Cheney among recipients of $312 million Department of Ecology awards

CHENEY – The city’s Purple Pipe Project was among the recipients of a $312 million award from the Washington State Department of Ecology in conjunction with ongoing water quality projects in the state. The loan to Cheney totals $21.8 million and will aid in upgrading the Wastewater Treatment Reclamation Plant (WTRP) and the water distribution system to emit reclaimed water on “turf grass and landscape irrigation at City parks, athletic fields, and school grounds.”

The intent behind employing recycled water is to limit waste and reduce strain on local resources. For Cheney, this entails less aquifer depletion and managing the region’s scarce supply of naturally available water in a fiscally responsible manner.

The distributed funding is part of an ongoing effort by the Water Quality Combined Funding Program (WQC) to “improve and protect water quality throughout Washington.” WQC is an annual fund that combines state and federal funds to provide source money to eligible projects.

“The money will fund 108 high priority clean water projects that will upgrade wastewater treatment systems and sewer systems, better manage polluted stormwater, and prevent and clean up pollution from diffuse sources,” said the Washington State Ecology Department.

Nearly 90% of the Department of Ecology’s funding is dispersed through local communities for environmental efforts, and for every $1 million spent on related projects, 11 jobs are created within Washington. It is anticipated that the current slate of projects will create up to 3,000 wastewater related jobs across the state.

Projects are broken into three categories: wastewater, stormwater, and nonpoint. Of the $312 million being awarded, $239 million in the form of grants, forgivable loans, and low-interest loans will support twenty-eight wastewater projects. $42 million will pay for forty-six storm water projects and $30 million will fund 34 nonpoint projects.

According to the sewage treatment company LOTT, the phrase “purple pipeline” is derived from the color of pipe that reclaimed water must pass through. Other water, not categorized as “repurposed,” is required to be transported by separate piping. Each system requires differentiating colors: green for sewage, yellow for natural gases, oil, or petroleum, and red for electric cables.

The funding cycle for Cheney will span through the 2022 fiscal year.

Scott Davis can be reached at news@cheneyfreepress.com.