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King County Wastewater Treatment Division Accomplishments
2006
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Recyclable biosolids, the nutrient-rich byproduct of the treatment process, are in high demand as fertilizer for crops, to revegetate forests and clear-cut areas, and as an ingredient in compost for landscaping and home gardens. In 2006, King County recycled 100 percent of its biosolids, providing enough nutrients to fertilize about 7,000 acres of farms and forests.
The division has expanded how it captures and uses energy, gas, and heat created in the treatment process. In 2006, methane produced at King County’s regional plants in Seattle and Renton was captured and either reused for plant operations or sold to Puget Sound Energy as natural gas. A fuel-cell power project at the Renton facility also created electricity from methane, and in 2006 produced the equivalent in energy to power 800 homes.
Reclaimed water is wastewater treated to such a high level that it can be used safely for irrigation, in industrial processes and for habitat enhancement. In 2006, King County conserved enough water to fill 250 Olympic-size swimming pools by using reclaimed water in its place. The division is actively pursuing partnerships for using reclaimed water in ways that benefit the environment and conserve drinking-water resources.
Ground was broken on the new Brightwater Treatment Plant north of Woodinville in 2006. The plant is being built to serve growth in north and east King County and southern Snohomish County.
Ron Sims (center) at the April 12 groundbreaking ceremony for the Brightwater Treatment Plant in Woodinville.
As part of the overall mitigation for the new plant, ponds and streams have been relocated and enhanced just north of the site, and Snohomish County began development of new parks and pedestrian and bike paths.
When it comes online in 2010, most of the water treated at Brightwater will meet reclaimed water standards. Brightwater’s conveyance system is designed with a “backbone” of reclaimed water distribution lines to provide this valuable commodity to potential users in the future.
Construction began mid-year on a new Carnation Treatment Plant to replace the city’s failing septic systems. Carnation will build and operate the sewage collection system, while King County will build and operate the plant. When it comes online in 2008, the plant will treat up to 500,000 gallons of wastewater a day with advanced technologies, then discharge the reclaimed water into enhanced wetlands along the Snoqualmie River.
In September, King County and the City of Seattle announced a joint project to clean up sediment contamination and create a more fish-friendly environment at Slip 4, a Superfund cleanup site along the east side of the Lower Duwamish Waterway in Georgetown.
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Recent sonar inspections detected that portions of a 70-year-old wooden sewer pipe on the floor of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in Seattle’s Ballard/Interbay area were near collapse. In 2006, the division moved quickly to identify an engineering solution and to receive the permits to replace the precarious structure so construction could begin.
Despite record rainfalls during the year, including the equivalent of a 100-year storm event in November, the system operated with only limited sanitary sewer overflows, which were caused by temporary power outages and flooding. The system operated at nearly full capacity during December’s emergency storm conditions.
Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) occur when stormwater combines with wastewater and overwhelms the system. Projects continued in 2006 to decrease CSO events and remove stormwater-related flows from the system, freeing up capacity to move sewage to the plants.
Both of King County’s regional treatment plants
celebrated more than 40 years of clean water with
open houses and tours for neighbors and interested
community members, and last year hosted more
than 3,200 students, teachers, and chaperones on
educational tours.
The division was recognized for its sound financial management with an increase in its bond rating in 2006 from one major rating agency (from “AA-“ to “AA”) and a continued high rating from another (“A1”). The division also ended the year with a greater “rate stabilization” reserve account than planned, and a stronger-than-projected ratio between debt and revenue. Ratepayers’ monthly sewer rates for 2007 and beyond were approved at lower-than-projected levels as a result of these sound financial management indicators.
The division’s 10-year Productivity Initiative to encourage employee innovation, involvement and accountability hit the halfway mark in 2006. The pilot program provides employees with financial incentives for achieving established savings targets, to be shared equally with ratepayers. Savings to ratepayers during 2006 were $9.5 million, bringing total ratepayer savings to more than $33 million since 2001.
The division is moving beyond its traditional role of safely treating wastewater to actively “Creating Resources from Wastewater.” In addition to providing reliable, efficient wastewater treatment services, the division will focus on more opportunities to recycle the byproducts of the treatment process and create new markets for its products, especially reclaimed water produced from the new Brightwater plant.
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Department of Natural Resources and Parks Updated: April 19, 2007 |
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King County | Natural Resources & Parks | Wastewater Treatment Division Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by King County. |
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