After Fred Wiltse’s 30-year fight with the East Wenatchee Water District (EWWD) for a new main on 33^rd St. to eliminate dirty water, commissioners unanimously approved one. Cora Clark emailed me, “We know it is temporary, due to developers coming in. That's okay. This keeps the cost down for all concerned.”

    Democracy satisfied the citizens. Maybe not. Politics on 33^rd St. is turbid.

    Our September 30 column documented complaints from Wiltse, 86, and neighbors about water since 1963-64. Their water creates rings around toilet bowls, leaves an odor and makes real bad coffee. Commissioner Brian Egan was elected in part because he campaigned about responding to their complaints. Director Greg Brizendine was optimistic his crews could replace the line.

    Turbid water comes from stagnant water in a deadend line, hard water, rust from steel or galvanized pipe and chlorinating after not chlorinating for years. EWWD regularly flushes the line, which residents agree helps. On August 18, Commissioner Terry Barnes proposed installing a filter to confirm their complaints. 

    On September 1 Commissioners saw dirt in the filter after 11 days. Wiltse again requested a new main.

EWWD suggested three solutions. An 8” water main would cost $180,000, which was unaffordable. Filters could be installed at each home, or they could do nothing. Commissioner Egan remembers, and witnesses confirm, he cut loose at the meeting, concluding with, “Do nothing was not an option.”

    Nevertheless, Herb Sykes, resident on 33^rd said, “I left feeling forgotten and manipulated.”

    EWWD responded. It dug trenches to confirm Wiltse’s historic map that showed 2” and 4” lines. Annual water usage for 15 users indicated an 8” ductile iron main would supply too much water, which would stagnate in the pipes.  The existing water lines turned over the water only 4 times a day. Engineers came up with six possible options.

Brizendine recommended a 2” PVC pipe at a cost of $35,660. It would turn over the water almost 12 times a day. Their crews could install the line this fall, and in the spring they could replace connections to ratepayers on the north side of the street. Ratepayers would see some drop in pressure. EWWD would flush it regularly. Brizendine told me, “It should bring fresh, clean water by the end of the year. I’m very comfortable with it.”

    Commissioner McCourt remembers Egan asking Wiltse at the meeting, “Are you OK with this?”

    Wiltse said, “Yes, it was a good way to go.”

    Wiltse was happy when I called. “Would you believe it?” A few days later I interviewed him and two neighbors. 

    By then Wiltse was unhappy. He said it wasn’t going to solve fluctuating water pressure problems. Herb Sykes, forgetting the line would be PVC said, “It’ll help for a while until rust builds up in a year or two.”

    Dick Gordon said, “It might solve the problem of clean water, but not the problem of a deadend line. Next meeting we’re going to request hooking into 31^st or 35^th St lines to get a circulating system.”

    When I reminded Wiltse Brizendine said a circulating system wasn’t possible until there’s development along the street, Wiltse’s accumulated history of distrust that goes farther back than Brizendine rose to the surface. Wiltse believes they could hook it up.

    Egan was upset about a circulating line. He delivered what Wiltse wanted.

    EWWD responded to their request with a feasible solution. If new requests surface that are unfeasible, distrust and disgust would build on both sides. What a shame at a time when everybody should be satisfied with an economic, reasonable solution, the ultimate triumph of democracy.