Wenatchee’s Pershing Street stormwater project is backed by more than $3.6 million in state funding

Construction is active on Pershing Street between Springwater Avenue and Maple Street in Wenatchee, limiting the road to local traffic while crews install stormwater infrastructure, replace an aging water main and rebuild pedestrian facilities.

The City of Wenatchee’s project page, last updated in June 2026, says Selland Construction began work in May. The city expects construction to continue into October and says the work should wrap up before winter. Several nearby homes are using temporary water service until the replacement main is operational.

What crews are building

The Pershing Street Stormwater Retrofit Project includes approximately 2,000 feet of stormwater pipe, catch basins, inlets, pretreatment and basic treatment facilities, dry wells and other infiltration infrastructure. The city says the work will also include four infiltration galleries on Woodland Drive, Alderwood Drive, Central Avenue and Pershing Street near the Twin Manor Mobile Home Park.

The project also replaces a six-inch cast-iron water main installed in 1956, rebuilds affected sidewalks and installs nine new ADA ramps at intersections. Pedestrian routes may change as portions of the street and adjacent sidewalks are rebuilt.

Washington Department of Ecology’s facility record identifies the site as Pershing Street from Springwater Avenue to Maple Street in Wenatchee, Chelan County. The record lists a construction stormwater general permit that began January 26, 2026, and an underground-injection-control record associated with the project’s infiltration structures beginning July 1, 2026.

Flooding and water-quality goals

Wenatchee says the project is intended to reduce flooding risk associated with the No. 1 Canyon Drain. The city says existing stormwater in the area receives no water-quality treatment and can carry sediment, heavy metals and legacy pesticides toward the Columbia River.

The city’s project description says the work will connect the street drainage system to an existing city stormwater system in Maple Street and create a hydraulic barrier between canyon flow and street drainage. It also says the damaged No. 1 Canyon Drain pipe will be removed and replaced in the same location.

These are project goals and expected infrastructure benefits, not measured results reported after completion. Ecology’s funding record describes the project as a water-quality effort intended to treat total suspended solids, reduce heavy metals and peak flows, and increase stormwater infiltration and detention before discharge to the Columbia River.

State funding and city authorization

The city lists a $3,633,738 construction grant from the Washington Department of Ecology, a $99,250 city match paid through stormwater rates and a separate $297,750 planning agreement. The construction grant should not be treated as the project’s total cost.

Ecology’s February 2025 draft State Fiscal Year 2026 Water Quality Funding Offer List identifies the same Wenatchee project. That draft proposed $2,207,253 in Stormwater Financial Assistance Program grant funding, $582,129 in standard Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan funding and $342,017 in forgivable principal. The document was a draft program record, and its proposed figures differ from the later funding presentation on the city’s project page.

On February 26, 2026, the Wenatchee City Council voted 5-0 to award the construction contract for City Project No. 2104 to Selland Construction Inc. and authorize the mayor to sign the contract documents. A March 26 council record separately addressed a temporary construction easement connected with the project.

What residents should expect

Pershing Street is restricted to local traffic during construction. The city says mail delivery, garbage collection and emergency services remain active. Several homes may continue using temporary water service until the new water main is active and returned to service.

The June 2026 project update lists expected construction hours as Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., subject to weather, temperatures and safe working conditions. The contractor was not expected to conduct weekend or night work. The city says construction should continue into October and wrap up before winter if the schedule holds.

Residents with project questions can contact City of Wenatchee Utility Project Manager Darci Ronning.

Sources

• Pershing Street Stormwater Retrofit Project | City of Wenatchee
• Washington Department of Ecology State Fiscal Year 2026 Draft Water Quality Funding Offer List and Intended Use Plan