Wastewater
Columbia Gardens Project – Wastewater Treatment Plant
Partnership between Port of Kennewick & City of Kennewick, WA
OVERVIEW

The Columbia Gardens Project is a partnership between the Port of Kennewick and the City of Kennewick. Part of the City’s end of the bargain involved dealing with the high-strength wastewater from several wineries. Initially, the City started down a path to construct a pre-treatment system onsite but soon realized that would be a very expensive option and could become an operational burden on their staff. J-U-B suggested that there is ample treatment capacity at the City’s existing wastewater treatment plant – especially during the nighttime when loading from the rest of the City is relatively low. City staff agreed that full treatment was not needed and that only pH adjustment would be required.

J-U-B designed a system that automatically adjusts the pH of the wastewater, stores it throughout the day in an underground tank, and then automatically discharges the flow into the City’s sewer collection system during night-time hours while measuring the flow and taking samples of the wastewater that is being discharged.

This innovative solution allows the City to maximize the use of existing assets while providing economic development opportunities. As part of this solution, the City also initiated the strong waste surcharge concept that is now codified and ready to be utilized by other industries.