PUD 3 Cloquallum Fiber Deadline May 31 and Belfair Sewer Study Moves Forward — Mason County Infrastructure Update

Two significant infrastructure developments are unfolding across Mason County this week — one offering a limited-time opportunity for hundreds of rural residents to lock in free fiber internet connections before the end of May, and another marking a new chapter in the long-running debate over how to handle Belfair’s wastewater future.

Act Now: PUD 3’s Free Fiber Application Window Closes May 31

More than 680 homes and businesses along the Cloquallum Road corridor in north Mason County are now eligible to apply for high-speed gigabit fiber internet — and the free application window closes in just three and a half weeks.

Mason County Public Utility District No. 3 announced in February 2026 the completion of Phase 2 of its Cloquallum Communities Fiberhood project, triggering a new round of application letters to property owners in the Wivell Road, Loertscher Road, and Cloquallum Fiberhoods areas. But the window is closing fast: PUD 3 has waived the standard $250 construction application fee only through May 31, 2026. After that date, anyone who applies will owe the full $250 upfront.

The stakes are real. When the Cloquallum Communities project reaches full completion — targeted for October 2026 — residents in these rural stretches will go from dial-up-like speeds of roughly 1.5 Mbps to symmetrical gigabit internet at 1,000/1,000 Mbps, among the fastest residential broadband available anywhere in Washington state. Monthly service is expected to run approximately $85 per month through PUD 3’s open-access fiber network.

That “open access” model is worth understanding. PUD 3 builds and owns the physical fiber infrastructure, but multiple retail internet service providers can deliver service over that single cable. Residents choose their own provider — and can switch providers without needing a new connection installed. The model has already delivered results: more than 3,000 homes and businesses across Mason County are now connected to PUD 3 fiber through prior Fiberhood builds.

The Cloquallum project is funded in part through an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant awarded to PUD 3 by the Washington State Broadband Office in late 2023. Phase 1 of the project wrapped in July 2025, bringing the mainline fiber network to the Lake Arrowhead, Star Lake, Bulb Farm, and Lost Lake areas near Cloquallum Road. Phase 2 focuses on the Wivell Road and Loertscher Road communities and the broader Cloquallum Road Fiberhood area, running from west of Bear Trap Boulevard east toward Rock Creek Road.

Residents who have already received an announcement letter should apply as soon as possible at pud3.org. Those who live in the project area and have not received a letter should contact PUD 3 directly to verify their eligibility before the May 31 deadline passes. After five years of engineering, grant-writing, and construction, gigabit internet is finally arriving in one of Mason County’s most historically underserved broadband corridors — but only to those who get their applications in on time.

Belfair Sewer: Bremerton Now on the Hook for Feasibility Study

About 20 miles to the south, a very different infrastructure question is moving forward — carefully.

Mason County commissioners in February 2026 signed off on revisions to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the City of Bremerton regarding potential sewer service to the Puget Sound Industrial Center, a business corridor in north Belfair. The key change in the updated agreement: Bremerton is now required to pay for Mason County’s share of the feasibility study before the work can begin.

Under the revised MOU, both parties have committed to a comprehensive feasibility study including preliminary engineering and a financial evaluation of the capital, operational, and long-term costs involved. If Bremerton pays, the study must be completed within 180 days. Mason County commissioners will then have 90 days to determine whether moving forward is in the best interest of county ratepayers.

The Belfair sewer system has been under pressure for years. The Belfair Wastewater Reclamation Facility (WWRF) storage pond has a documented structural concern — a suspected sinkhole first flagged by the Washington State Department of Ecology in 2016 — that the county has not fully remediated. Questions about whether extending service to serve Bremerton’s industrial interests would be fair to existing Belfair ratepayers generated significant debate when commissioners first considered the original MOU.

Adding further complexity, the Belfair WWRF sits within the usual and accustomed fishing area of the Squaxin Island Tribe, and any expansion carries potential implications for salmon habitat in Coulter Creek. Under the revised agreement, Mason County is required to consult with tribal representatives before making any final decisions on expansion.

For residents who use or are considering connecting to the Belfair sewer system, the next several months will be worth watching closely. If Bremerton initiates payment, a 180-day study clock begins ticking — and commissioner briefings, public meetings, and Belfair Sewer Advisory Committee sessions will be where the real debate plays out. If Bremerton does not pay, the study stalls — and the question of Belfair’s long-term wastewater capacity remains unresolved.

What to Watch

On the fiber front, May 31 is a hard deadline. Whether you live off Wivell Road, Loertscher Road, or anywhere along the Cloquallum Road corridor in north Mason County, submitting a construction application before that date saves you $250. Visit pud3.org or contact Mason County PUD No. 3 at their Shelton office for details on the application process.

On the sewer front, the clock starts when Bremerton writes the check. Mason County residents can track developments through masoncountywa.gov and the Belfair Sewer Advisory Committee page at masoncountywa.gov/ac/belfair-sewer/.