Two sewer projects in the Ridgefield and Pleasant Valley areas have been completed on or ahead of schedule and on budget, according to Clark Regional Wastewater District.
Tapani Inc., a Battle Ground contractor, built both projects, which will support educational expansion and future development.
Tapani, working under a $2.5 million contract, constructed the Northeast 50th Avenue Sewer Project, near Northeast 159th Street on the northeast section of Washington State University Vancouver’s 351-acre campus. The project includes a pump station on Northeast 50th Avenue, a force sewer main and a gravity sewer line.
These improvements have provided sewer service to Vancouver iTech Preparatory School, part of Vancouver Public Schools. The school combines science, technology, engineering and math with liberal arts by integrating art and design principles into research and problem-based learning.
Middle school students previously attended iTech Preparatory School at the Jim Parsley Community Center, and high school students attended school at the Clark College Building at WSU Vancouver.
Voter approval of a 2017 bond measure allowed both schools to relocate to a single building, which opened to students Monday along the west side of Northeast 50th Avenue.
The sewer project also extended service to 60 acres on WSU Vancouver’s property. It also will make it feasible to extend service in the future to more than 500 acres in the 50th Avenue corridor off the WSU Vancouver campus.
The wastewater district also awarded Tapani a $2.4 million contract to build the Ridgefield North Junction Sewer Project along both sides of Interstate 5 north of the Ridgefield Junction at Exit 14.
The project constructed a pump station on North 10th Street east of North 45th Avenue and a mile-long sewer trunk line. More than 2,800 feet of 21- and 24-inch gravity sewer pipe was installed.
Sewer service is now available to the future home of Clark College at Boschma Farms satellite campus and other developments in the area, where the city of Ridgefield has planned for economic development and job creation.
Funding for both sewer projects came from system development charges, which are collected from new development to pay for sewer expansion.
Clark Regional Wastewater District thanked numerous partners that have helped make both projects successful, including Clark County, Ridgefield, WSU Vancouver, Port of Ridgefield, Vancouver Public Schools and Bonneville Power Administration.
“Support from our partners was critical to the cost-effective and timely delivery of these projects,” Heath Henderson, district engineer, said in a news release.
