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Rewards and recognition program
The Rewards and Recognition Program recognizes industrial wastewater dischargers in King County that meet or exceed wastewater discharge permit requirements.
These award winners help protect public health and the environment by controlling the discharge of harmful substances that damage wastewater treatment infrastructure, degrade wastewater treatment, and reduce biosolids quality.
Gold, Silver, and Commitment to Compliance Awards
The King County Industrial Waste program recognizes significant industrial users of the sewer system who maintain an excellent record of compliance with the rules and regulations during the previous calendar year. Dischargers are awarded with a Gold or Silver award based on their level of compliance and companies that receive five consecutive gold awards are recognized with a Commitment to Compliance Award.
Commitment-to-Compliance Award
The Commitment-to-Compliance Award honors companies that have received a Gold Award for five consecutive years.
2023 Commitment-to-Compliance Award recipients
- Boeing Company - Plant 2 Facility
- Boyd GMN Inc.
- Exotic Metals Forming Co.
- National Industrial Concepts
- Skills Inc. - Auburn Facility
Gold Award
2023 Gold Award recipients
Thanks to our 2023 Gold Award recipients for working with our program to protect public health and enhance the environment:
- ABAF - Imaginetics
- AGC Biologics Inc.
- AGC Biologics Inc. - North Campus
- Alaskan Copper Works - 6th Ave.
- ASKO Processing Inc.
- Boeing Commercial Airplane - Auburn
- Boeing Commercial Airplane - North Field
- Boeing Company - Plant 2 Facility
- Boeing Electronics Center
- Boyd GMN Inc.
- Cedar Grove Composting Inc.
- Cintas Corporation
- Elysian Brewing Company - Airport Way S.
- Emerald Services Inc. - Airport Way Facility
- Exotic Metals Forming Co.
- Flow International Corp.
- Honeywell International Inc.
- Hytek Finishes Co.
- Meta Platforms Technologies LLC - RED9461 Matrix
- National Industrial Concepts
- National Products Inc.
- Partner Therapeutics
- Precor Inc. - Plant 2
- Primus International - University Swaging Division
- Protective Coatings Inc.
- Romac Industries Inc.
- Seattle Genetics North Creek
- Seattle, City of - SPU - Ship Canal Water Quality Project
- Skills Inc. - Auburn Facility
- TLP Management Services LLC
- Tri-Way Industries Inc. - Auburn
- UniSea Inc.
- Waste Management National Services - Duwamish Reload Facility
- Western Washington Coca-Cola Bottling LLC
Gold Award criteria
The Gold Award is given to individual facilities that meet the following criteria during the calendar year:
- Possess an active industrial wastewater discharge permit each month
- Discharged industrial wastewater for at least three months
- Collected all samples required by its permit
- No King County-issued violations (code, permit, discharge) or other actions (final notices, fines, enforcement) issued to the permitted facility
- Has not been in Significant Non-compliance status
- No late reports
- No self-monitoring violations
Special notes:
- Mid-tier facilities are eligible for the award
- A monthly average violation or a self-reported permit or code violation is the same as a self-monitoring violation
- If one or more self-monitoring reports for a permit with multiple locators is late (in a single reporting period), it’s considered as one late report for award evaluation.
- A single screening level exceedance is not a violation. However, multiple exceedances requiring county or facility action (in accordance with permit conditions) is considered a King County violation for the purposes of this award evaluation
Silver Award
2023 Silver Award recipients
Thanks to our 2023 Silver Award recipients for working with our program to protect public health and enhance the environment:
- Aramark Uniform & Career Apparel LLC
- BNSF Railway Company - Interbay Facility
- Boeing Commercial Airplane - Renton
- Carsoe US Inc.
- Davis Wire Corp.
- Formula Corp. - Auburn
- Gyrus ACMI Inc. - Olympus Redmond
- Kerry Inc.
- Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac International Airport, IWS - IWTP
- Seattle, City of - SPU - Kent Highlands Landfill
- Starbucks Coffee Co. - Kent Flexline Facility
- Terex Washington Inc. - South Campus
- University of Washington Seattle Campus
- Vigor Shipyards LLC
- Western Pneumatic Tube Company LLC
Silver Award criteria
The Silver Award is given to individual facilities that meet the following criteria during the calendar year:
- Posses an active industrial wastewater discharge permit each month
- Discharged industrial wastewater for at least three months
- Collected all samples required by its permit
- No King County-issued violations (code, permit, discharge) or other actions (final notices, fines, enforcement) issued to the permitted facility
- Has not been in Significant Non-compliance status
- No more than one late report
- Has not exceeded the number of self-monitoring violations allowed, as follows:
| Sampling Frequency | Number of samples per year in violation |
|---|---|
| Semi-annual and quarterly | 0 |
| Monthly and bi-monthly | 1 |
| Weekly | 2 |
| Daily | 4 |
Special notes:
- Mid-tier facilities are eligible for the award
- A monthly average violation or a self-reported permit or code violation that only requires a response letter is the same as a self-monitoring violation
- If one or more self-monitoring reports for a permit with multiple locators is late (in a single reporting period), it’s considered as one late report for award evaluation
- A single screening level exceedance is not a violation. However multiple exceedances requiring county or facility action (in accordance with permit conditions) is considered a King County violation for the purposes of this award evaluation
EnvirOvation Award
The King County Industrial Waste Program (KCIW) recognizes companies and facilities within the King County sewer service area that are leaders in environmental protection with the EnvirOvation Award. The award is given to facilities that have KCIW discharge approvals and voluntarily go beyond their regulatory obligations to manage their operations in ways that help protect public health and enhance the environment. EnvirOvation award winners are eligible for consideration for the next Leaders in Waste Reduction Green Globe award, King County’s highest environmental award.
Companies and facilities can self-nominate for the award by filling out this application form. Please read through the eligibility and award criteria to determine if you are eligible.
Eligibility Criteria
- Facility must have had a KCIW approval to discharge industrial wastewater to the King County sewer system for the year in which award is applied for.
- Facility must have an excellent record of compliance for the year in which award is applied for based on conditions specified within its discharge approval from KCIW.
- Achievements must be related to a facility’s industrial wastewater discharges, such as reductions in water use, chemical use, reductions in pollutant concentration and overall pollutant loading, or an innovative pollution control strategy.
- The achievements must have been in place for a minimum of one full year prior to a facility’s application for the award, with demonstrated effectiveness.
- Facility must have made the applicable change(s) voluntarily and not as the result of a compliance order, regulatory mandate, or applying standard industry practices.
- Facility must submit all required information using the KCIW application. Applications are available on the program’s web pages at www.kingcounty.gov/industrialwaste by following the links to “rewards and recognition program” and then “EnvirOvation Award” or by contacting the program.
Award Criteria
- Facilities that have implemented a pollution prevention strategy beyond requirements by regulatory authority. OR
- Facilities that have significantly reduced the concentration of chemicals discharged to King County not related to production changes. OR
- Facilities that have significantly updated their pretreatment equipment or methods beyond requirement of regulatory authority. OR
- Facilities that have significantly reduced their water use not related to fluctuations in production.