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NEWPORT — The City of Newport has updated two ongoing projects to improve the wastewater treatment plant and sewer collection system, expected to cost a total of around $42 million.
So far, the city has received funding from the Washington State Department of Ecology and Public Works Board for design work on both projects.
“We’re still in the engineering of what everything will really look like, and those price tags are going to be pretty close to what’s been put out there,” city administrator Abby Gribi said. “But, as we do more investigative work, that can sometimes find additional items.”
Previously three phases, the wastewater treatment plant project was consolidated into two in November. The third phase was a smaller one, so the city decided to divide those improvements between the first and second phases to condense the project timeline and streamline the search for funding.
Estimated to cost $13 million, phase one will return the wastewater treatment plant to a capacity of 500,000 gallons of wastewater a day that the city can process, as well as install backup motors, pumps and other parts in case of failures. Phase two will focus on life safety along with backup installation and is estimated to cost $21 million.
The city received $920,000 for design work on phase one, which is scheduled for completion by early 2027. Gribi hopes construction will start later that year or in 2028.
“We’ve had so many revisions of the phases over the years,” Gribi said. “As we kind of looked at it, it just made sense.”
In order of priority, the sewer collection system project is comprised of five projects: one to replace south mains, two to replace central mains and two to replace mains and manhole linings at Quail Loop and Circle Drive.
The projects address infiltration and inflow, areas with pipes in poor condition or both. In total, they are estimated to cost around $8–10 million.
Last month, the south main replacement project was combined with the project at Willow Street, which is in northern Newport and has pipes and lines in poor condition. The city received $253,900 for design work on this project, which started last month and is scheduled for completion in July 2026. Like at the wastewater treatment plant, Gribi hopes construction will start later that year or in 2027.
“If we aren’t putting back into [wastewater], at some point it will fail. Pipes will fail. The plant will fail. Processes, it will just fail,” Gribi said. “At that point, Ecology steps in, and kind of dictates what will happen.”
While the wastewater treatment plant has been upgraded and maintained over the years, the structures and equipment are reaching the end of their life expectancy, Gribi said.
As improvements progress, the city will seek additional funding from state agencies, state capital appropriations and federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Without it, Gribi said the city cannot undertake either of the ongoing projects.
“There has been maintenance done, but you just get to a point with the equipment that it’s so past life expectancy that maintenance is no longer an option,” Gribi said. “And replacement has to be looked at.”
