The Fall City Wastewater project is gearing up for a busy 2024.

The effort reached a milestone recently when, as those in the building industry would say, the project went to advertisement for construction with the contract currently out for bid.

In other words, after decades of advocacy and work by King County and community partners, Local Services is preparing to break ground on the project in the spring.

“The fact that we are finally at this point is pretty amazing,” Project Manager Jeff Wilson says. “It’s years of working with the community and advocating for this project, which is going to greatly improve Fall City’s historic business district. I think a lot of us involved in this work are excited about what’s going to happen in the new year.”

A dilemma decades in the making

For those who are unfamiliar with this gem in unincorporated King County, Fall City is a town located along the Snoqualmie River that’s a 10-minute drive north of the City of Snoqualmie and the Preston area. The rural community of 2,100 people is situated at the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Raging Rivers.

Historically, Fall City was a settlement, commercial center and transportation hub – and this was long before history ever recorded its existence. It features a small commercial area along State Route 202 that houses several locally owned small businesses.

With the narrowing of lots tied to construction of State Route 202 in the early 20th century and continued development into the next century, the FCBD found itself in a dilemma on how to effectively deal with the residential and commercial sewage properly. It also aimed to fully utilize their businesses to serve the surrounding community’s growing needs.

Given the rural nature of the area, all wastewater in Fall City is treated with traditional on-site septic systems. This utilizes an on-site septic tank and drainfield located directly on or adjacent to the structure. With a lack of available undeveloped land surrounding the FCBD, business have been unable to repair or upgrade their existing septic systems – many of which are antiquated or failing.

After several attempts to solve the wastewater issue in Fall City using a traditional sewer approach, King County finally found success by strategizing a more cost-effective solution: the Large On-Site Sewage System (LOSS) program managed by the Washington State Department of Health. This approach allowed King County to successfully design a community sewer system for the FCBD that treats effluent to near-drinking water standards while relying on a subsurface drainfield as the effluent disposal method.

It might sound complicated, but it’s one of the reasons the effort to bring a workable septic system for the commercial area has reached this point. Along the way in 2023, King County reached several milestones to make it happen:

  • Final stamped design plans and specifications delivered
  • All permits applied and received
  • Advertisement out to bid for contractors

What’s next?

The contract is currently out to bid and will close Jan. 9. Local Services anticipates contract execution in February, with groundbreaking in March or April of 2024. Once under construction, the county anticipates a project close out date toward the end of 2025 or early 2026.