Winslow wastewater plant seeks urgent pump replacement

Bainbridge Island is seeking emergency replacement of two pumps at the Winslow Wastewater Treatment Plant after equipment problems left only one reliable pump to discharge treated water into Puget Sound, according to documents prepared for the October 27 City Council meeting.

In an October 16 memorandum, City Manager John Mauro reported that one pump had failed and a second was deteriorating. One pump can handle low summer flows, but “at least two are needed during the rainy season,” he wrote.

The memo warns that failure of the remaining reliable pump, or wet-weather flows beyond its capacity, could cause treated wastewater to overflow into the Wing Point neighborhood. The memo does not report an overflow.

The preliminary replacement estimate is about $150,000, including tax and contingency, for two pumps and associated equipment that controls their speed. Staff say sewer funding is available; the final cost will depend on the scope and contractor pricing.

Staff reported the second pump’s deterioration on October 14. Replacement had previously been planned for council consideration in late November or December. Mauro’s memo documents authorization to proceed with emergency procurement, and the October 27 agenda separately asks the council to authorize that procurement.

The same agenda includes a separate $86,337.46 purchase of three harmonic line filters. These protect electrical equipment from power disturbances. Staff report that two are partly functioning and one has failed. The packet does not establish a connection between those failures and the discharge-pump problems.

The council meeting begins at 6 p.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, October 27, at City Hall, with remote access listed in the meeting materials.