Top industry honors for Tacoma flood protection project

City of Tacoma officials announced Tuesday a project completed last year to provide flood protection at the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant recently received two awards from the American Public Works Association (APWA).

The awards recognize excellence in management and administration to successfully complete public works projects. The Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Flood Protection Project was named Project of the Year in the Emergency/Disaster Preparedness category by the Washington State Chapter of the APWA, as well as one of APWA’s National Public Works Projects of the Year for 2016.

The plant, which is situated adjacent to the Puyallup River, was built in 1952, expanded in 1979, and underwent significant upgrades in 1988 and 2009. At one point, the facility was ranked second in the region for critical infrastructure flood risk by the Pierce County Flood Control Zone District.

In June 2014, the City broke ground on the flood protection project, which created a 2,500-foot-long floodwall that stretches along the outside of the plant and aims to provide much needed defense against a major flooding event. City officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in June 2015 to mark the project’s completion (see “Tacoma floodwall aims to protect wastewater treatment plant, Commencement Bay,” Tacoma Daily Index, June 11, 2015).

The floodwall project, which cost almost $9 million, was funded by nearly $3 million of utility customer rates and $6 million in district funds.

More information about the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Flood Protection Project is available online at cityoftacoma.org.

A 2,500-foot-long floodwall surrounds the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant in Tacoma. (FILE PHOTO BY TODD MATTHEWS)

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant Flood Protection Project, click on the following links: