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Construction Projects
Infrastructure investments, environmental improvements top clean-water agency priorities in 2008
Projects under way include upgrading and replacing aging facilities, expanding existing ones and building new facilities such as the Brightwater treatment system to provide enough capacity for the region's growing population. Other clean-water projects include controlling combined sewer overflows, cleaning up contaminated sediment in the Duwamish River and Elliott Bay , and reclaiming and reusing resources like energy and irrigation water created during the wastewater treatment process. King County is carrying out these projects as part of the Regional Wastewater Services Plan, a 30-year comprehensive plan adopted by the King County Council in 1999 to ensure the regional sewer system keeps pace with growth and continues meeting regulatory requirements. Here is a brief overview of some of the major projects King County has scheduled for 2008: North King County/South Snohomish CountyBrightwater Treatment SystemConstruction is well under way on the Brightwater treatment system, the county's largest clean-water project in 40 years. In 2008, the county will spend about $150 million to begin building facilities to process solids, control odors, and power the plant. Construction is largely completed on the Brightwater North Mitigation Area, which includes 40 acres of open space at the north portion of the treatment plant site and features habitat enhancement, trails and a field house for community use. The North Mitigation Area is scheduled to open for public use in late 2008. King County has budgeted about $200 million in 2008 for construction on the conveyance system, which includes a pump station in Bothell and a 13-mile-long wastewater pipeline that will run 40 to 450 feet below ground from the Brightwater Treatment Plant north of Woodinville to Point Wells in Shoreline. All four tunnel boring machines will be running this year. The county recently selected a contractor to finalize design and begin construction on the 600-foot-deep marine outfall that will be a mile off Point Wells in Puget Sound. Learn about construction activities at the plant site, conveyance portals, and Hollywood pump station. View construction contracts and RFPs. Brightwater Reclaimed Water BackboneConstruction continues this year on a pipeline system to bring reclaimed water produced at the Brightwater Treatment Plant to irrigators and industrial customers in north King and south Snohomish counties. The project includes converting an existing force main into a reclaimed water pipeline that will run from the North Creek Pump Station in Bothell to the York Pump Station in Redmond, and installing reclaimed water pipes in the tunnel being built for the Brightwater conveyance system. Expenditures are estimated at $5.2 million in 2008. Hidden Lake Pump Station and Sewer Improvement ProjectThe county plans to spend about $8.3 million in 2008 to replace its existing 40-year-old Hidden Lake Pump Station with a new 6.8-million-gallon-a-day pump station and 12,000 feet of new sewer trunk line near Boeing Creek in Shoreline. The project will increase system reliability and protect public health and the environment by adding capacity that will help reduce overflows into Puget Sound during heavy rains. Other investments include a recently completed 500,000-gallon-capacity underground wastewater storage pipe in Boeing Creek Park and an upgraded a City of Shoreline stormwater detention pond. North Creek PipelineIn 2008, King County and Alderwood Water and Wastewater District will move ahead on a project to expand capacity in the North Creek Interceptor, which carries wastewater from a large portion of south Snohomish County to King County 's wastewater treatment plants. Through an interagency agreement, King County will provide $18.9 million in project funding in 2008 to the Alderwood Water and Wastewater District (external link) to manage permitting and construction. King County will assume ownership of the North Creek Interceptor when the project is completed. >>back to top SeattleBallard Siphon Replacement ProjectTo protect water quality in the Lake Washington Ship Canal, King County is investing $13.3 million in the Ballard Siphon Project, which will rehabilitate a 70-year-old wooden sewer pipe that extends across the floor of Salmon Bay near the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks. In 2008, the county will focus on completing design, securing permits, and soliciting bids for construction. Combined Sewer Overflow ControlThe county will continue its program to reduce combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, that occur in older parts of the system during heavy rains, degrading water quality and posing public health risks. King County will invest $2 million in the Puget Sound Beach project to evaluate CSO control alternatives around North Beach, West Seattle, and south Magnolia. Alternatives being considered include treatment, storage, pumping, or stormwater control improvements in the local drainage basin. A public process will enable people to get involved in aspects of project planning, including evaluating and commenting on various alternatives and technologies. 53rd Avenue Pump Station Upgrade ProjectConstruction will begin in 2008 at this Alki pump station to increase system reliability and help make the facility a better neighbor. The county will install new odor control equipment, upgrade the facility's electrical and mechanical systems, and double the size of the below-ground pump station. Expenditures this year are expected to be $2.8 million. King Street Odor ControlIn 2008, the county will continue a project to build a new underground odor control facility that includes a new one-story, 340-square-foot electrical enclosure just south of King Street Station near the Weller Street Bridge. The project will help improve air quality in south Pioneer Square and the stadium areas by reducing or eliminating odors from the Elliott Bay Interceptor, a large sewer pipe that carries wastewater from south Seattle through the downtown area to West Point Treatment Plant. Expenditures this year are expected to be $2.6 million. Lower Duwamish Waterway CleanupThe county will continue its commitment to cleaning up contaminated sediments, implementing source control actions, and complying with agreements with regulators and local governments. The $1 million investment in 2008 will include continued collaboration with the City of Seattle, the Port of Seattle and The Boeing Company on the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site, which is part of a long-term cleanup effort. Murray Avenue Pump Station Upgrade ProjectThis year, King County will spend $1.2 million upgrading the electrical system in this West Seattle pump station. The county will also finalize design on a structure for new odor control and emergency generator equipment, which will incorporate the design guidelines established with the help of local community members. Sediment Management ProgramThis program enables King County to proactively address