News releases

July 2, 2025
Executive Braddock announces winners of the 2025 Green Globe Awards, King County’s highest honor for environmental stewardship
Seattle Times reporter and author Lynda Mapes received the Environmental Catalyst award at the 2025 Green Globe Award ceremony presented by Executive Shannon Braddock, honoring nonprofits, small businesses, and individuals who contribute to resilient, sustainable, equitable communities.

June 24, 2025
‘We still brace ourselves, but now we can breathe easier’: Operators at West Point Treatment Plant credit new battery system for delivering reliable power during its first year
The first-of-its-kind battery system at King County’s West Point Treatment Plant proved effective during its first year, keeping critical pumps operating during 78 power disruptions. There were 15 instances when pumps at the state’s largest treatment plant were powered exclusively by the 16.8-megawatt battery system.

June 18, 2025
King County Parks opens new trail segment connecting Burien and SeaTac, completing two-thirds of a regional trail that connects Lake Washington to Puget Sound
King County Parks’ latest expansion of the Lake to Sound Trail creates seven miles of contiguous, paved urban trail through South King County. Once complete, the 16-mile regional trail will connect five cities and four other regional trails to Sound Transit Link light rail stations.

May 19, 2025
King County Parks launches Ranger Program to enhance park safety and improve the visitor experience
King County Parks is launching a new Park Ranger Program this summer to enhance visitor experience and safety with specially trained Rangers serving as ambassadors, educators, and public safety resources across regional parks, trails and backcountry areas.

May 15, 2025
VIDEO: From extinction’s edge to a promising future: How King County and partners put Lake Sammamish kokanee on a path toward recovery
A partnership coordinated by the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks reported that more than 8,300 adult kokanee salmon returned from Lake Sammamish to spawn during the 2023-24 season, a dramatic increase from seven years ago when fewer than 20 returned from the lake. It is the latest promising sign that the freshwater species is on a path toward recovery following a catastrophic decline.

May 5, 2025
King County Parks opens two new trails that connect Sound Transit’s Marymoor Village Station to regional trails and King County’s largest park
Two new trails in Redmond built by King County Parks offer convenient connections to Sound Transit’s Marymoor Village Station, making it safer and healthier to enjoy outdoor recreation, activities, and events.

April 21, 2025
VIDEO: One year later, King County’s largest-ever floodplain restoration project is improving salmon health
One year after completing the largest floodplain restoration project in King County's history, ecologists report young Chinook salmon are growing considerably well in the newly restored habitats along the Snoqualmie River, validating the county’s approach to improving habitat and offering a blueprint for future salmon recovery work.

April 9, 2025
King County’s major sewer upgrade in Bellevue is the first project of its kind to earn Salmon-Safe certification, simultaneously modernizing infrastructure and improving habitat
One of the nation’s leading eco-labels, Salmon-Safe, has awarded its first ever certification for a wastewater infrastructure project to King County’s Coal Creek Sewer Upgrade in Bellevue.

March 27, 2025
VIDEO: King County scientists identify a potential breakthrough for treating salmon-killing tire chemical
Research by King County's Water and Land Resources Division confirmed the effectiveness of soil mixture that treats 6PPDQ, a toxic chemical found in tire dust that causes coho salmon to die before they return to their spawning grounds.

March 21, 2025
King County announces new transfer station in Kirkland, providing modern recycling services for northeast King County residents
The new Northeast Recycling and Transfer Station will be sited in the city of Kirkland. The new facility will replace the aging Houghton Transfer Station and provide expanded waste disposal and recycling services, while reducing environmental impacts, to serve the growing communities in northeast King County.

March 20, 2025
King County foresters are testing native tree seedlings from warmer, drier climates to promote healthy, climate-resilient forests
Foresters at the Department of Natural Resources and Parks are conducting trials to determine if trees grown from seeds acquired from Southwest Washington, Oregon, and Northern California are more productive and can withstand heat and drought better than trees grown from locally sourced seedlings.

February 11, 2025
‘Maintain, enhance, and expand the parks and trails that bring us to the outdoors and to each other’: Executive Constantine announces proposal to renew the King County Parks Levy
Executive Constantine’s proposal to renew the six-year King County Parks Levy would increase the agency’s capacity to keep parks and trails clean, safe, and open, offer new amenities and recreational activities, create a climate response fund, increase capacity for forest stewardship, and accelerate regional trail expansion.

February 6, 2025
'Saving and restoring King County’s rich history': Executive Constantine honors recipients of 23rd annual Spellman Awards for historic preservation
The winners of the 23rd annual John D. Spellman Awards for Achievement in Historic Preservation were honored at a ceremony at Kenmore Community Club led by Executive Constantine.

January 22, 2025
King County’s Solid Waste Division taking immediate action to address backlog at transfer stations affecting commercial haulers
Nearly all of King County Solid Waste Division’s facilities remain open to the public while the agency takes action to address a backlog at transfer stations impacting commercial haulers.

