U.S. 12 and Refresco are on the agenda
By Terry Murry on Monday, July 25th, 2022 in Columbia Basin News More Top Stories
WALLA WALLA – The Walla Walla City Council meets today (Monday) at 4 p.m. for a work session. The council will hear an update and hold a discussion regarding two different sections of U.S. Highway 12. The council will also hear a compliance update regarding wastewater at the Refresco Beverages Group bottling plant.
On Nov. 13, 2019, city staff, along with commissioners from Walla Walla County and the Port of Walla Walla, met with the Washington State Department of Transportation to pursue an interchange project versus other options at the intersection of U.S. 12 and Clinton Street for a period of five years, essentially through 2024. One supported option going into the meeting was a roundabout.
Since that time, the city of Walla Walla has taken the lead on three federal grant funding applications for the project. However, all three were unsuccessful. City staff has been talking with WSDOT about their position on this project and WSDOT recommended a meeting with all partners to discuss this project.
The council will also get an update on the $166 million U.S. 12 Nine Mile Hill to Frenchtown vicinity project. This section of US 12, known as Phase 7, is located north of the communities of Touchet and Lowden. According to WSDOT, to maintain access to these communities, two interchanges will be constructed with local roads including the existing US 12 at the bottom of Nine Mile Hill and Lower Dry Creek Road. Bridges will be constructed to maintain connectivity along Cummins Road, Touchet Road North, and Woodward Canyon. New bridges will be constructed to span the Touchet River, Touchet Floodway and Dry Creek.
“Seventy percent of the construction is complete on this project,” WSDOT spokesperson Jackie Ramirez said. “We are still on schedule to open the new highway next year.”
Also on the agenda, the council will hear an update on Refresco’s compliance regarding industrial wastewater discharge. The company’s bottling plant, located at 1164 Dell Ave., has been cited multiple times for being out of compliance with regulations. Refresco has accumulated $877,243.35 in fines since 2019. To date, all fines have been paid.
According to Public Works Environmental Engineer Leah Rohan, Refresco is meeting their discharge limits. Both Refresco and the city will continue performing sampling to verify that compliance is still being met.
The meeting will be in the council chambers of Walla Walla City Hall. It is also accessible via Zoom. The meeting ID number is 834 4271 1829.
