Construction continues at the City of Anacortes Water Treatment Plant on the Skagit River in Mount Vernon. This $57 million expansion project is by far the largest and most expensive capital project the city has undertaken, noted Mayor Dean Maxwell recently. In fact, it may be the largest publicly funded non-transportation project ever in Skagit County. Plant improvements began in January 2011, with completion anticipated in the spring of 2013. Improvements include new pretreatment and filter facilities, clear wells, intermediate and high service pump stations, a new chemical building and standby generators that will run the facility in the event of a power disruption. When construction is complete, the plant will have a capacity of 42 million gallons per day (MGD) with the potential to produce 55 MGD.