Barton and Murray Pump Station Upgrades and CSO Control Project

King County to upgrade wastewater facilities in West Seattle to protect Puget Sound

As part of its mission to protect public health and the environment, King County is responsible for conveying and treating wastewater collected by 34 local city and sewer agencies in the King County region, including the City of Seattle.

Many of the county's pump stations and sewers need to be upgraded to ensure reliable operation. Some facilities must also be expanded to provide additional capacity or be modified to meet more stringent regulations.

Upgrades needed to Barton and Murray facilities

In West Seattle, King County has operated the Barton and Murray Pump Stations and sewer facilities for more than 40 years. (The map shows the areas that drain to Barton and to Murray and nearby facilities.) Both the Barton and Murray Pump Stations are no longer considered reliable. They lack emergency generators to keep the pumps working during power outages, and they have no odor control. If equipment fails, raw sewage could flow onto the beach and into Puget Sound. Moreover, their capacity may be inadequate for future demand.

Because the Barton Pump Station sends flows to the Murray Pump Station and what happens at one affects the other, these stations are being considered as a single project for facility upgrades and addressing combined sewer overflows (CSOs).

Reducing Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs) at Barton and Murray

Like many cities around the country (external link), the older parts of King County's wastewater system carry both wastewater and stormwater to the treatment plant. When heavy rains fill the pipes, excess stormwater and sewage flow directly into Puget Sound near the Barton and Murray Pump Stations. These events, called combined sewer overflows, or CSOs, help to avoid sewer backups into homes and businesses and onto streets during storms, but they are a public health and environmental concern. These discharges are called combined sewer overflows or CSOs. When this happens, about 90 percent of the overflow is stormwater and the rest is dilute sewage.

During heavy rains, when flows exceed the capacity of the sewer system, the system can overflow into Puget Sound, discharging storm water and diluted sewage.

On average, Barton has eight overflows per year that discharge a total of eight million gallons into the Sound off Fauntleroy while Murray has five overflows per year that discharge a total of six million gallons off Lowman beach.

King County's goal is to reduce the number of CSOs each year, with a long-term goal of less than one untreated discharge per location per year to meet state regulations. The county is in the process of identifying CSO control options for Barton and Murray as well as for two other locations on Puget Sound: South Magnolia and North Beach. These locations are top priority because people are most likely to come in contact with water during recreational activities such as swimming.

Schedule

Your comments and ideas are welcome

The county is committed to working with the local communities to evaluate alternatives and address suggestions and concerns. We will work with the public to identify potential community and environmental impacts early in the environmental and design review processes. Our public information and involvement program will continue throughout design, construction and operation of the facilities.

For more information

• For more information or to be added to the project mailing list, please call Martha Tuttle at 206-684-1207 or 711 TTY Relay or e-mail martha.tuttle@kingcounty.gov
• Visit the CSO Control Program Web site

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Department of Natural Resources and Parks
Wastewater Treatment Division
201 S. Jackson St.
Seattle, WA 98104-3855
Fax: 206-684-1278

Updated: Feb. 7, 2008

53rd Avenue Pump Station Upgrade

WTD Construction Projects

CSO Control Program