The annual Washington Women in Trades (WWIT) Fair marked its 40th anniversary this year. The half-day event, held in May, showcased exhibits, demonstrations, contests, education and job opportunities for women interested in pursuing careers in the trades. King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) representatives hosted an interactive exhibit and contest. Wastewater operators rallied attendees…
King County Wastewater Treatment Division recently welcomed a visit from our wastewater treatment counterparts Watercare who serve Auckland, New Zealand🇳🇿. Their resource recovery manager Rob Tinholt, visited us to learn about our biosolids program. They’re developing their own resource recovery program and wanted to tap our resource recovery expertise so that Auckland could benefit from…
On Earth Day🌎, King County Executive Dow Constantine recognized 13 businesses, cities, organizations and people for the work they’re doing to protect and improve the local environment with the Green Globe Awards. The Green Globe Awards are the County’s highest honor for local environmental efforts. Congratulations to all those recognized!❤️ Among the recipients are three…
This Earth Day, a determined group of engineers, scientists, lab technicians, technical trainers, managers and more stormed the shore in Discovery Park picking up litter and debris. The staff at West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant take their stewardship of the park around the treatment facility seriously, and can often be seen toting trash off the…
Check out this article about how King County Wastewater Treatment is working to recruit employees that represent our diverse and growing communities through our Operator in Training Program here.
Cross-posted from The Downstream Blog: On the night of Saturday, Nov. 10, a four-alarm fire started at a lumberyard right across from the King County Environmental Lab. The fire was the largest Seattle has seen since 2010 with flames shooting over 100 feet into the air, according to the Seattle Fire Department blog. In the…
King County’s Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station (WWTS) has earned the coveted “Platinum” rating from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s Envision rating system. This is the first Platinum-awarded Envision project in Washington and recognizes the County’s commitment to sustainable communities and the environment. The Georgetown WWTS project is under construction in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood and…
The King County Industrial Waste (KCIW) program has been working on a proposal to update the structure of its fee system. Changes require a two-step decision-making process. First the King County Council considers updating the King County Code. Pending Council approval, the Department of Natural Resources and Parks develops a Public Rule. Thirty-year old fee…
Businesses that send “high strength” or concentrated organic wastewater to the sewer system pay more because it costs more to treat this wastewater. KCIW’s Surcharge Fee currently includes the costs for both treating concentrated “high-strength” waste at a treatment plant and the cost of compliance monitoring and administering the permit or authorization. Under a proposal…
Through WTD’s partnership with Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, we were able to foster the next generation of environmental leaders through a 6-week internship for high school students.
Today, local industries are known for being a source of jobs, not pollution. That’s because our Industrial Waste Program inspectors work closely with local businesses to protect our water quality. The Georgetown Brewery is one example of how we work with facilities to make sure the wastewater they send to the sewers won’t cause problems.