January 14, 2025
Executive Constantine announces $107 million to protect 3,000 acres throughout King County for climate resilience, greenspace expansion, habitat restoration, and farmland access
Fifty-three projects across King County will receive a combined $107 million to protect over 3,000 acres of open space. It maintains the accelerated pace of land conservation since King County voters approved Executive Constantine’s initiative in 2022 to restore the local Conservation Futures Program to its historic funding rate.

December 16, 2024
VIDEO: ‘If a field is starting to produce, it’s because of biosolids’: Farmers credit King County’s Loop biosolids for stronger crop yields, better soil retention
For 30 years, a mutually beneficial partnership between King County and the Boulder Park Inc. farming consortium in Douglas County has improved soil conditions, boosted crop yields, and become one of the longest-running and successful programs of its kind in the nation promoting a sustainable economy that turns wastewater into a valuable resource.

December 12, 2024
VIDEO: In partnership with Refugee Federation Service Center, King County completes a unique research project with immigrant and refugee communities on which fish are safer to eat
Leer en Español | Đọc bằng tiếng việt | អានជាភាសាខ្មែរ
King County Water and Land Resources Division researchers and the Refugee Federation Service Center partnered with local fishers from immigrant and refugee communities on a three-year research project monitoring toxic chemicals in fish from King County lakes and shorelines of Puget Sound.

December 10, 2024
Sediment cleanup begins in upper reach of Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site to remove legacy pollution
Led by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and implemented by the City of Seattle, King County, and Boeing, sediment cleanup work has begun in the upper reach of the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site, where over a century of urbanization and industrial activity has polluted the riverbed with toxic contaminants.

November 26, 2024
King County biologists report the strongest return of Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon in a decade, a possible breakthrough after a near extinction
At least 6,800 adult kokanee salmon have returned from Lake Sammamish to their spawning ground this season following an eight-year period when an average of less than 400 kokanee returned. King County biologists say the sharp increase is the result of several actions that include restoring access to historic habitat.

November 20, 2024
King County’s new onsite battery system at West Point Treatment Plant proved its effectiveness during ‘bomb cyclone,’ providing operators with reliable power amid voltage sags
During Tuesday night’s powerful windstorm, King County’s new 16.8-megawatt battery system provided West Point Treatment Plant operators with the clean, reliable power supply they needed to protect Puget Sound even as voltage sags occurred.

November 14, 2024
VIDEO: Executive Constantine’s budget proposal builds on King County’s momentum for removing barriers to high-quality salmon habitat while restoring ecological functions
King County is off to a strong start restoring access to historic salmon habitat while also making county roads safer and offering more outdoor recreation opportunities. Executive Constantine’s proposed 2025 budget would maintain that accelerated pace.

October 30, 2024
See how King County will use large wood to reduce flood risks and restore habitat for fish and wildlife
An online presentation Nov. 6 will highlight upcoming King County projects on the Cedar, Snoqualmie, Green, and Tolt rivers, and Issaquah Creek where placing large wood will be used to reduce flood risks, restore floodplains, and improve habitat.

October 18, 2024
Kokanee salmon recovery partners release record-high number of young fish into Lake Sammamish while new research shows a potentially faster path toward stabilization
As a recovery team coordinated by King County released a record-high number of young salmon into Lake Sammamish, new research shows that the population would recover much sooner if lake conditions improve.

October 16, 2024
King County’s comprehensive new flood plan capitalizes on the latest climate science, adapts to increased flood risks in urban and coastal communities
King County’s new flood plan – shaped by frontline communities during an extensive public engagement – capitalizes on the latest climate science to better prepare communities for changing flood risks.

September 30, 2024
King County Parks opens a scenic bridge crossing the White River to connect King County and Pierce County communities with 22 miles of paved trail
King County Parks’ new weathered steel bridge crosses the White River to connect two completed segments of the 22-mile Foothills Trail with scenic views of Mount Rainier.

September 17, 2024
VIDEO: How King County is reducing waste generated by building demolition and creating more equitable access to green jobs
King County’s Solid Waste Division is building a workforce trained in deconstruction, an effective alternative to demolition that dramatically reduces the amount of worksite material that end up in the regional landfill.

September 13, 2024
Fully charged to protect Puget Sound: King County team delivers on Executive Constantine’s emergency declaration to provide West Point Treatment Plant with high-quality power
King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division delivered on an emergency declaration signed by Executive Constantine to provide West Point Treatment Plant with onsite batteries for high-quality power to Puget Sound’s largest wastewater treatment facility.

September 4, 2024
More young people will have access to outdoor recreation, refurbished aquatic centers, and enhanced sports fields with $5 million in King County Parks funding
Sixty-three projects throughout King County will receive a combined $5 million in King County Parks grant funding that will make it possible for more young people to stay healthy and connected, particularly in underserved communities.

2024 news releases