Sewer and the City?

There seem to be a serious misconception that if we are annexed, that the city will be putting sewer in soon afterward. That is simply not true. The city has no control over when and where sewer is installed.

Lakehaven Water district is already our sewer and water utility and nothing changes. (Read the information on the City of Federal Way website http://www.cityoffederalway.com/Page.aspx?page=1213 Public Services -- What Changes, What Doesn't?)

As it clearly states on the website, water and sewer do not change.

If you want sewer, the process will be the same after annexation as it is now; a pettition of 60% of the property owners is needed to form an LUD (Local Utility District) and then Lakehaven Water District will review and maybe install sewer in the petitioned area. This means that your desire for sewer is still up to you and your neighbors, as it should be.

Whether you are in the city or not, the process is the same. If you want sewer and are voting for annexation tol hasten the process, you are wrong and will be making a very serious irreversible mistake in voting yes.

If you want sewer service in your area, you do not need to vote for annexation, just contact Lakehaven Water District at 31627-1st Avenue South, Federal Way, Washington 98063 253-941-1516 or their website http://www.lakehaven.org/ for more information about how to get it.

PLEASE- Make an informed decision based on the facts, not beliefs or hearsay!

Here is the text of a letter from LakeHaven Water District regarding Sewers:

Mr. Galland,

Lakehaven's current Comprehensive Wastewater System Plan envisions that the general, East Lake Geneva area will be served in the future by sewer that would extend from a future regional pump station located somewhere near S 336th St & Peasley Canyon Way. The force main from that pump station would likely route down to Peasley Canyon Road, then up the road to connect to an existing manhole at the intersection of S 320th St & Military Rd. None of these facilities has been constructed, designed, or really even yet contemplated, and as you can probably sense this would be a significant project with signficant costs. The only difference city annexation, or lack thereof, would cause would be who issues the right-of-way construction permit(s), so essentially annexation should have little, if any, impact on any future water &/or sewer utility development.

With that said, sewer (and water for that matter) development typically occurs via one of two methods: 1) Developer Extension (DE); or 2) Lakehaven project (Utility Local Improvement District (ULID) or Capital Improvement Program (CIP)). A DE is the process where a private party, with Lakehaven approvals, constructs and extends the necessary water and/or sewer facilities to serve the developer's property(ies), including extending facilities to far edges of property for future extensions. All engineering, construction and material costs are paid by the developer. A ULID is the process where sufficient property owner interest (or single owner in some rare cases) allows Lakehaven to approve the facilities to be constructed. A DE is privately funded, where a ULID or CIP project is publicly funded. A DE is typically less expensive than a ULID or CIP project in overall project costs, primarily because a developer can solicit low bids where public agencies are required to pay prevailing wages when utilizing public funds. However, ULID assessment costs are typically spread over 10-20 years, where developer latecomer or CIP costs are due at the time an adjacent owner requests service connection.

As I mentioned above, Lakehaven is unaware of any proposed/potential sewer development in this specific area. If you'd like further information regarding the DE process, feel free to contact me. If you'd like further information on the ULID or CIP process you can contact Lakehaven's project engineer, John Lee. John can be reached at JLee@lakehaven.org or by phone at 253-946-5430.

Brian Asbury

Engineering Technician III

Lakehaven Utility District

http://www.lakehaven.org/standards.htm

FAX 253-529-4081

NOTE: Lakehaven Utility District neither warrants nor guarantees the accuracy of any facility information shown. Facility locations and conditions are subject to field verification. All fees and charges subject to change without notice.