Lake Forest Park: Engineering Department: Sewers

Neil Jensen, City Engineer, oversees engineering, stormwater, sewer and capital improvement projects. He can be reached at 206-368-5440.

Aaron Halverson, Engineering/Stormwater Technician, responsible for NPDES permit coordination, sewer permit information, side sewer specifications and forms and general sanitary sewer information. He can be reached at aaron@ cityoflfp.com or (206) 957-2836.

Announcements

On-Site Wastewater System Licenses Required for those operating On-Site Wastewater Systems (septic systems) in the City of Lake Forest Park Sewer District. Click here to learn more.

All three phases of the Sewer Expansion Project have been tested and are ready for new side sewer connections. Click here to learn more.

If there is a power failure your E-One grinder pump will not operate without a generator. The City of Lake Forest Park may be responsible for pumping your system. Click here to learn more.

On-Site Wastewater System Licenses and Notification

In an effort to improve the environment in Lake Forest Park the City Council funded the expansion of the sanitary sewer system to all unsewered areas in the sewer district. At the same time the City Council adopted Lake Forest Park Municipal Code (LFPMC) 13.10 requiring all residents with sewer availability to either connect to the public sewer system or license their on-site wastewater system with the City.

If you received a Notification Letter you are subject to LFPMC 13.10 requiring you to either connect to the public sanitary sewer system or apply for an On-Site Wastewater System License.

If you are interested in connecting to the public system please contact Anita Goddard, Permit Technician, at (206) 368-5440 or visit the Lake Forest Park City Hall during normal business hours, Monday - Friday, 9 am to 5 pm.
If you choose to keep your on-site wastewater system (septic system) please complete the On-Site Wastewater System License Application and submit it along with the amount due to the Lake Forest Park City Hall by January 30, 2009.

If you have any questions about this program please call Aaron Halverson, Engineering and Stormwater Technician, at (206) 957-2836 or email at aaron@ cityoflfp.com.

Click here Notification Letter that was mailed on December 8, 2008

Click here for the On-Site Wastewater System License Application

Click here for the Frequently Asked Questions document

Click here for a list of properties that are subject to the on-site wastewater system license requirements (sorted by address number)

If you have questions about annual self-inspections please visit the King County Department of Public Health septic education and care webpage .

FAQs of On-Site Wastewater System Licenses

The Frequently Asked Questions document was mailed with the notices in December 2008. Once residents received the notices they had many questions that Lake Forest Park did not include. Please see the section below. If you do not find your question please contact Aaron Halverson at (206) 957-2836 or aaron@ cityoflfp.com.

Q: If I do not complete the On-Site Wastewater License Application by January 30, 2009 what will the default billing option be?

A: The default is Option 3. You will receive a bi monthly bill at the end of March 2009 for the on-site wastewater excise tax in the amount of $27.86. A lien will be recorded against the property for payment of the connection charge ($4,139 in 2009). If you choose not to pay the $27.86 bimonthly bill a lien plus interest for will be placed against your property for payment of the on-site wastewater excise tax.

Q: If I defer the connection charge ($4,139 in 2009) will interest accrue on that amount?

A: No. Interest accrues only on deferred on-site wastewater excise tax. Although, the connection charge may increase annually by City Council resolution.

Q: What interest rate is applied to deferred on-site wastewater excise tax?

A: The interest rate is equal to the Federal Reserve prime rate, adjusted annually in January or biannually (January and July) if the change in the prime rate exceeds one percent in any six-month period. The Federal Reserve prime rate was 3.25% in December 2008.

Q: If I paid all of my charges for the Utility Local Improvement District (ULID) am I responsible for paying a connection charge?

A: Yes. The ULID regulations were adopted in 1992 and 1993 and they did not address sewer connection charges. In fact, before 1999 there were no sewer connection charges in Lake Forest Park. In 1999, the City Council adopted Ordinance 795 that requires each property seeking to connect to the city's sanitary sewer system to pay a connection charge.

Q: I have been paying either sewer availability charges or on-site wastewater charges for years, why hasn't everyone else with sewer availability been paying?

A: You have been paying these charges because sewer has been available to your property for many years. Other properties have been added to this program because sewer has become available to them as part of the most recent sewer expansion program. If you have been paying the on-site wastewater excise tax you will continue to receive bi-monthly bills, unless you defer payment, and you are required to submit an on-site wastewater system license application to the City.

