With the comprehensive plan update and the need to plan for more growth, Island County officials are considering how best to serve a denser population in Freeland. But a lot of money has already been spent exploring ideas, including a sewer system, and there are no clear solutions in sight.

Earlier this month, the county commissioners discussed Freeland, the county’s only urban growth area, with Long Range Planning staff during a work session. Freeland is currently served by the Freeland Water and Sewer District, which in 2019 abandoned its plans to build a sewer after more than a dozen years of investigation.

The water district’s board of commissioners cited capital and operating costs that were too high for the community to bear along with a lack of a satisfactory economic solution to dispose of the treated water as reasons for not moving forward.

Now, the county’s Long Range Planning staff are reviewing these previous efforts – which cost over $1.8 million in funds from the state Department of Ecology – to determine if installing a sewer system in Freeland is possible.

“My team has been looking at what’s it going to take to get a sewer so we can achieve the maximum densities and fully utilize this UGA as it was envisioned under the last zoning code changes that happened,” Assistant Director Emily Neff told the county commissioners.

The Freeland Water and Sewer District’s past research involved plans to build a wastewater treatment plant near Bush Point Road, using membrane bioreactors to treat the wastewater effluent to reclaimed water standards, according to the memo from Long Range Planning. It was discovered, however, that surface application of the effluent was not feasible due to drainage issues with the 80-acre discharge site, which was adjacent to Trillium Community Forest.

The water district purchased a new property near Highway 525 and studied injection wells as an alternative disposal method, which means injecting the effluent down further into the ground so it’s closer to the aquifer. But well failure turned out to be a high risk in the island soil and replacing the wells was prohibitively expensive.

County staff advised against pursuing injection disposal, since recent studies have warned of exposure from PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” in wastewater effluent.

The aquifer in Freeland currently has high nitrogen levels that require additional treatment for septic systems, increasing costs.

“There could be water quality benefits to moving multiple smaller septic systems to a larger more sophisticated treatment system,” Long Range Planning’s memo stated. “Ecology funding is available for transitioning individual septic systems to a community system to improve water quality.”

Discharging into Holmes Harbor has been studied before and is not a feasible option because it lacks water quality that would support wastewater outfall, Neff told the commissioners.

However, further insights into outfall and treatment options for Freeland that meet new state requirements could become available soon. All existing sewer systems with discharge permits into Puget Sound must complete a study on nutrient removal by the end of 2025, which will provide valuable data.

There are some options that could be considered, including a partnership with the Holmes Harbor Sewer District, which has an approved discharge permit. Additional infrastructure investments would be necessary.

“I don’t see all of Freeland and all of Freeland’s future density being served by this existing small sewer district, sure, but maybe it could be a partnership where they could serve some of the growth,” Neff said.

The county could also pursue a new marine water outfall, which Neff said is both difficult and expensive. As an alternative, there are multiple large onsite sewage systems, which can support between 12 to 370 dwelling units, though finding a site might be challenging. Two other considerations include multiple discharge sites or a wetland discharge.

Island County is also conducting a comprehensive study to explore wastewater treatment solutions that support both environmental protection and community needs for unincorporated areas, including Freeland.

Public Health Director Shawn Morris said in an email that the goal is to identify innovative technologies and systems that can support affordable housing.

“This project aligns with the county’s efforts to promote sustainable development and improve wastewater infrastructure,” he said. “The comprehensive study will include case studies, extensive research, partner engagement and accompanying policy and regulatory recommendations.”

The total cost of the study is $295,382, and the final report is expected to be completed by May 2025.