BRINNON — Jefferson County Public Utility District has entered into an agreement with the Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Marina and Golf Resort that would have the PUD assume operations and maintenance of the company’s water and sewer system should it fail.
PUD commissioners voted unanimously in favor of the agreement on Tuesday.
The Pleasant Harbor Master Planned Marina and Golf Resort development is under a 20-year agreement between Statesman Group and Jefferson County. It covers some 265 acres along the Hood Canal south of Brinnon. Plans call for condominiums, a community center and multiple recreational opportunities.
Pleasant Harbor has its own private water and sewer system, which includes its own water reclamation and collection facility.
Washington Administrative Code (WAC) 173-240-104 allows for private facilities such as this to partner with a public agency like Jefferson PUD as a contingency should their systems fail.
Jefferson County PUD would assume maintenance and operation under any of four circumstances.
They are:
• Pleasant Harbor’s water treatment facility efficiency is unsatisfactory, either as a result of the plant’s capacity or physical operations.
• The PUD assumes the operation and maintenance to allow for Pleasant Harbor to enact the implementation of an approved General Sewer Plan.
• Pleasant Harbor ceases to operate and maintain the system and there is no other company in line to assume those responsibilities.
• Pleasant Harbor fails to comply with any other permit requirements, monitoring and reporting over an extended period of time, at least six months, and subsequently fails to take responsible measures to correct the violation.
The latter includes compliance with orders from the state Department of Ecology.
Jefferson PUD has the authority under RCW 54.16.230 to acquire, construct, maintain and add sewerage systems when subject to compliance with the county’s Comprehensive Plan.
“So the public understands, this is only our obligation to take care of things if things go wrong, and I am pretty confident that people at Pleasant Harbor are going to do the right thing, so I am not too concerned,” Commissioner Dan Toepper said.
“We’ve had a chance to look to this several times. I understand the principles of when and how we would step in, and hopefully that never happens, but when it does, we are there for the public if we need to be,” Commissioner Jeff Randall said.
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Reporter Ken Park can be reached at kpark@peninsuladailynews.com.
