Public Works Teams

Engineering, Design & Construction, Transportation, Development Review, and Survey

The Engineering Division includes the transportation, land survey, design and construction management, and development review sections in Public Works.

Lead by the City Engineer, Engineering staff perform the following key functions:

• Identification of public improvement needs
• Design and management of city-funded construction projects for utility and transportation systems
• Provision of technical support and information to utility operators and the public
• Review of development proposals and inspections of construction of public facilities

Equipment and Fleet, Equipment Maintenance Division

Lead by the Equipment Rental Supervisor, the Equipment Maintenance Division provides maintenance, management, and repair services. The Equipment Rental Division is responsible for the repair and maintenance of 225 vehicles and other pieces of equipment, in addition to the operation of the fueling facility. General purpose work is performed in-house by three full-time equipment mechanics. Specialized work is contracted to local automotive repair shops.

Parks and Facilities, Parks and Facilities Maintenance

The Public Works Parks and Facilities Maintenance Division maintains the grounds of all City-owned and operated buildings, water and wastewater facilities, parks, roundabouts, and planter strips. This includes over 530 acres of park land, grounds adjacent to occupied buildings, 74 water and wastewater sites, and 15 miles of right-of-way with over 2,500 street trees.

The work performed by the division includes routine and preventative maintenance, as well as repairs and special projects. Staff performs site repair, turf and grounds preservation, urban forest management, support of Parks and Recreation programs, limited construction, and coordination for volunteer and youth work groups. Work is prioritized to address safety and high community-use areas.

The division is responsible for the maintenance of over 125,000 square feet of occupied buildings, including City Hall, Lacey Timberland Library, Lacey Museum, Maintenance Service Center, Jacob Smith House, Community Center, Senior Center, and over 74 water and wastewater facilities. Support is also provided to the Water and Wastewater Divisions on an as-needed basis.

Streets, Streets Maintenance

The Public Works Street Division is responsible for evaluating, maintaining, and repairing all roadways, traffic signs, markings, signals, drainage systems, sidewalks, and roadsides as well as roadway lighting.  The Division is also responsible for street cleaning, snow and ice removal, and removing road debris from traffic lanes. Additionally, the Street Division performs special projects such as hanging the College Street banners and supporting special events such as Fun Fair and car shows. The division also manages the Adopt-a-Roadway Program.

Stormwater System, Stormwater Utility Division

The Stormwater Utility Division operates and maintains all municipal storm drainage systems. The utility is also responsible for developing plans, programs, and constructing treatment facilities as necessary to comply with federal, state, and city non-point source surface water requirements.

Significant resources are devoted to public education, responding to citizen inquiries, identifying water quality/quantity concerns, and developing solutions. An emphasis is placed on: Identifying requirements for facilities to remediate known water quality and flooding concerns. Cleaning and maintaining catch basins, storm ponds, swales and other treatment devices. Developing water quality monitoring and maintenance plans for both public and private facilities to ensure resources devoted to maintenance. Maximizing pollutant removal efficiency of the storm water system through an aggressive street sweeping program and illicit discharge cleanup.

Wastewater System, Wastewater Utility Division

Lacey’s Wastewater Utility Division consists of a collection system of sewer pipelines, sewage pump stations, STEP systems, and community on-site septic systems. These facilities serve to collect, initiate treatment, and transport wastewater to the regional LOTT Treatment Facility. Lacey’s Wastewater Utility is responsible for operation and maintenance of approximately 189 miles of wastewater lines, 44 lift stations, and nearly 2,857 residential and community STEP systems.

Utility operations are funded through wastewater service fees.  These revenues cover current operating expenses, maintenance of the system, replacement, and emergency repairs.  Revenues required to finance needed capital improvements comes from the general facility charge (GFC) that all new connections must pay.

Drinking Water System, Water Utility Division

The Water Utility Division provides high quality drinking water in sufficient quantity and pressure to support the citizens of Lacey and residents of the entire water service area.  Virtually all of Lacey’s water comes from groundwater wells owned and operated by the Utility.  Water rates cover current operating expenses, maintenance of the system, replacement of worn and failing waterlines, emergency repairs, and debt service.  In addition to water rates, new connections to the water system are charged a one-time fee to cover costs of infrastructure requirements necessary to ensure continued quality service to serve the connection.  Such infrastructure includes City owned production wells, over 300 miles of distribution lines, numerous pressure control devices, and seven storage reservoirs.

Public Works programs include distribution line maintenance and repair, water quality and regulatory compliance, resource management, conservation, wellhead protection, water production and storage operations, and system engineering. Financial services include meter reading, accounting, billing, and collection.  The Operations Division is responsible for operating the system, repairs and preventive maintenance.  Planning, capital improvements, regulatory compliance, community education/outreach, design and capital programming, development review, and source development are provided by the Water Resources and Engineering Divisions.

Protecting Water Resources, Water Resources Division

The Water Resources Division provides a variety of technical, engineering, and professional services relating to water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities. We lead ongoing community efforts to ensure:

• Our water is being used efficiently.
• Our creeks, streams, lakes and wetlands are protected from pollution.
• Our streets and properties are protected from flooding.
• Our drinking water is of the highest quality possible.
• Our water supply will meet the needs of our children and grandchildren.

Water Resources manages programs for water conservation, cross-connection control, customer response, well-head protection, stormwater pollution prevention, distribution system monitoring, and volunteer programs. The department also participates with other local, state, and federal agencies for regulatory issues, including wetland protection, water quality standards, permits, and environmental program evaluation. Additionally, the department is the lead for providing engineering design/troubleshooting for the water, wastewater, and stormwater utilities’ comprehensive planning, capital projects, and operational strategies and problems.