No fine for discharge

Ray Williamson Pool will no longer be drained into a field across the street.The city has ordered the Bainbridge Island Park District to connect the pool to the Winslow sewer system after an Aug. 15 code violation in which chlorinated water was discharged into a Class 1 wetland across Madison Avenue.

“Ray Williamson Pool will no longer be drained into a field across the street.The city has ordered the Bainbridge Island Park District to connect the pool to the Winslow sewer system after an Aug. 15 code violation in which chlorinated water was discharged into a Class 1 wetland across Madison Avenue.Such wetlands are the most sensitive and subject to the greatest environmental protection.Dumping chlorinated water into a water body is a good way to kill every fish, and everything else, in there, said Ross Hathaway, assistant city engineer. People say it’s clean enough to drink, but if that were the standard, fish should be able to swim in Coca-Cola.The park district will not be fined for the violation, city officials said.The mitigation fix will be costly enough, and to get compliance is our first goal, said Will Peddy, city code enforcement officer.The pool is drained periodically for cleaning and maintenance. The facility will immediately begin using a sump pump to connect the pool with a sewer hookup in the building’s mechanical and filter area.Engineers will draw up plans for a permanent connection to the sewer system, and hope to turn those over to the city within the next week, said Dave Lewis, park district director.Lewis estimated that tying the Williamson Pool into the sewer system will cost $11,000. The old pool was issued a permit and built in 1971, he said of the longtime practice of draining into the field. I wasn’t informed of the changes in the code.According to the city code, pool water cannot be discharged across property lines, and must have a chlorine content of zero parts per million even if drained into an unprotected water body.Lewis said the new pool will be tied in to the city’s sewer system as well.Site-clearing on the new facility is expected Monday, as the district was issued clearing permits this week.As far as we’re concerned, construction seems to be ready to go, city building official Larry Skinner said. “