October 8, 2003 News Release Public comment leads to refined alternatives for Carnation wastewater plan The Carnation City Council on Oct. 7 adopted two alternative locations for treating wastewater and three alternatives for discharging wastewater to be evaluated in an environmental impact statement, or EIS. Carnation has contracted with King County to design, build, operate and maintain the facilities to protect public health and the environment. In response to public comments and direction from the City of Carnation, King County made two changes to discharge alternatives that will be evaluated during the environmental review process. One change replaces the proposed Snoqualmie River outfall site at Chinook Bend north of Carnation with a river site at Carnation Farm Road Bridge. The river outfall would include a partly buried 8-inch-diameter pipe extending to the bottom and middle of the river channel. The other discharge alternative change involves using advanced-quality wastewater from the plant to enhance wetlands in the state's Stillwater Wildlife Area on the Snoqualmie River. The wetland site is north of Chinook Bend and Northeast Carnation Farm Road and southwest of Carnation-Duvall Road Northeast (state Highway 203). "Moving the river alternative to the bridge benefits long-range salmon recovery by supporting plans for a new, rare side-channel salmon-rearing habitat at Chinook Bend," said Christie True, manager of the county's wastewater capital improvement program. "The enhanced-wetlands discharge alternative would restore wetlands and provide fish and wildlife habitat." Unchanged from the original proposal this summer is a third discharge alternative called upland discharge. That alternative involves infiltrating advanced-quality effluent from the plant through soil into groundwater at a site or sites southeast of Carnation. "Fully evaluating two treatment plant sites and a variety of discharge alternatives will enable us to select the best system for Carnation," said Carnation City Manager Bill Brandon. Also unchanged from the original proposal are the two alternative treatment plant locations in Carnation: Schefer site: a treatment plant site west of the business district and state Highway 203 on city-owned property at the end of Entwistle Street Weckwerth site: a treatment plant site in the area now used for concrete fabrication east of the Carnation Fire Station and Highway 203. King County will need about five acres for the plant. Any of the three discharge alternatives could be combined with either of the alternative plant sites. King County is working with the city to evaluate alternative pipeline routes for linking the alternative plant sites to the alternative discharge locations. In August and September, the county and city conducted an environmental scoping process for the original alternatives. That process included a public comment period and public meeting to gather comment on environmental issues and alternatives to evaluate in the EIS. During scoping, the county and city received public comments on a range of topics, including system alternatives. Comments included the following: King County should explain in more detail the level of treatment for the discharge alternatives. A river outfall at Chinook Bend would preclude future salmon-habitat restoration there, so alternatives should be explored. Wetland restoration at the Stillwater Wildlife Area should be explored as a discharge alternative. Upland discharge sites within the city limits should be explored. King County followed up using refined wastewater flow projections but found no sites in Carnation that met the siting criteria. Using the city's land-use plans, King County has determined that the plant will treat an average of about 300,000 gallons of wastewater per day when it opens in 2007. The plant will serve the city as defined by Carnation's comprehensive plan and designated urban growth area. While preparing the environmental impact statement, King County will also do the following: Evaluate treatment technologies such as membrane bioreactors that will meet or exceed strict water quality standards for discharge or beneficial reuse. Evaluate opportunities to use reclaimed water. Reclaimed water from the plant could be treated to such a high level that it is safe for non-drinking water uses like irrigation or wetland restoration. Monitor water quality to determine levels of treatment to meet requirements of the state Department of Ecology and the federal Endangered Species Act. Work with agencies and other interested parties on the wetlands enhancement alternative. Evaluate soils for the upland discharge alternative to determine that effluent can seep into the ground at sufficient rates to protect the quality of groundwater. A summary of public comments received during the environmental scoping process has been completed and placed on the city's and county's Web sites. In addition, the City of Carnation and King County are planning a community meeting in December 2003 to provide more information on the treatment process, discharge alternatives and water quality considerations. The meeting is being designed to address many of the questions raised during the scoping process. King County will draft the EIS and release it early 2004 for public comment. Comments on the draft EIS will be addressed in the final EIS, scheduled for release next summer. The City of Carnation and County Executive will then select the final system. System design and permitting is scheduled for 2004-2005. Construction is scheduled for 2006-2007. For information on the treatment plant, contact King County's Carnation Wastewater Treatment Plant Project Information Line at 206-263-5212 or toll-free at 1-800-325-6165, ext. 35212. Or send an e-mail message, or check the project Web site. For information on the local sewage-collection system, contact Carnation City Manager Bill Brandon at 425-333-4192, or visit the city's Web site. King County's Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 18 cities, 15 sewer districts and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. The regional utility now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for nearly 40 years. Related Information Wastewater Treatment Division Facts at a glance about our wastewater system News Releases

King County | Natural Resources and Parks | News | Services | Comments | Search Links to external sites do not constitute endorsements by King County. By visiting this and other King County web pages, you expressly agree to be bound by terms and conditions of the site. The details.