King County Wastewater Treatment Division Accomplishments
2004
Delivering award-winning service, 24/7
WTD's two regional wastewater treatment plants, West Point in Seattle and South in Renton, earned Gold Award from the Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (now called the National Association of Clean Water Agencies) in 2004. The awards are given to wastewater agencies whose discharges meet stringent environmental standards of excellence.
Working with the network of equipment and pipelines that make up WTD's collection and conveyance system, the plants together safely treated an average of 183 million gallons of wastewater per day in 2004.
Planning for service expansion
Siting Brightwater Treatment Plant facilities
During 2004, staff focused on carrying out the King County Executive's decision to build the Brightwater Treatment Plant at Route 9 north of Woodinville. That work included designing, permitting and acquiring property for the plant, which will treat up to 36 million gallons of sewage a day from north King County and south Snohomish County when completed in 2010.
- Beginning preconstruction activities. Also in 2004, some preconstruction activities -- such as erecting security fencing, getting biological opinion documents, surveying and stream restoration work -- moved forward in anticipation of the county receiving the necessary permits to begin construction in 2006.
- Opening new project office at treatment plant site. In fall 2004, King County opened a project office at the Brightwater plant site, giving neighbors an opportunity to have face-to-face interactions with staff about project-related questions or concerns. Neighbors of the future plant attended an open house in October at the new office.
Updating the Regional Wastewater Services Plan
An update to the Regional Wastewater Services Plan, completed in March, identified project and cost changes expected to be necessary between 2004 and 2030. The most significant changes are improvements to the conveyance system and management of physical assets.
Reducing infiltration and inflow
- Estimating peak wastewater flows. A major computer-modeling effort in 2004 provided estimates of peak wastewater flows throughout the conveyance system. To plan for the necessary facilities to handle expected increases in flows, King County sought the used 775 meters that measured flows in county and local sewer systems during two wet-weather seasons.
- Reducing leaks into the conveyance system. In eight of 10 pilot project locations around the county, local improvements reduced infiltration of groundwater and inflow of stormwater into county and local sewer lines. The greatest reduction was 87 percent in the Skyway area. After evaluating the effectiveness of various techniques and system components in 2004, the county began using the findings to map out a cost-effective strategy for reducing infiltration and inflow in the wastewater service area. The list of future conveyance needs, and the results of the 10 pilot projects, provide the basis upon which a benefit/cost analysis of I/I reduction alternatives will be performed in 2005.
Selecting city property for site of Carnation Treatment Plant
Planning ramped up in 2004 for siting a new wastewater treatment plant requested by the City of Carnation. After several years of careful analysis and discussion by the county and city, King County Executive Ron Sims announced in December that the county will follow the city's recommendation for the location of the plant.
Upgrading the Vashon Treatment Plant
- Ensuring safe, reliable operation. The state Department of Ecology, King County and Vashon Sewer District had determined the plant must be upgraded to ensure safe, reliable operation. Construction began in early 2005.
- Extending the marine outfall. Construction of a marine outfall extension for the Vashon Treatment Plant began in the fall. The existing outfall was extended 1,400 feet, well out of the range of geoduck beds in the area. The outfall will enable increased dilution and be better for the environment of the Puget Sound .
Improving other major facilities
Improvements to several other major facilities began in 2004 to upgrade the 40-year-old system, improve facility reliability and odor control, and expand capacity for the growing population. Among those projects were modifications to some of the division's 42 pump stations and improvements to sewer pipelines.
Keeping our environment clean
- Controlling industrial waste discharges. King County's Industrial Waste Program worked with both large and small businesses in 2004 to prevent harmful wastes from entering the wastewater treatment system and make our biosolids safe for recycling. The program also worked with its regional and local partners to identify and control sources of pollutants to the Duwamish Waterway.
- Reducing combined sewer overflows. The Wastewater Treatment Division made significant progress in 2004 on two construction projects designed to control the blending of sewage and stormwater as combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, during heavy rains:
- Renovating Henderson Pump Station. As part of the Henderson/M.L.K. CSO Project, a county contractor replaced all mechanical and electrical systems in the pump station, enhanced its odor control and emergency power capabilities, and expanded its capacity from 10 million to 20 million gallons per day. The expanded capacity will help eliminate combined sewer overflows into Lake Washington during rainstorms.
- Cleaning up contaminated sediment in lower Duwamish Waterway. To protect fish, the environment and public health, a King County contractor removed an estimated 66,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from the Duwamish between November 2003 and March 2004. The project resulted in the cleanup of 7 acres of the Duwamish and removal of about 400 pounds of polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, from the river.
- Completing underground wastewater storage facility in Bothell. King County joined with the City of Bothell and others in June to celebrate completion of the North Creek Storage Facility, a 6-million-gallon underground tank that is key to preventing sewer overflows and backups in the area north of Lake Washington.
Putting technology to work
- Generating electricity from digester gas. With the help of federal grant funding, the world's largest molten carbonate fuel cell demonstration project at the South Treatment Plant in Renton continued to test the promise of fuel cells to supply energy with little air pollution. A second project at South Plant was under way to expand the plant's ability to convert gas from its solids digesters to electricity by using turbines. These projects are expected to eventually make the facility largely power independent.
- Using biosolids to produce biodiesel. Farmers who apply King County biosolids to their crops teamed with University of Washington scientists to research making biodiesel from biosolids-fertilized canola crops. Using biodiesel in WTD's fleet could also reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
- Earning national certification for biosolids program . On July 19, the King County Wastewater Treatment Division became a certified program in the National Biosolids Partnership's Environmental Management System for biosolids. King County is the third wastewater agency in the nation to earn this prestigious certification. After five days of intensive auditing, an independent auditor found no major nonconformance in the complex system.
Working toward continuous improvement
- Saving money through productivity. By the end of 2004, a 10-year productivity program had saved sewer ratepayers more than $16 million. In 2000, WTD launched the comprehensive program to ensure that its services are being managed and delivered as efficiently as possible. The division has achieving savings by sing certain business practices more commonly used in the private sector--such as setting budget targets, measuring performance, and giving employees incentives.
- Ensuring a stable workplace. In 2004, all the division's labor contracts with its 650 employees were approved, either as new contract or extensions of existing contracts, helping ensure a stable workplace at which efficiency and productivity goals are most likely to be achieved.
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