U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer and the Kitsap County Board of Commissioners recently secured a $10 million federal grant for the Bangor/Keyport Forcemain Replacement project — which will help fund replacement of the sanitary sewer service force main break that supports Naval Base Kitsap–Bangor.

“Upgrading our water systems and sewage infrastructure is important for the Navy, for military families, and for our region’s environment,” Kilmer sai, adding replacing the sewage infrastructure will greatly improve the functionality of base operations, while protecting the health and safety of the families and workforce.

County Commissioner Rob Gelder said: “The lifecycle of the conveyance system has come to an end and this will ensure our ability to protect the environment while providing service to the bases.”

NBK-Bangor has 9,000 employees including active duty and federal civilians working onboard daily. An additional 1,000 contract employees are expected for work daily at NBK-Bangor. Kitsap County Sewer Utility owns and operates the Central Kitsap Wastewater Treatment Plant and sewer force main serving Poulsbo, NBK-Bangor and NBK-Keyport.

The wastewater is pumped from stations just outside NBK via ductile iron pipe to the 3 million gallon per day wastewater treatment plant. Sewage is then processed to a standard of cleanliness suitable for safe discharge to Puget Sound.