Water & Wastewater

• Maintain constant supply of potable water for consumption
• Provide adequate flows/storage for fire protection
• Maintain infrastructure ~ 48 miles of mains, 450 hydrants, 12 air relief valves, 3 water pump booster stations, four pressure zones, 3 treated water storage tanks (3.0 MG)
• Operate and maintain facilities (Blue Lake Water Treatment Plant with emergency generator; Ultra Violet Disinfection Facility with emergency generator; Corrosion Control Facility; Indian River Emergency(Non-potable) Supply Source)
• Preventative maintenance & emergency maintenance
• Meet all federal and state regulations for water quality, monitoring and reporting to maintain “unfiltered status”
• Maintain state certified drinking water laboratory for city sampling requirements and on a chargeable basis for private entities e.g. USFS, swimming pools, other municipalities and local contractors
• Maintain state certified operators at required certification levels for Water Treatment and Water Distribution and plan for succession to maintain future compliance
• Keep abreast of upcoming regulations and predict system needs

Fire Hydrant User Permit(PDF, 24KB)

• Replacement of aging water mains and associated aboveground and underground infrastructure and treatment equipment.

• Maintain uninterrupted sanitary sewage collection.
• Maintain infrastructure – 40 miles of collection mains, 41 major, and 37 residential lift stations, 9 permanent and 3 trailer mounted emergency generators.
• Maintain WWTP equipment and plant performance to operate WW systems within federal operation limits (NPDES permit) to maintain 301 (h) permit status.
• Preventative and emergency maintenance.
• Required federal reporting.
• Follow all applicable federal and state laws.
• Predict system growth and replacement needs.
• Maintain state certified operators at required certification levels for Wastewater Treatment and Wastewater Collection and for succession to maintain future compliance.
• Identify and reduce sources of inflow and infiltration (I&I) into the collection system.
• Coordinate community annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection events.
• Provide environmental monitoring & reporting of landfills – e.g. leachate sampling, surveys, methane monitoring (closed Kimsham & APC Landfills, and active Sitka Landfill and Bio-Solids Site).
• Provide expertise to other City departments for pump and motor rebuilds.
• Maintain and operate GPIP’s low pressure wastewater collection system to ensure uninterrupted sanitary sewage collection – one duplex lift station, approximately 1 mile of collection mains.

The sanitary sewer system collects and treats the sanitary wastewater from nearly 98% of the population of the City (approximately 3000 residential and commercial customers). The average flow (2017) to the wastewater treatment facility is 1.00 million gallons per day (MGD) which has decreased from 1.8 MGD in the 1980's. This reduction is due to removal of extraneous flows (inflow and infiltration, I&I) entering the system through leaks and improper connections. The maximum federally permitted average flow is 1.8 MGD on a monthly basis.

The wastewater treatment plant was built in 1984 and due to the corrosive nature of gases in wastewater along with the age of the infrastructure the wastewater plant is in dire need of repair. The heating and ventilation systems are defunct and air is not flowing in proper directions. Proper air movement is critical for the health of the staff. The corrosive environment has slowly eaten away at electrical components and spare parts are no longer available. The building envelope is rotting from the outside and needs to be replaced.

The sanitary sewer system is operating near target capacity so growth may continue to include more customers at the same rate as the reduction in I&I flows. Great strides have been made in I&I reduction in the past 20 years and more recently with significant improvements: Paxton Manor, Sheldon Jackson College, Biorka/Park Streets, Brady Street, Monastery Street, Etolin Way, Baranof Street, Oja Way, and utility improvement projects.

Due to the geology and topography the wastewater collection system is particularly complex for the community’s size. The collection system includes 41 lift stations containing approximately 85 pumps and related control and alarm systems (more than Anchorage). The collection system extends nearly 6 miles from the central business district to the north to just past the Alaska Marine Lines Barge Facility, 5 miles southeast to SMCIP and 2 miles west to the USCG Air Station. In total there are approximately 40 miles of collection system mains.

The treatment system consists of standard primary treatment unit processes with a deep water marine outfall with a 301(h) discharge waiver from EPA. Normally, sewage treatment systems are required to have secondary treatment but the EPA allows for this waiver for properly operated systems discharging into the ocean. Lime treated, class B-dewatered sludge from the primary treatment is deposited in a specific site at the Sitka Landfill in accordance with EPA guidelines and a DEC landfill permit.

Wastewater base rate is $62.93 per unit per month.

• Wastewater Treatment Plant Building Improvements (building envelope, HVAC and electrical systems).
• Treatment plant equipment replacement.
• SCADA upgrades.
• Expanded capacity at the bio-solids disposal area.
• Continued reduction in I&I, and replacement of aging mains.
• Lift station replacements.