Pierce County officials plan to close a portion of the East Slope Walking Trail, near the north entrance to the Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant, to the general public this week as part of the wastewater treatment plant expansion project.

The temporary closure is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on Tues., July 9 and continue through 12:30 a.m. on Fri., July 12. This portion of the trail parallels Chambers Creek Road West. Visitors will notice wooden barricades placed at each end of the closed portion of the trail. The barricades will have “Trail Closed” signs attached and include the dates of the planned closure.

When completed in 2016, the new $353 million facility expansion project will increase sewer capacity, introduce new technologies that help protect the environment, support economic development in Pierce County, and build the foundation for meeting future environmental regulations, according to Pierce County Public Works and Utilities officials. The project will also allow the county to repair and replace aging infrastructure at the plant. The expansion project will increase the plant’s footprint from 49 acres to 89 acres and treatment capacity from 28.7 million gallons per day to 43 million gallons per day. Infrastructure improvements consist of a new laboratory, rehabilitation of existing buildings, and expansion of many of the treatment facilities such as digesters, aeration basins and secondary clarifiers. The project is funded primarily through a series of three bond sales. Additional funding comes from a Public Works Trust Fund loan, connection charges for new developments, state grants, and monthly rates collected from sewer customers.

More information about the project is available online at piercecountywa.org/sewerexpansion.