Bellingham’s investment in Post Point incinerator maintenance is the responsible path forward
It’s not a $54 million gamble on the past — it’s a commitment to reliability while the future catches up
By Joel Pfundt, Public Works Director
A recent guest editorial (Cascadia Daily News, Oct. 29, 2025) about the future of Bellingham’s Post Point Wastewater Treatment Plant raised an important question: how should we handle our community’s wastewater solids in a way that is environmentally responsible, cost-effective, and reliable for the long term? We couldn’t agree more that these decisions matter deeply and must be made with care, transparency, and sound reasoning.
Some have compared our current system to a 50-year-old car that should be scrapped. The analogy is compelling but flawed. When you replace an old car, you buy a proven, reliable model, one that’s already tested and available. But the next generation of wastewater technology simply isn’t for sale yet, and the most responsible choice, all things considered, is to maintain what we already have while we wait for the technology to catch up.
Our goal is the same as that of concerned community members: to ensure Bellingham has a safe, sustainable wastewater system that protects public health and the environment for generations to come. And while we share the same goal, after careful and thorough analysis, the City reached a different conclusion: upgrading the emission control systems on our existing incinerators is the most prudent and responsible bridge to the future.
For decades, the wastewater industry’s preferred alternative to incineration was biosolids land application – reusing treated solids on farmland as fertilizer. After years of planning for that approach, the City halted the program because we listened to community concerns about the emerging science around PFAS and other so-called “forever chemicals.” It was the right decision. But that decision also eliminated the only proven alternative technology.
Today, we are in the difficult position of waiting for technology to catch up to our community’s environmental standards. Emerging processes like gasification and pyrolysis are promising alternatives currently being studied, but as of yet, none have been able to operate reliably or economically at the scale required for Post Point. Even with accelerated development, it could take a decade or longer for a viable, scalable technology to emerge, and for the broader regulatory landscape surrounding PFAS and biosolids to settle. After that, a project of this scale and complexity would require another five to seven years of design, permitting, and construction.
That timeline means landfilling, as the guest author(s) suggest, is not a short-term bridge. It is a 15-year-plus commitment to uncertainty. During that time, any delay in developing new technology or in clarifying future environmental regulations would leave Bellingham without a clear next step. We cannot gamble public funds or environmental outcomes on a destination that does not yet exist.
The financial argument for continuing incineration is equally compelling. While hauling and landfilling appear cost competitive in the first decade, our analysis shows costs could escalate up to $200 million over 20 years – nearly three times the cost of upgrading our existing emissions system. The emission control upgrade offers cost stability and shields us from the escalating costs of transportation and landfill fees.
Lastly, landfilling would mean turning off our incinerators for good. Once we power down the incinerators, our existing permits no longer apply and there is no going back. This leaves our community’s wastewater system vulnerable without a reliable backup plan. Wastewater treatment is a service that must operate every single day without interruption. If anything were to fail in a landfilling scenario – a permitting issue, capacity shortage, or transportation bottleneck – the City would have no immediate backup. Because these solids can’t safely be stored onsite due to odor and contamination concerns, interruptions aren’t an option. Today, hauling and landfilling serves as our emergency fallback if a problem occurs at Post Point. Reversing that relationship would mean losing our safety net entirely.
We are choosing the path that maintains reliability and delivers measurable progress toward improved air quality. The new equipment will replace aging systems with modern technology designed to meet strict regulatory standards, ensuring the plant remains in full compliance while positioning Bellingham for future environmental improvements. This maintenance project is an investment that keeps our system safe, stable, and ready for what comes next.
To revisit the car analogy, our decision is not like sinking money into a museum piece; it’s like maintaining the safety and efficiency features of the only reliable vehicle we have while we wait for the next model to be road-ready. Landfilling, by comparison, would be like renting the only other car available – paying extra every day while you wait for a new model, and knowing there’s no backup if it breaks down.
The City’s choice to fix what we have is grounded in facts, fiscal responsibility, and respect for community values. It ensures reliable service today, steady progress toward cleaner air, and flexibility for the future. That is how we protect public health, honor our environmental commitments, and keep Bellingham on solid ground for decades to come.
Learn more about the the Post Point Emission Control project and other maintenance projects:
