Industry looking to city for water help

REC, Moses Lake discussing possibility for Wheeler corridor

MOSES LAKE — An industry proposal for water pre-treatment is still in the early stages, but could lead to a new municipally-owned treatment plant for industries in the Wheeler Road area of Moses Lake.

Representatives from REC Silicon made the request to have the city look into a water pre-treatment facility, in an effort to combat the high mineral content officials there said is detrimental to some processing equipment. The city council gave the go ahead last week to have city staff, outside engineers and REC silicon officials look into the proposal.

"I think it's doable," REC Silicon Senior Vice President Tor Hartmann said. "It's worth looking at for sure."

Hartmann and Grant County Economic Development Council head Terry Brewer went before the council to propose further discussion on their proposal for a municipally-owned treatment facility serving the entire corridor.

At issue are the levels of silicon and calcium in the water provided from city wells. REC has equipment which removes the minerals, but Hartmann said that ends up flushing a high volume of water through their system. The pre-treatment facility would act as a sort of water softener, treating the water before it comes into REC's site

REC Silicon estimates it would use about 200 gallons of water per minute, but Hartmann said other facilities along the industrial area of Moses Lake's Wheeler Road, commonly referred to as the Wheeler Corridor, have also shown an interest in treated water.

A number of unknowns remain in the proposal, including the size and cost to build such a plant to service the entire area. Also, would a municipally-owned facility be economically feasible?

"A system like this might enhance other industrial customer to move into the Wheeler corridor," Hartmann said, but said they need to determine whether or not a facility would make sense to build. He said engineers still need to meet on specifics to try and iron out some of the details.

REC looked into such a facility for its own use last year, which Hartmann said would cost the company about $3 million. He said REC would provide the city with that data as part its discussion on the project.

REC Silicon is itself awaiting word from company leaders on a $500 million expansion; Moses Lake is in the running with other REC facilities in Montana and overseas. REC is seeking a letter stating the city's interest in exploring the issue of a pre-treatment facility. While the city may not be able to commit to water pre-treatment before an expansion announcement is made by the company, Brewer said the simple willingness to explore the issue is a good step.

Brewer points to the high concentration of industry in the Wheeler area, saying it would be cheaper for those Wheeler companies if the pre-treated water is provided to them as a group. If municipal pre-treatment of water is available, Brewer said it could be an advantage to industry growth in the area.

Brewer said a pre-treatment plant would not be a giveaway to industry, adding the city will want to ensure the project is worthwhile before making any significant investment.

"The city needs to get a letter of commitment from industries to make sure (the city) can get their money back," Hartmann added.

Moses Lake City Manager Joe Gavinski said the city will consult with REC on the work the company has already done, but will also consult with its own and outside engineers. The work REC has done is valuable, Gavinski said, but does not take into account providing a municipally-owned service.

"We'll consult with REC, but we'll also get our own independent consultation," Gavinski said.

A city-owned pre-treatment facility itself would be unique to the area. Water pre-treatment plants are common, but Gavinski hasn't heard of this type being operated by a municipality.

Mayor Ron Covey said it must also be determined whether the plant should be a city-owned facility, an REC-owned facility or something else. Gavinski said the possibility exists to have a corporation build and operate the site and contract with the city to operate it.

Gavinski said the city understands what the industries are looking for. And while still in the early stages, both Gavinski and Covey said the city will look into the issue and see if they can make it work.

"There's a lot of possibilities with this, and we'll explore them all," Gavinski said. "It seems as if there's some interest and desire and we're interested in talking about it."