What areas will get sewer?

Jefferson County designated the Port Hadlock/Irondale area as an Urban Growth Area (UGA) under the requirements of the Washington State Growth Management Act (GMA) to allow future growth at urban densities and promote higher density housing and commercial land use. The boundaries of the UGA are shown on this map.

In 2008, the County completed a Sewer Facility Plan for the UGA and adopted this plan as part of the County’s overall Comprehensive Plan. The Sewer Facility Plan showed a phasing plam for sanitary sewer development starting with the Port Hadlock “Core Area.”  This is the area of mostly commercial development along State Route 116 (Ness’s Corner Road) and Chimacum Road.

Due to the challenges and high cost of starting a brand-new sewer system throughout the entire UGA at once, the County has been focusing its efforts on planning sewer availability first in the Port Hadlock Core Area, while at the same time making sure any sewer system that is put in place can be progressively expanded to serve future implementation phases and ultimately serve the entire UGA.

Significant interest in sewer service has come from property owners within the Port Hadlock Core Area. In 2018 property owners within the Core Area submitted a petition from over 100 of the parcel owners indicating support for sewer service. In response to this petition, the County commissioned a sewer feasibility study to determine whether newer technology and a different approach could be used to bring down the cost of the sewer for the initial service area in Port Hadlock.  Information about the study and its results are reported in the Port Hadlock Wastewater System Value Engineering Review (May 2019.)

This study showed that there could be considerable cost-savings over the original 2008 plan by using a small, modular treatment plant employing newly available technology and by installing a pressurized collection system (pipes in the road) instead of a traditional gravity collection system. The County is currently pursuing this option further with members of a Sewer Working Group from Port Hadlock and is updating the Sewer Facility Plan to reflect this current vision for sewer service.

Show All Answers

1. Why does Port Hadlock need a sewer system?
2. What areas will get sewer?
3. What type of sewer is it?
4. Where Does the Wastewater Go After It is Treated?