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AN ORDINANCE providing for an implementation plan and reports related to implementation of recommendations of the West Point Treatment Plant Independent Assessment Final Report and the administrative order of the Washington state Department of Ecology, and requiring capital project oversight of the execution of the implementation plan.
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STATEMENT OF FACTS:
1. In response to the February 9, 2017, system failure event at the West Point Treatment Plant, the council passed Motion 14826, commissioning an independent assessment of circumstances leading to the event, and identification of appropriate responses.
2. AECOM Technical Services, the selected consultant, delivered the West Point Treatment Plant Independent Assessment Final Report on July 18, 2017.
3. The executive was consulted extensively in preparation of the report, and the development of recommendations. The executive has indicated support of the report's recommendations.
4. There were several concerns and recommendations that the report emphasized, including:
a. The need for systems redundancy. Major West Point Treatment Plant systems, such as influent and effluent pumping, sedimentation tanks, contact channels, weir gates and other systems, operate with little or no margin for error during major storms. If an operational unit of one of these systems fails, the hydraulic processing capacity of the larger plant can be significantly impacted, requiring that staff either attempt to quickly restore the system or to initiate emergency bypass. The federal Environmental Protection Agency encourages building in a safety margin through system redundancy in wastewater treatment facilities. The report recommends significantly strengthened redundancy throughout the plant;
b. Strengthened emergency response training. The report found shortcomings in the training provided to staff, noting that current training does not clearly define when emergency bypass is appropriate, and further noting th...

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