As the year winds to a close and we begin to look forward to 2006, I hope we all have an opportunity to reflect on things that made 2005 a good year. Watching events unfold in the areas hit by Hurricane Katrina reminds us of how fortunate we are to be living in a part of the world not impacted by hurricanes. One of the lessons we must take from the experience of Hurricane Katrina is the importance of investing in the maintenance of public infrastructure.

Along with the routine activities associated with maintaining the water and sewer systems, such as flushing sewer mains and replacing aging water service lines, a couple of major sewer system projects have been underway this year at the District. One of these projects is the North Beach Line Sewer Replacement Project, a two-phase sewer trunk line replacement job in the Lower Woodmont area that began in the summer of 2004. This project involves the replacement of approximately 3,700 hundred feet of 10”sewer trunk line located in the upper tidal area north of the Redondo community.

The sewer line was originally installed along the beach front in the early 1960’s to transport sewage flows from an area in the northwestern part of the District. A landslide in the lower Woodmont area during a period of heavy rainfall in 1996 uplifted a portion of the beach, causing the sewer line to fracture. After dealing with the emergency of a broken sewer main, a temporary repair of the line was made while design and permitting for a long-term repair could be completed.

The first phase of the replacement project, completed in September of last year, involved the installation of a new sewer trunk line running southerly from the point of the break to Pump Station No. 8, which is located at the north end of Redondo. Upon completion of Phase I work, it was determined that wear from the salt water environment had made the remaining section of the beach line not suitable for long term use. Consequently, rather than simply installing a lining in the remaining pipe, the District determined that it would be necessary to replace the remainder of the trunk line located in the beach area.

To minimize the impact on the natural environment, the permit required that work be performed in August and September of this year. Because access to the area was limited to the low-tide cycles, a significant number of which occurred during the night and morning hours, much of the work was done at night and in the early morning. As we all know, heavy construction equipment tends to make a considerable amount of noise. My appreciation goes out to those of you living on the beachfront who endured the construction activity near your homes. Now that the line has been replaced, we can feel confident that the beautiful beach you enjoy will be protected from the threat of sewage spills in the future.

The District is also underway with a project to install a bio-solids dryer at the Lakota Treatment Plant. Currently the solids, which accumulate during the treatment process, are carried away for application at remote sites. This is expensive and prevents the District from utilizing the beneficial soil-conditioning characteristics of bio-solids in the local community. Due to these factors, the District has undertaken a project to install a bio-solids dryer at the Lakota Treatment Plant. When this is completed in 2006, we will be able to dry the bio-solids at high temperatures. The dried bio-solids are certified as a class “A” product and are deemed safe as a compost/fertilizer product for use in home and commercial landscaping.

Thanks for your continued interest in the District.

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1st Place Winner: Yusra Hamidani
Mirror Lake Elementary School
Teacher: Mr. Andrews

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The “Second Supply Project” includes a 34 mile water supply pipeline that stretches from the foothills of the Cascade Mountains through Federal Way and terminates in the City of Tacoma. This joint project between the City of Tacoma, the City of Kent, Covington Water District and Lakehaven Utility District is capable of providing water from the Green River to Lakehaven Utility District customers. As a customer, you should receive a post card in the mail this November as a special notification that we will be introducing this new water supply during the winter season. While providing customers with Green River water will allow us to reduce groundwater use, customers will likely notice differences in the characteristics of their water when the District changes from groundwater to surface water. These differences will likely include possible color, taste and odor changes, and typical of surface water supplies, a higher chlorine concentration. In addition, the water will contain fluoride as a standard practice for Tacoma’s water system. While this water source has served the City of Tacoma since 1913, it is different than our groundwater supply and Lakehaven staff will sample and monitor this new source on a daily basis to assure that our customers continue to receive the highest quality water. For more information, visit our website at www.lakehaven.org, or contact Stan French, our Water Quality Engineer, at 253.946.5401.

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If a disaster catches you without a stored supply of clean water, you can use the water in your hot-water tank, pipes and ice cubes. As a last resort, you can use the reservoir tank of your toilet (not the bowl).

Do you know the location of your incoming water valve? You will need to shut it off to stop contaminated water from entering your home if you hear reports of broken water or sewage lines.

Contaminated water can contain microorganisms that cause disease. You should purify water as follows:

• Boiling: Bring water to a boil for 3-5 minutes. Boiled water will taste better if you put oxygen back into it by pouring the water back and forth between two clean containers. This will also improve the taste of stored water.

• Disinfection: Use household bleach to kill microorganisms and use only regular bleach. Add 16 drops of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand 30 minutes.*

*”Food and Water in an Emergency”, American Red Cross.

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UPCOMING EVENTS