🚰 A Brewing Sewer Rebellion - Stevenson April '26 Round-up

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🏛 April 16, 2026 Meeting

The Body: Stevenson City Council

The Bottom Line: Citizen pressure is mounting for a complete overhaul of the city's sewer connection ordinance, as residents demand a shift from proximity-based mandates to condition-based triggers.

The Vibe: Frustrated but highly organized. Residents came armed with public records requests, specific policy alternatives, and a clear demand for data transparency from the council.

🔎 What Changed:

• Appointed Aaron D. Lana to City Council Position #3.
• Approved a Phase 2 contract with Grayling Engineering for Rock Creek Intake Rehabilitation (not to exceed $257,745).
• Updated City Driveway Standards to increase initial width to 24 feet.
• Approved a $29,731 contracted services agreement with the Skamania Economic Development Council (EDC).

⚠ What Escalated:

• Public frustration over the lack of data shared with the planning and sewer committees regarding the financial impacts of mandatory sewer connections.
• The approaching deadline on the sewer penalty moratorium, which expires on August 31, 2026.

🧭 What’s Next:

• The application deadline for the permanent City Administrator position closes on April 26, 2026.
• The city will need to publicly address the citizens' proposed condition-based sewer framework before the moratorium lifts.

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🗣 Public Comment: The Sewer Ordinance Rebellion

• The Proximity Problem: Property owners, led by citizens like Brian McNamara and Bob Wertheimer, pushed back against the current ordinance requiring properties within 300 feet of a line to connect. Speakers noted that the newly adopted ordinance language changed this definition to "abutting," complicating the issue further.
• The Proposed Solution: Advocates are lobbying for a "condition-based" framework, where connection is only triggered by a documented septic system failure rather than simple geographic proximity.
• Financial Friction: A major point of contention is the imposition of System Development Charges (SDCs) on existing homeowners, with residents asking to remove financial "penalties" in favor of modified, equitable charges.
• Data Transparency: Speakers noted that crucial cost-benefit data has not been adequately shared with the planning or sewer committees.

These last weeks of debate highlight a classic rural-to-urban infrastructure hurdle: how does a small city finance a municipal wastewater system without imposing significant unbudgeted costs on existing residents who already have functioning, private septic systems? The city relies on connection fees and SDCs to fund long-term capacity and satisfy state environmental mandates. However, the residents' push for a "condition-based" trigger will put the burden on the city to surface the data. If the city cannot clearly demonstrate the environmental or financial necessity of forcing immediate connections, they risk continued organized resident opposition when the current enforcement moratorium expires in August.

"The information, for instance, were never given to the planning committee or the sewer committee... I know way more after my public records request... I would like to be involved." — Resident during public comment.

The Moratorium Mechanism: The current pause on sewer penalties is a temporary pressure-release valve. Without a permanent ordinance rewrite, the original connection fee structure will automatically snap back into effect on August 31, 2026.

🌍 Regional Lens: How Other Cities Handle the Transition

The expensive and safety-sensitive conflict between sewer update mandates and the real cost implications for residents is a common growing pain for expanding municipalities. Here is a look at how other regional governments have navigated the financial and political hurdles of shifting from private septic to public sewer:

• The Baseline State Trigger: Under Washington State law, the absolute baseline requirement for mandatory sewer connection is tied to public health, specifically, a documented septic system failure or a direct mandate from the local health authority. Proximity rules (such as Stevenson's 300-foot or "abutting" clauses) are enacted at the discretion of local city councils, not rigidly mandated by the state.
• Financial Safety Nets (Bend, OR): During a massive septic-to-sewer transition, the City of Bend formed a citizen advisory committee that pushed to cap out-of-pocket connection costs for homeowners and established a Safety Net Program. This included partnering with non-profit lenders like Craft3 to offer deferred-payment and low-interest loans, ensuring the mandate did not cause financial displacement for low-income residents.
• Cost-Sharing Mechanisms (Lacey, WA): The City of Lacey's wastewater policy utilizes municipal assistance tools. The city actively helps neighborhoods form Local Improvement Districts (LIDs) to pool capital costs and administers "Latecomer’s Agreements," which allow the first property owner who pays to extend a sewer line to be partially reimbursed by neighbors who connect later.

🚧 Public Works: Lasher Street & Rock Creek

• Lasher Street Progress: The council held a public hearing on the Lasher Street project, focusing heavily on pedestrian safety and fire hydrant gaps.
• Runoff Mitigation: The project will feature sidewalks on only one side of the street, a strategic design choice to reduce impermeable surfaces and manage stormwater runoff.
• Intake Rehabilitation: The council approved the Phase 2 contract with Grayling Engineering, capping design and engineering costs at $257,745.

By opting for a one-sided sidewalk, the city is forging a compromise between essential pedestrian safety and the strict stormwater management regulations required by state ecology grants. Meanwhile, the $257,745 engineering investment in the Rock Creek Intake signals that the city is taking steps to explore the root cause of restricted water flow at its primary water source ahead of the summer construction window, recognizing that delayed infrastructure maintenance could lead to catastrophic supply failures.

🛠 Jargon Buster

• SDC (System Development Charge): A one-time fee imposed on property owners when they connect to the city's water or sewer system. It is designed to make new users "buy in" to the existing infrastructure so that current ratepayers don't subsidize new growth.
• Condition-Based Framework: A policy rule where an action (like connecting to the sewer) is only required if a specific condition is met (e.g., your septic tank fails), rather than a blanket rule based on where you live.
• Growth Management Act (GMA): Washington cities are required to plan for urban density, which almost always necessitates centralized sewer systems over private septics.

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How to Join & Learn More

• Read the Raw Materials: Review the April 16 Meeting Packet & Agenda or watch the full City Council Video via the city website.
• Next Meeting: Stevenson City Council meetings are generally held on the third Thursday of the month.