FAIRWOOD, Nov 15, 2000 (South County Journal) — After 25 years the Madsen Creek sewer pipeline can no longer be trusted to carry sewage from the Fairwood area because it's on a slippery slope.
King County will present preliminary plans for its replacement at a public meeting tonight. Many residents are familiar with the plan because they had a hand in the new route and design.
Work on the new pipeline will begin next summer. In the meantime, the county is keeping its fingers crossed that heavy runoff won't wash part of the existing pipeline into the Madsen Creek ravine, like it did during a 100-year storm in 1990. Raw sewage flushed into the stream.
"Hopefully the weather will cooperate," said Stan Hummel, the project's engineer. "We have done repairs we think will provide short-term stability."
A new 24-inch gravity pipeline will replace the existing 12-inch line that cuts through the Madsen Creek ravine. The new line will follow existing streets, but the county will have to bore 2,500 feet under one small ravine.
The county will drill the tunnel next summer starting near Fairwood Elementary School. Construction is limited to when the school isn't in session.
The second phase the following summer will affect traffic mostly on Fairwood Boulevard, although traffic on other streets will take some of the brunt of construction.
The county is working to ensure that such services as mail delivery and garbage pickup aren't disrupted.
Last summer area residents considered a number of options to replace the line, including building a pumping station. The community rejected the pumping station in favor of the gravity line.
The citizens and county agreed on the most cost-effective option, Hummel said. The project will cost about $14 million.
The sewer line was installed in 1974 by the Cedar River Water and Sewer District, following regulations that weren't as stringent as today's, according to Hummel. Eventually, Metro took over the line.
Widespread development in the Fairwood area worsened the runoff.
"The pipeline goes through a sensitive area that is prone to erosion and landslide," Hummel said. The new route avoids those unstable areas.
(c) 2000 Horvitz Newspapers Inc.
