Chelan seeks new grant to fund marina pump-out station

CHELAN — The City of Chelan will apply for a new five-year Clean Vessel Act grant to help cover operating and maintenance costs for the marina’s boat sewage pump-out station, Parks and Recreation Director Audrey Cooper told the Chelan City Council during its Jan. 6 workshop.

The pump-out station allows recreational boaters to dispose of onboard sewage at no cost, a service Cooper said plays an important role in protecting Lake Chelan’s water quality.

“At the marina, we have a boater pump-out station. So, it’s a sewage pump-out facility for recreational boaters,” Cooper said. “It’s a free amenity that we offer to the community for boaters to come in and pump out the sewage from their boats. … It helps prevent human waste discharge from getting into the lake, or it protects the water quality of Lake Chelan.”

The city has received Clean Vessel Act funding for the past five years. That grant cycle ends Dec. 31, 2026, and applications for the next cycle are due Jan. 16.

“The grant does reimburse up to 75 percent of eligible expenses, which does include our staff time that goes into operating the equipment and maintaining it and making sure that it’s functional,” Cooper said.

If awarded, the new grant could reimburse the city up to $12,000 per year, an increase from the previous grant cycle. The program is administered through the Washington State Parks Boating Program.

Councilmembers asked whether the grant is what allows the city to keep the service free to boaters.

“Yes,” Cooper said, explaining that while some grant recipients charge a fee, Chelan offers the service at no cost. “Recipients of the grant can charge for use of the pump-out station. There’s a maximum, I think it’s $5 per use, but we offer it as a free amenity to the community.”

The pump-out unit was installed around 2011 or 2012, Cooper said, and has required repairs in recent years. Its location at the end of the dock exposes it to wave action and fluctuating lake levels, which can affect the sewage piping.

“Part of the challenge where the pump-out is located at the end of the dock with the changing lake levels is the sewage piping, how it runs out to the end of the dock,” Cooper said. “It does experience a lot of wave action.”

She said marina staff have increased regular checks and maintenance to keep the system operational.

If the grant is not awarded, Cooper said the city would have to absorb the full cost of operating and maintaining the equipment.

“Then we would fully encumber the cost to continue to operate and maintain the equipment,” she said.

The grant application will come before the council for formal approval at a future meeting. If awarded, the council would also be asked to approve the grant agreement later this spring, with awards expected in May.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media