Q: What is sewer availability?

A: Sewer is available when a public sewer is constructed or located within 100' of the property line of any lot of parcel of real property.

About Sewers in our City

There were 233 properties in the Lake Forest Park Sewer area that did not have sewer available at the beginning of the sanitary sewer system expansion project in 2006 (unsewered areas map). Homes on these properties required, or currently require, on-site wastewater systems (septic tanks) that, when not functioning properly, are hazardous to the environment and public health. In an effort to remedy this concern, the City of Lake Forest Park needed to expand its current sanitary sewer system.

In order to determine the best way to proceed, the City performed the following analysis:

Identify the unsewered areas.
Develop a preliminary cost analysis for extending sewers to the unsewered areas.
Collect information at public open houses. During these meetings and hearings city staff, elected officials and citizens discussed funding of the project, regulations related to connections and fees that will be imposed.
Determine a way to fund the sewer expansion without imposing a financial burden on Lake Forest Park sewer customers. To accomplish this, the City of Lake Forest Park was awarded a loan from the State Public Works Trust Fund for $4.6 million with a 0.5% interest rate and the City matched it with an contribution of $800,000.
Conduct a rate study to ensure sufficient long range funding to preserve the sewer utility capital program, and provide for operation and maintenance funds. This was accomplished by replacing the Sewer Availability Charge with a On-Site Wastewater Excise Tax.

With the analysis completed and the procedures in place, the City Council proceeded with the sewer expansion project in 2006. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2008 and provide sanitary sewers to all of the unsewered properties.

Who Must Connect

Properties with functioning on-site septic systems are not required to connect to the sanitary sewer system. However, the connection charge must be paid when the property changes ownership. In addition, all households with on-site wastewater systems that have public sewers available (as defined in the municipal code) will be required to secure an annual wastewater system license and will be subject to an on-site wastewater excise tax. This too, can be deferred until the property changes ownership.

Properties that have sewer availability (within 100′ of the property line) are required to pay the On–Site Wastewater Excise Tax and must connect to the sanitary sewer if their system fails according to Lake Forest Park Municipal Code (LFPMC) 13.10.

Click here for a list of properties that are subject to the on-site wastewater system requirements (sorted by the address number)

If you have questions about sanitary sewer expansion in Lake Forest Park contact Aaron Halverson with the Engineering Department at (206) 957-2836 or email at aaron@ cityoflfp.com.

2009 Lake Forest Park Sewer Fee Schedule

Monthly On Site Wastewater Excise Tax: $13.93 per month
Residential Sewer Utility: $45.83 per month
King County Sewage Treatment Capacity Charge: $47.64 per month

Click here to be redirected to King County's Sewage Treatment Capacity Charge webpage

Side Sewer Permit Fee: $300
Side Sewer Connection Charge: $4,139
Certificate of Sewer Availability: $100

If you connect to the sanitary sewer system in Lake Forest Park you can expect to pay:

LFP Sewer Utility: $91.66 bimonthly billing

KC Capacity Charge: $142.92 trimonthly billing

Monthly Total: $93.47

Maps and Connection Forms

The gravity and pressure connection packets below are for use by private property owners in Lake Forest Park to guide them through a connection to one of the three phases of the sanitary sewer expansion. Each property in the expansion areas can be served by either a pressure or gravity connection. Click here for list of properties that will be served by the sewer expansion projects. You may also call the Aaron Halverson with City of Lake Forest Park Engineering Department at (206) 957-2836 or email at aaron@ cityoflfp.com.

Maps of each phase of the sanitary sewer expansion:

Phase I* (Construction complete, sewer main is ready for connections)

Phase II* (Construction complete, sewer main is ready for connections)

Phase III* (Construction complete, sewer main is ready for connections)

*Properties inside the orange boxes will have sewer availability when the project is complete. If you have questions about your sewer availability please call Aaron Halverson, Engineering and Stormwater Technician at (206) 957-2836 for email at aaron @ cityoflfp.com.

Pressure Sewer Connection Forms

Each of the following forms is either required or useful when making a side sewer pressure connection. This packet may also be obtained at the Lake Forest Park City Hall.

Property Owner Checklist
Sewer Expansion Pressure System Permit Application: Requires Side Sewer Connection Charge and Sewer and a Pressure System Review.
Small Works Roster for Side Service Construction: List of contractors that may install a grinder pump and side sewer connection.

