JOINT BASE LEWIS-McCHORD, Wash. – JBLM and local community leaders will come together for a ground breaking ceremony at 10 a.m. Friday to mark the beginning of a $91 million project to upgrade the base waste water treatment plant.

Puget Sound water quality is a major environmental concern for the Environmental Protection Agency, Washington State, Tribal, local stakeholders, lawmakers and JBLM.  In recent years, most communities near JBLM have upgraded their wastewater treatment processes to comply with stringent state discharge permits or to reclaim their wastewater. The upgraded JBLM Waste Water Treatment Plant built at Solo Point will ensure that JBLM meets current and future water quality requirements for Puget Sound. This plant serves JBLM, Camp Murray and the American Lake VA Center.

JBLM’s upgraded $91 million WWTP It will the most current technologies, ensuring that the plant will meet current and future discharge requirements to protect water quality in Puget Sound.  The plant will be capable of treating effluent to Class A reclaimed water standards, setting the stage for reclaimed water usage in the future.  It will treat effluent to Class A drinking water standards, setting the stage for reclaimed water usage in the future.  The new facility’s treatment capabilities are consistent with nearby municipal wastewater treatment plants, which also discharge into Puget Sound. Work on JBLM’s new WWTP should be complete by Summer 2016.

Media interested in attending the ground breaking ceremony should RSVP by contacting the JBLM Public Affairs office at (253) 967-0152.