King County Wastewater (NPDES) Permits
Discharges from municipal wastewater facilities

King County discharges treated wastewater under permits issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology). Ecology administers the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits (external link) under authority delegated to the department by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Federal Clean Water Act (external link) requires that all discharges of pollutants be permitted under the NPDES program. These permits outline the conditions under which a municipality can discharge treated wastewater.

King County has three NPDES permits for discharging treated wastewater from its regional wastewater system:

NPDES Permit Description	Permit no. and expiration date	Download permit*
The West Point permit covers the operation of the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle, the combined sewer overflow (CSO) system, the CSO treatment facilities including Alki, Carkeek, Elliott West, Henderson/Martin Luther King, and the portion of the conveyance system owned by King County. (See note below.)	WA-002918-1 Dec. 31, 2008	(Ecology Web site) Permit Fact Sheet Fact Sheet Addendum Appendix D-F
The South Plant permit covers the operation of the South Treatment Plant in Renton and the portion of the conveyance system owned by King County. (See note below.)	WA-002958-1 Sept. 30, 2009	(Ecology Web site) Permit Fact Sheet Appendices
The Vashon Treatment Plant permit covers the operation of the Vashon Treatment Plant and the portion of the conveyance system owned by King County.	WA-002252-7 Aug. 31, 2011	(Ecology Web site) Permit Fact Sheet
Note: Also covered under these permits is the Industrial Pretreatment Program administered by King County. That program is responsible for approving permits for discharges of industrial waste into the sewer system and the management and enforcement of such permits.
* Requires Adobe Acrobat Reader to view document. If link doesn't work, refer to Ecology's list of permits by NorthWest region at: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/permits/northwest_permits.html

Other NPDES permits held by King County

Other County Resources and Information

WTD Facts at a Glance

Local Sewer Agencies

How we treat wastewater

Water Quality Annual Report

Industrial Pretreatment Program

Combined Sewer Overflow Program

Reclaimed Water Program

Stormwater Compliance in King County

Other permited activities include the following:

production and distribution of reclaimed water at the South Treatment Plant Water Reclamation Facility (permit, appendix, fact sheet--Adobe Acrobat files available for download from the Ecology Web site)
operation of the Beulah Park/Cove community wastewater treatment system on Vashon Island (permit is pending),
municipal stormwater permits.

For More Information

Please contact Wastewater Treatment Division NPDES Administrator Betsy Cooper by e-mail or at 206-263-3728.

For questions about the Wastewater Treatment Division Web site, please send an e-mail message. For general information about the division, contact us at:

Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Wastewater Treatment Division
201 S. Jackson St.
Seattle, WA 98104-3855
Phone: 206-684-1280
Fax: 206-684-1741
Telecommunication device for the deaf (TTY): 711

Updated: April 15, 2008

Related Information:

Washington State Department of Ecology:
- Water Quality Program
- NPDES and State Waste Discharge Permits, Northwest Region

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency:
- NPDES Home

National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA)

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King County Wastewater (NPDES) Permits Discharges from municipal wastewater facilities

Other NPDES permits held by King County

For More Information

King County Wastewater (NPDES) Permits
Discharges from municipal wastewater facilities