From Rachel Seymour at the Kitsap Sun:

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Bainbridge Island’s sewer system is struggling to keep up as development booms on the island.

New sewer connections have been postponed on the south end, halting development on commercial and residential projects.

The new pool at Pleasant Beach Village in Lynwood brought the city’s sewer capacity issues to the forefront in May, said Barry Loveless, the city’s public works director. Alarms sounded at the pump station in Lynwood, alerting the city to capacity problems shortly after the pool opened.

Now, city officials are working with the Pleasant Beach Village to modify the pool’s mitigation and improve short-term sewer capacity on the south end of the island.

Upgrades to the Lynwood area pump station, which could require building a new station, are needed to handle long-term capacity for new development.

A new pump station could cost the city $400,000, Loveless said.

Upgrades to the pump station might not start until the end of 2016, and be completed in 2017.

Another pump station near Woodward Elementary School also needs an upgrade to handle additional capacity. Several developments are planned in the area, including individual art studios and the home of Bainbridge Artisans Resource Network’s two-story, 25,000-square-foot building.

The city-owned Suzuki property at Sportsman Club and New Brooklyn roads also is in the neighborhood. The city has requested proposals for the property with the potential to develop it.

Councilwoman Sarah Blossom voiced concern with the city’s 2016 sewer plan in light of the sewer capacity change during the past few months.

“There is not capacity, despite what the plan says,” she said last week during a City Council meeting.

“At this time, no one can get sewer. … That seems to be pretty significant.”

Loveless said Wednesday that the sewer plan is based on anticipated development and estimations, which can be more difficult with commercial property than single-family homes.

“We are moving as fast as we can to come up with a solution,” Loveless said.

The city is hiring consultants to study the south-end sewer system to see what specific improvements need to be made. The study is expected to start next month and be finished by the end of the year.

The city had planned the study and pump station upgrades in the future, although the current capacity issues pushed the tasks up.

The drastic hit on sewer capacity could affect projects for two major developers in the south end. Pleasant Beach Village is looking to expand its existing inn by 12 to 15 rooms and construct seven new buildings that will be divided into 14 town homes, said Kelly MacDonald, of Pleasant Beach Village.

A new Lynwood development, The Roost, also is looking to connect to the sewer system for 18 residential homes in its first phase of development. Half of the homes, which are expected to be finished next summer or fall, have been reserved, said Belinda Thornburg, Indigo Architecture & Interiors co-owner.

The mixed residential and business development across from Lynwood Center is being designed and developed by the owners of Indigo Architecture & Interiors.

Portions of Indigo’s permits are on hold until sewer capacity changes can be made to accommodate the pool.

While Loveless said updates to the outdoor pool should be finished before the next pool season, MacDonald said Pleasant Beach Village hopes to resolve the issue in the next few weeks.

Even with changes at the pool, there might not be enough capacity for both Indigo and Pleasant Beach Village’s plans until pump station upgrades are complete.

The city will know more once consultants have finished their study, Loveless said.

In the meantime, the city is working on an accommodation and liability agreement with Indigo, Loveless said, which could allow permitting and work to move forward before mitigation at the pool is finished.

Indigo and Pleasant Beach Village also have long-term development plans that could be affected by sewer capacity.

The Roost has a proposed hotel and rooftop restaurant following completion of its residential homes, while Pleasant Beach Village has plans for apartments and single-family homes.

When those homes or apartments are built and how many there will be depend on the market, MacDonald said.

City Manager Doug Schulze told the council this month that sewer system work throughout the island had been postponed during the economic downturn, leading to its current state.

“We are still delaying maintenance to systems and at some point that catches up with you,” he said. “And we are trying to dig out from those problems that were created during the recession.”