‘Rotten odor’ closes Discovery Park while crews repair nearby sewage plant
Sep 6, 2022, 11:34 AM | Updated: 11:44 am
Photo from Flickr
Some closures are coming this week to Seattle’s Discovery Park, as park officials announce repairs on infrastructure at the West Point Treatment Plant with an unfortunate side effect: the smell of rotten eggs.
King County officials announced the north and south beaches will close Wednesday at 3 a.m. due to construction work installing a new pipeline in the cogeneration system, which burns gas like methane and carbon dioxide to generate electricity.
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The West Point Treatment Plant treats wastewater from homes and businesses in Seattle, Shoreline, north Lake Washington, north King County, and parts of south Snohomish County, and treats up to 300 million gallons of wastewater a day.
West Point’s cogeneration system produces about 23,000 Megawatt-hours of electricity each year – enough electricity to power more than 2,000 homes.
When replacing the pipe, there is an expected release of this biogas, which will emit the sulfur or rotten egg-like smell noticeable to those near the plant, which is located at the tip of the discovery park. King County will monitor air quality throughout the duration of the work.
The north and south beaches, West Point Lighthouse, beachside parking, nearby trails, and road access to the area will also close as crews begin replacing the nearly 30-year-old pipe, which is being replaced at the end of its scheduled operational period. Officials say that they are closing the parts of the park to reduce the likelihood that visitors will be bothered by the smell.
Construction will continue until the pipe has been replaced, which is expected to happen sometime Thursday.
Seattle parks advise visitors to avoid areas where they can smell the foul odor, and if they do smell anything, visitors should move away back to a safe distance where the smell is not present.
A Seattle Police Department officer will be on hand to enforce the closure outside the park, along with signs posted warning visitors of the rotten smell.
