2024 annual report

Read the 2024 annual report (14MB)

In 2024, violations by KCIW-regulated companies and facilities did not cause problems at King County’s wastewater treatment plants. Specifically, there were no NPDES exceptions for effluent discharges into Puget Sound at any of the plants attributed to an industrial facility. Additionally, metal concentrations in biosolids continued to meet the strictest U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards.

The following are highlights of KCIW activities in 2024:

• Issued 173 wastewater discharge approvals (new, renewed, and revised control documents, including letters of authorization, minor and major discharge authorizations, and waste discharge permits).
• Inspected and sampled all significant industrial users to meet the federal pretreatment requirement of once per year.
• Issued enforcement actions against those that violated requirements, including major actions involving significant noncompliance.
• Completed the Pretreatment Information Management System (PIMS) database project, which included translating the code base to a modern language and web-based application and making significant, functional enhancements.
• Completed a project with a consultant to update the surcharge allocation for the high strength waste cost recovery program.
• Initiated an Industrial User Comprehensive Survey by hiring a consultant and having initial meetings in December 2024.
• Hired new staff to fill vacancies left by retiring staff.
• Engineering staff conducted a local discharge limits evaluation for West Point as part of NPDES permit requirements and they continued to work on a new engineering design review manual.