DISCOVERY BAY – Jefferson County Public Utility District and county leaders agreed on Wednesday to meet Monday afternoon to hash out how best to proceed after the discovery last week of human remains at a PUD Beckett Point septic system project.
PUD commissioners met Wednesday night at the district’s offices in Port Hadlock and PUD Manager Jim Parker outlined the options the agency can take after human remains thought to be Native American were found May 27 during construction of a $2.8 million septic system and community drain field project.
The discovery has threatened to kill the project.
The project is intended to prevent failing septic systems at Beckett Point from further polluting the waters of Discovery Bay, which supports a number of commercial shellfish beds.
Found were 58 bone and bone fragments, which were turned into Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office early Tuesday.
Assistant State Archaeologist Stephenie Kramer, with the state Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, said that the remains are believed to be Native American, 100 years or older.
County Commissioner David Sullivan, D-Cape George, which is north of Beckett Point, called for the Monday meeting and said he would invite all interested tribe representatives and Beckett Point resident to attend, along with other county officials.
The meeting was tentatively set for 1:30 p.m. Monday.
In a prepared “memo of record” that Parker read to PUD commissioners on Wednesday, he said, “Worst case scenario: we have a plan, we do lots of studies, we start and we find more intact human remains or artifacts. We have to stop again, do hand excavation or maybe cannot go on at all.
“PUD eats it.”
Parker reported that the cost of the project to date has been about $1.07 million, with $800,000 going to the contractor, Pape and Sons, and the rest to project consultants, Parametrix of Seattle.
The state archaeology department ordered work halted until a study could be done to determine whether additional human remains or artifacts exist underground at Beckett Point.
