Summary

King County’s new $275 million Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station will be ready for crews to operate this rainy season enabling better protection of the Duwamish River and Puget Sound from stormwater pollution during severe rainstorms, which are occurring more frequently due to climate change.

Story

King County’s Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station – currently one of the county’s largest capital projects – will be complete in time for the upcoming rainy season, ready to better protect the Duwamish River and Puget Sound from stormwater pollution.

The $275 million station will be able to treat up to 70 million gallons of polluted stormwater per day during severe rainstorms, which are occurring more frequently due to climate change. It will reduce the amount of metals, motor oil, pesticides, yard chemicals, and other pollutants that currently wash directly into the river.

“Our state-of-the-art treatment station in Georgetown will help protect the Duwamish River for the next century - another down payment by this generation on a resilient climate future,” said Executive Constantine. "This major capital project builds on progress we have made throughout the Green/Duwamish Watershed to better protect water quality and habitat for people, fish, and wildlife.”

“Our capital project staff did an exceptional job of building this new facility,” said Kamuron Gurol, Director of King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division. “Now our operations team can put it into service, providing water quality benefits to the local community and to our region.

Heavy rains can cause sewer pipes to overflow, sending polluted runoff into the Duwamish River. Crews operating the station will be able to remove large solids from the water through screening, settle out finer solids from the water, and then disinfect the water before it enters the river through an outfall pipe. The technology uses ballasted sedimentation to settle out the solids and ultraviolet to disinfect.

King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division conducted extensive community outreach while designing the station. It will include a space that will be available to the community for educational programs.

The station earned an Envision Platinum certification from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure and was also recently awarded a Municipal Water Protection Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies for its contributions to the control and prevention of water pollution.

King County will install art features early next year. One will light up the facility as water moves through the treatment process. Another will recreate rain events inside a 35-foot-high clear cylinder. The facility is also designed with a plant-covered green roof, rain gardens, solar panels, and cisterns to irrigate the new landscaping with captured rainwater.

The new station builds on progress King County has made to protect water quality in the Green-Duwamish Watershed:

• King County’s Solid Waste Division recently removed nearly 2,000 toxic-coated pilings from the mouth of the Duwamish River.
• King County is working with cities and nonprofit organizations to protect the last remaining greenspaces and restore ecological functions in the industrial corridor.
• King County Parks earlier this year became the largest park agency in the nation to be certified Salmon-Safe, contributing to better water quality and healthier habitat along the Duwamish River.

Relevant links

• VIDEO: New station will better protect Puget Sound during rainstorms
• Project summary of Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station
• Reducing stormwater pollution, the growing threat to water quality in King County
• TRACKS: An interactive map of King County's progress in environmental stewardship

Quotes

Our state-of-the-art treatment station in Georgetown will help protect the Duwamish River for the next century - another down payment by this generation on a resilient climate future,” said Executive Constantine. "This major capital project builds on progress we have made throughout the Green/Duwamish Watershed to better protect water quality and habitat for people, fish, and wildlife.

Our capital project staff did an exceptional job of building this new facility. Now our operations team can put it into service, providing water quality benefits to the local community and to our region.

For more information, contact:

Marie Fiore, Wastewater Treatment Division, 206-263-0284