Opinion ID: 2602508
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Is County's proposed sewer line an extension or expansion of an urban governmental service?

Text: As noted above, County asserts that its proposed sewer line to the Cooper Point peninsula is not prohibited by RCW 36.70A.110(4). It maintains that what it plans to do does not constitute an extension or expansion of an urban governmental service. More specifically, County argues that the proposed sewer line merely replaces an existing governmental service with another governmental service. In support of that argument, it notes that the proposed sewer line would provide service to homes that are currently served by the sewage treatment facilities at Tamoshan and Beverly Beach. Although the Respondents agree with County that a true replacement does not fall [under RCW 36.70A.110(4)'s development limitations], they respond that the evidence that was presented to the Board does not support County's contention that the proposed sewer line constitutes a mere replacement of an existing urban governmental service. Answer to Pet. for Review at 11. After reviewing the record, we find that we agree with the Respondents that the evidence does not support a conclusion that what County proposes to do is not an extension or expansion of the urban governmental service. We say this because LOTT is an existing urban governmental service [4] which does not currently serve the Cooper Point area. County's construction of a sewer line through approximately four miles of an area that is not part of its service area in order to connect the LOTT sewage treatment system with the privately developed sewage systems of Tamoshan and Beverly Beach is, in our view, an extension or expansion of an urban governmental service. In addition, County's Plan would allow up to 100 additional residential hook-ups for individual homes that currently have on-site septic systems for the collection and dispersal of their household sewage. We have to assume that this potential enlargement of the LOTT system by 100 customers could become a reality. If County did this it would clearly be a significant extension or expansion of an urban governmental service. For these reasons, we conclude that the proposed sewer line does not escape RCW 36.70A.110(4)'s development restrictions under the guise of mere replacement of urban governmental services.