King County looks to shore up treatment plant after 15 wastewater spills in 20 years
Feb 25, 2021, 2:46 PM | Updated: Feb 26, 2021, 7:33 am
The West Point Treatment Plant neighbors Seattle's Discovery Park near the Magnolia neighborhood. (King County)
(King County)
King County Executive Dow Constantine announced Thursday that he will be putting additional resources into upgrading Seattle’s West Point Treatment Plant.
Council, activists seek answers in West Point sewage plant meltdown
In just the last 20 years, the West Point plant has seen power fluctuations inadvertently cause it to spill wastewater and stormwater into the Puget Sound 15 times. That occurred most recently in January, when 11 million of gallons of wastewater flowed into the sound after record rainfall temporarily shut down the plant’s pumps for two hours.
The facility made upgrades following a 2017 disaster that saw hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage spill into the Puget Sound. Now, Constantine is taking further action by submitting an emergency declaration that will allow the Wastewater Treatment Division to “quickly purchase services and equipment to provide more reliable on-site power solutions.”
According to the county, the West Point facility requires 10 megawatts of electricity every day, “roughly the equivalent of powering 11,000 single-family homes.” With a maximum capacity of 440 million gallons a day, unexpected power fluctuations can prove disastrous.
King County explains how latest West Point spill happened
“West Point is a vital facility that protects the health of people and Puget Sound,” Constantine said in a written release. “Even a momentary disruption in the electrical power supply can have catastrophic results. Difficult technical issues remain to be resolved with Seattle City Light, but I am taking urgent action today to help the plant better withstand power problems, and strengthen our ability to protect water quality for generations to come.”
Constantine also transmitted legislation to the King County Council, to analyze whether the plant needs high voltage power lines, and fund other necessary improvements to the facility. That proposal was praised by King County Councilmember Reagan Dunn, who said he is “glad to see the Executive taking action to fix the issues at the West Point Treatment Plant that have caused repeated spills into the Puget Sound.”
The emergency declaration signed by Constantine will allow further upgrades to be fast-tracked “within 24 months.”