Environment One provides the grinder pumps that are to be used with pressure connections. The pumps may be purchased from:

Correct Equipment Inc.
14576 NE 95th St
Redmond, WA 98052
(425)869-1233
Cover sheet for King County Recorder's Office: Suggested for use when recording documents with the King County Recorder's Office
Easement Agreement for Sewerage Facilities: This agreement allows the City or a contractor hired by the City to inspect, operate and maintain on-site grinder pump sewerage facilities. This will be important in the case of a power failure as it will allow City employees to enter the property and operate the grinder pump.
Report of Wastewater Tank Abandonment: This form must be submitted to the Public Health Center prior to final inspection.
On-Site Grinder Pump Specifications: Supply these specifications to your contractor prior to installation
Installation Instructions & Warranty Information the E/One GP 2010 Grinder Pumps: Supply these instructions to your contractor prior to installation

Gravity Sewer Connection Forms

Each of the following forms is either required or useful when making a side sewer gravity connection. This packet may also be obtained at the Lake Forest Park City Hall.

Property Owner Checklist for Gravity Sewer Connection
Small Works Roster for Side Service Construction: List of contractors that may install your side sewer connection.
Sewer Expansion Gravity System Permit Application: Requires Side Sewer Connection Charge and Sewer and Side Sewer Permit
Report of Wastewater Tank Abandonment: This form must be submitted to the Public Health Department prior to final inspection

E-One Grinder Pumps and Power Failure

In the event of a power failure the E-One grinder pump will require a generator to operate. All grinder pumps connected to a pressure main are required to have generator receptacle and automatic transfer with a 20 amp, 250 VAC. The automatic transfer should automatically switch from AC power to generator power during an outage. The capacity of a typical E-One grinder pump system is only 70 gallons. When the tank is full the wastewater may backup into the lowest connection in the house such as a ground/basement shower or overflow from of the pump itself. The alarm will not function without electrical power so a wastewater backup may be your first indicator. In the event of a power failure without a generator you should conserve water by:

Keeping showers and baths very short, turning the water off when you are not using it.
Do not use a clothes washer
Limit the number of toilet flushes
Turn water off when you are not using it
Wash dishes by hand

The City of Lake Forest Park is responsible for connecting a generator to your grinder pump to pump the system if your grinder pump system is connected to a pressure main in the street. Click here for a list of applicable properties. If you do not see your property on the list but feel it should be, please contact Aaron Halverson at (206) 957-2836 or aaron @cityoflfp.com. The City will pump your system no more than once a day. Please conserve water as much as possible in the event of a power failure because your E-One grinder pump system has a limited 70 gallon capacity.

Additional Information about Sanitary Sewers in LFP

On-Site Wastewater Excise Tax Replaces Sewer Availability Charge
On-Site Pumping Systems Property Owners General Information
- This information was provided for phase I of the sewer expansion but much of its content is applicable to the other phases.
On-Site Gravity System Property Owners General Information
- This information was provided for phase I of the sewer expansion but much of its content is applicable to the other phases.
Frequently Asked Questions updated 3/26/07 [PDF]
Map of All Unsewered Areas1/09/06 [PDF]
March 29, 2007 Phase I Open House Invitation
April 23, 2008 Phase II Open House Invitation
Unsewered Area Analysis: Funding Assumptions 3/10/05 [PDF]
Ordinance 926 Sewer Rate Adjustment [PDF]
Ordinance 927 Sewer Capital Replacement Fund [PDF]
Open House - Presentation 3/1/05 [PDF]
Comment Sheet 3/1/05 [PDF]
Sewer Utility Rate Study Results- Presentation 2/17/05 [PowerPoint^®]
Resolution 914: Financial provision for unsewered areas [PDF]
Resolution 914: Attachment A: Financial Assumptions for the Provision of Sewer Service to Unsewered Areas [PDF]
Construction Notification Letter that was mailed to residents on July 25, 2008.
Phase III Sewer Expansion Project Official Bid Results

If you would like to receive information about this topic via email Click to send us your email address.

If you prefer receiving information by postal mail, please call City Hall and leave your name and address to be put on the "Sewer Mailing List."

If you have questions about your property, status of construction or the type of sewer connection you require, call Aaron Halverson at (206) 957-2836 or email at

aaron@ cityoflfp.com.

Sewers