sediment contamination near combined sewer overflow, or CSO, locations in Puget Sound. The county just completed a $3.6 million project to remove about 20,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment at the old Denny Way outfall near Myrtle Edwards Park, and will budget $3.1 million in 2008 to continue its efforts to remove historic CSO contamination and restore habitat at other locations in Elliott Bay Waste-to-EnergyWastewater is also a potentially significant source of energy, as evidenced by the Waste-to-Energy (W2E) project under way at the West Point Treatment Plant in Magnolia. The W2E project will harness digester gas, a renewable or "green" source of energy, as fuel for cogeneration facilities to provide heat and power at the plant. During 2008, the county will finalize design and pursue partners to help fund and support the project before soliciting contractor bids in 2009. Expenditures this year are budgeted at $2.4 million. >>back to top East King CountyBellevue Pump Station Upgrade and Force Main InstallationThe county has budgeted $10.5 million to begin upgrading an aging pump station in west Bellevue that will connect to a newly built, 5,500-foot-long, 24-inch-diameter force main needed to send wastewater to South Treatment Plant in Renton. The new facilities, scheduled to begin operating in mid-2009, will increase system reliability and add enough capacity to meet the wastewater treatment needs in west Bellevue and Bellevue's central business district for the next 50 years. Carnation Wastewater Treatment FacilityThe county will complete construction on a new wastewater treatment plant to replace aging septic systems in the City of Carnation. Following testing and start up, the plant is scheduled to begin operating this summer. In addition to the plant, the county and its partners, the City of Carnation (external link) and Ducks Unlimited (external link), just completed a major portion of the 59-acre wetland enhancement project at Chinook Bend Natural Area that will use reclaimed water from the new Carnation plant to improve fish and wildlife habitat along the Snoqualmie River. The Chinook Bend Natural Area will serve as the primary discharge point for the plant. The county has budgeted about $2.5 million for these projects in 2008. Hollywood Pump Station ImprovementsKing County is improving the Hollywood Pump Station as part of the Brightwater Treatment System Project, which will serve north King and south Snohomish counties. Improvements will include a 450-square foot addition to the existing wastewater pumping facility. The addition will house a facility to control odors, new generators, related storage tanks, pumps and electrical panels. Work begins in mid-July and is expected to be completed in spring 2008. Work will include relocation of landscaping. Juanita Bay Pump Station Replacement ProjectIn 2008, the county plans to spend about $6.4 million to complete construction on a new pump station in north Kirkland that will ensure safe and reliable operation by nearly doubling pumping capacity to 30.6 million gallons per day. The new pump station, scheduled to begin operating this summer, will include three underground levels of pumping and electrical equipment to send wastewater to interceptor pipes that will carry it to South Plant in Renton for treatment. Kirkland Pump Station and Sewer Upgrade ProjectIn 2008, the county will continue to design the upgrade of a pump station in the City of Kirkland to increase capacity and ensure safe and reliable operations. The county also needs to increase capacity of the sewers that lead in and out of the pump station. Wastewater from this pump station is conveyed to South Plant in Renton for treatment. >>back to top South King CountyBlack Diamond Wastewater Storage FacilityIn 2008, the county will continue design on an underground wastewater storage facility in the City of Black Diamond that will extend the life of existing equipment and defer the need to build additional new conveyance pipes and pumping facilities for several years. The county plans to spend about $1 million of the project's overall $5 million budget this year. Kent/Auburn Conveyance System Improvement ProjectThis project will expand capacity in the rapidly growing south portion of King County's service area by adding approximately five miles of pipes in Kent, Auburn, Algona and Pacific. The county identified a preferred alternative last summer and will begin an environmental review of the project alternatives this spring, which will include opportunities for public comment. The county has budgeted $4.3 million in 2008 to finalize design and secure needed permits to begin construction in 2009. South Plant Odor Control ImprovementsTo be a good neighbor and protect air quality in the South Treatment Plant's host community, King County will spend about $5.8 of the $7 million budgeted to upgrade odor control systems at the 42-year-old treatment plant. Odor upgrades will include covering open process facilities and installing new technologies. The project is scheduled to be completed early in 2008. >>back to top RegionwideEmergency Generator ProgramSince 2002, King County has installed emergency back-up power systems in nearly all of its off-site facilities to help prevent sewage back ups during electrical outages. In 2008, the county will invest about $3.7 million on projects to install new generators in the Barton and Murray pump stations in West Seattle, and on project plans to replace or rehabilitate aging generators at other facilities. Reclaimed Water Comprehensive PlanIn 2008, the county will invest about $1.5 million to develop a comprehensive plan to guide King County's reclaimed water program and identify potential projects to make highly treated wastewater available for non-drinking purposes such as irrigation or industrial uses. Regional Infiltration and Inflow (I/I) Control Program ImplementationIn 2008, King County will invest $1.8 million to partner with local sewer agencies on engineering and design work for two and possible three rehabilitation projects that will reduce I/I, which is clean water that gets into the sewer system from leaky pipes or manholes or pipes on private property. Controlling I/I can reduce demand for treatment and conveyance capacity, saving ratepayers money and reducing overflows of sewage during heavy rains. The initial projects are among the first to implemented as part of the region's I/I Reduction Program, developed in partnership with the 34 cities and sewer agencies served by King County's regional wastewater agency. >>back to top Some recently completed projects
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Department of Natural Resources and
Parks Updated: Oct. 7, 2008 |
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King County | Natural Resources & Parks | Wastewater Treatment
Division
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King County 's Wastewater Treatment Division will continue its commitment to public health and water quality by investing more than $500 million in dozens of vital sewer improvement projects in 2008.
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