Sims joins state and local leaders in affirming support for reclaimed water

State and local leaders this week joined King County Executive Ron Sims in signing a formal declaration of support for the continued development and use of reclaimed water in communities throughout Washington.

The signing took place during a day-long conference, “Reclaimed Water: Tapping the New Resource”, at the Seattle Airport Hilton on June 12.  Washington Department of Ecology Director Jay Manning and Assistant Secretary of Environmental Health Gregg Grunenfelder from the state Department of Health also signed the declaration, along with representatives from LOTT Alliance, Lakehaven Utility District and Spokane County.

Sims also delivered the welcoming remarks at the sold-out conference, which was attended by 260 representatives from jurisdictions, agencies and environmental groups throughout Washington.

“That so many our state’s top water and wastewater professionals and policymakers took time to be at this conference shows we in our state are taking a positive step toward more effectively managing water, a vital and precious resource to every community in Washington,” said Sims.

Reclaimed water is wastewater that's treated to such a high level it can be used safely and effectively for non-drinking purposes such as landscape and agricultural irrigation, heating and cooling, and industrial processing. King County has been safely producing and using reclaimed water at its two regional wastewater treatment plants since 1997.

More information about the county’s reclaimed water program is available on the Web at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/reuse/index.htm.

People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The 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 clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.

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Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/newsroom/.