Jennifer Tetatzin, a retired United States Navy commander, has been named Pierce County’s Planning and Public Works Director, pending confirmation by the Pierce County Council. Tetatzin most recently served as a Senior Principal Advisor in the Washington, D.C. area for Concurrent Technologies Corporation, a non-profit, professional services company. As a senior consultant for the Department…
Category: Utilities
Pierce County sewer rates to increase Jan. 1, 2021
PIERCE COUNTY — Customers in Pierce County’s sewer service area will see a 3.75 percent increase in their sewer rates starting Jan. 1, 2021. The Pierce County Council passed Ordinance No. 2019-77 which set the sewer rate as part of the 2020-21 biennial budget. There was also a rate increase in 2020. Single-family residential customers…
Pierce County wants environmental control – SEPA, septics, wells, and here come the sewers for development
By Marianne Lincoln Why in the world would Pierce County want to take over the control of the Health Department in the middle of a pandemic? First, ask yourself, what was the most major change to the county land use code signed this year? (A: Centers and Corridors) When did the County Executive sign it?…
Lakewood Water Pipeline? Meeting Feb. 6
At this time, there is a plan for city density development in the communities of Frederickson, South Hill, Spanaway and Parkland. The key question is: Will there be enough water? Federal Law prohibits pumping water from another source (Tacoma’s Green River Water) into our Sole Source Aquifer. Can Spanaway Water, Firgrove Water, Rainier View Water…
OK Highway Floods at Thrift
By Marianne Lincoln UPDATE 3/21/17: The OK Highway is still closed. Crews were working on a big hole in the ground, so they most have gotten the pole removed and are repairing the pipes. Vactor trucks are still removing material around the drainage pipe. — THRIFT, WA — Since Friday March 17, the Orting-Kapowsin…
March 18 Power Outage in Graham Planned
GRAHAM, WA — On March 18 there is a Planned Power Outage on the east side of Graham serviced by PSE from 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. for repairs to the substation. From PSE: In an ongoing effort to deliver safe and reliable energy to you and your neighbors, Puget Sound Energy will be doing some…
Well water? HB1382 might affect you
House Bill 1382 is a response to the Hirst Decision from the Washington State Supreme Court last year. That decision made new rules for tapping underground water for property owners in Washington State, effectively slowing development in rural areas by controlling whether or not a well could be drilled based on a required professional assessment…
TPU Board to Present Proposed Rate Changes at Public Meeting
The Public Utility Board invites the public to attend a information session on the proposed rate increases on Tuesday, February 24 at the TPU Building Auditorium at 6:30 p.m. This round-table will feature a TPU Staff presentation on how the rates are determined and allow time for public comment. The proposed adjustments include the following: Rate increase of an estimated…
Applicants sought for Surface Water Management Advisory Board
Pierce County is seeking applicants to fill vacancies on the nine-member Surface Water Management Advisory Board. Advisory board members will be involved in such issues as storm drainage and surface water management, water quality storm drainage plans, rate structures, capital improvement projects, financing, and annual program goals for the Surface Water Management division of Pierce…
JBLM to Break Ground Friday on $91 Million Waste Water Treatment Plant Project
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,…
Sewer connection assistance available for residents and projects
Pierce County is accepting applications for individuals or projects that need assistance connecting to the sewer system. This help is to available residents and projects located in Public Works and Utilities’ Sewer Service Area, a 117-square-mile basin serving the urbanized incorporated and unincorporated areas of Pierce County. Public Works and Utilities collects wastewater for 35…
Happy 100th Parkland Light & Water!
On February 17, 1914, Parkland Light & Water was officially established. A group of folks from Pacific Lutheran University and forward thinking homemakers devised the idea of a mutual utility. This project was based on the way they ran cooperatives in Scandinavia. PL&W is the nation’s oldest mutual utility. It is a non-profit organization. E….
