King County to celebrate startup of new facilities to control overflows of untreated stormwater, sewage

2005 Archived News
After more than three years of construction, King County has completed its final major clean-water project for ending overflows of dirty water into Lake Washington. And it's holding a community celebration July 26 to thank project neighbors for their patience and help.

The new facilities will significantly reduce untreated discharges of combined stormwater and sewage near the Rainier Beach community in Seattle. The project features a giant 15-foot-diameter pipe that will hold millions of gallons of dirty water until it can be treated.

Scheduled speakers are County Executive Ron Sims; Don Theiler, director of King County's Wastewater Treatment Division; and Robert Gary, principal of Rainier Beach High School. The high school was one of the project neighbors most affected by construction. Other project neighbors are also invited.

Photo opportunities: Reporters, photographers and other people attending the event can tour the upgraded Henderson Pump Station, across the street from the Atlantic Street Boat Ramp, and two new facilities that regulate the flow of combined wastewater and stormwater into and out of a huge storage tunnel.

During storms, the new tunnel under Beacon Hill can hold 4 million gallons of dirty water. After the storm settles down, the system will send flows to either the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle or the South Treatment Plant in Renton. The tunnel runs two-thirds of a mile at depths of 30 to 100 feet beneath 42nd Avenue South.

Before this project, 30 million to 60 million gallons of combined wastewater and stormwater overflowed into Lake Washington every year through King County outfalls.

More information about the project is available on the county Web site.

King County's Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer utilities and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional wastewater treatment utility has been preventing water pollution for 40 years.