LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND CLEAN WATER: FULFILLING THE AGENDA 
Tim Douglas, Mayor 
Bellingham, Washington 
The Puget Sound Water Quality Authority has set out an ambitious 
agenda. Never have we had a more thorough outline of water quality 
issues and potential solutions. True, sewer and water traditionally 
have been local government services. However, non-point source 
control, industrial pre-treatment, drainage utilities, and stringent 
land use regulations are new territory. With a Puget Sound price tag 
in excess of $2 billion, clean water must be balanced with other 
economic pressures of the new federalism. 
Secondary Treatment 
Until the past three years, secondary treatment in Puget Sound was more 
a question of if than when. Many communities had been encouraged to 
pursue waivers because they ranked lower in priority than projects 
elsewhere in the country. That course suddenly shifted with EPA denial 
of the Seattle Metro waiver. 
No one yet knows the actual cost of compliance. What Is clear is that 
the federal-state-local partnership rapidly Is eroding. Ironically, 
communities which were too low in priority to receive federal funding 
now must go to secondary treament when federal dollars are disap¬ 
pearing. The federal mandate continues, but funding Is down and grants 
are converting to loans. Local political support might have been there 
at 90% funding, but the climate changes when ratepayers have to 
shoulder 60% or more of the cost. 
In Bellingham's case, a secondary plant will cost $36.5 million—the 
most massive public works project in the city's hisotry. Rates will 
triple or quadruple. Our food processing Industry may vanish. In 
other communities such as Anacortes, bond counsels are pessimistic. 
The city's economic base simply is inadequate to convince Investors 
that such a project is a good risk. 
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