the aquifers that provide the current supply and handle the increase in customer demand projected for the area.

While the water from Tacoma’s Green River watershed meets all state and federal water quality standards, certain physical and chemical differences between this surface water source and Lakehaven’s current groundwater supply may be noticeable to customers. Lakehaven’s existing groundwater sources are treated with chlorine, but not fluoride. Tacoma treats its water with fluoride and a higher concentration of chlorine. The additional source of water from Tacoma will blend in the distribution system with the District’s groundwater resulting in changes in these water quality characteristics. While other differences may be apparent to some customers, the additional source is needed to help ease demand on local groundwater resources.

Lakehaven customers will be receiving a special notice in the mail informing them that the District will be adding this additional drinking water source in the coming weeks. Lakehaven Utility District customers may refer to the Water Quality page of the District’s web site for additional information on Tacoma’s water quality and see below for a brief description on the status of the entire Second Supply Project.

The Second Supply Project Description

The Second Supply Project is a regional project to provide up to 65 million gallons of water per day from the Green River to the City of Tacoma, City of Kent, Covington Water District, and Lakehaven Utility District.
The Project includes:

• Howard Hanson Dam Additional Storage Project
• Tacoma’s Headworks Diversion Improvements
• The Second Supply Pipeline
• Water Treatment Facilities
• Off-Site Wetlands Enhancement Project

Status, as of October 2005:

Howard Hanson Dam Additional Storage Project:

Howard Hanson Dam is an existing surface water impoundment dam built in 1962 on the Green River system to protect the Auburn/Kent valley from flooding. While it’s primary function is flood control, it will also be used to store additional water for municipal and environmental needs. Currently, installation of the cofferdam that is needed for construction of the fish trap-and-haul facilities is underway. This work is proceeding under Army Corps of Engineers direction. The cofferdam placement and related rock excavation work should be done by approximately April 2006. Some of the associated fish and wildlife habitat mitigation projects were installed in 2005 by Tacoma Water and the Corps and more will be installed in 2006. It is expected that the Corps will select a contractor for design/build of the new fish facilities by the end of 2006. All storage project construction work should be fully completed by 2008 or 2009; however, some water storage for municipal purposes and stream flow enhancement may be available for the 2006 summer season.

Tacoma’s Headworks Diversion Improvements:

All work (raise diversion dam, new river intake, new fish handling facilities, intake building, supply pipeline and area restoration) is completed except for a few minor punch-list items that the contractor is finishing.

The Second Supply Pipeline:

The 34 mile pipeline was built in 5 sections beginning in 1999 and is currently complete and available for service. The first section, called the NE Tacoma/Federal Way Section, was the first piece initially funded by Lakehaven and completed in 2000. The Kent/Covington Section was then placed in service in August 2002. The Easterly Middle Section was completed in 2004. The Headworks Section and the Westerly Middle Section were completed in September, 2005. Startup procedures, including disinfection and testing, were completed in October 2005.

Water Treatment Facilities:

A contract was let last summer for construction of the new chemical feed building, which includes chlorination, fluoridation and pH adjustment for corrosion control. The project is essentially complete and is going through final punch-list items. The testing and Startup of the facility were completed in August of 2005 and it is now treating water at the Headworks. Design is well along for a new Headworks operations building and construction bids should be received early next year, with completion of the facility scheduled for spring of 2007. The next phase of water treatment will involve ozonation and those facilities should also be constructed by spring 2007.

Off-Site Wetlands Enhancement Project:

The King County property to be restored is located immediately downstream of where SR18 crosses the Green River. King County constructed a fish refuge channel last year on the downstream portion of the site and it will eventually be connected to the Green River at Auburn Narrows, probably in 2006 or 2007. The Second Supply Project has contracted for wetlands restoration on the upstream portion of the site. More than half of the restoration work was completed by the Fall of 2004 when it was suspended because of muddy conditions caused by rain and high surface water levels. Restoration work was back in progress last summer and all work should be completed by the end of 2005 or the spring of 2006.