Staff at our King County wastewater treatment plants do an excellent job of cleaning wastewater, but not all types of waste can be filtered out during the treatment process. Our Industrial Waste Program is in charge of preventing pollution from entering the wastewater system in the first place. That’s also where local business can make…
When we are children, we are sometimes told “No potty talk,” but at King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD), we believe in more educational potty talk! Most people don’t think about what happens to all the water that gets flushed down a toilet, goes down a sink, or flows into a storm drain on our…
Operators work hands-on, out at our treatment plants Operators watch over large and complex industrial equipment and the flows going through them – from both on-the-ground and from computer monitoring systems. They check readings and take water samples to make sure things are running smoothly – troubleshooting when necessary. They often work as part of…
City Soil Farm, located at King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) South Plant is a small farm that produces food for the community and demonstrates the benefits of turning wastewater into valuable resources such as recycled water and Class A biosolids. City Soil is a place where the hard work of staff and volunteers means…
We have some of the largest wastewater treatment plants in the country. It takes a decade or more to build large wastewater projects, so it’s important we plan ahead. That’s where our planning staff and programs come in. Recently, we launched a new program for planning around our treatment plants called Treatment Planning. Through this…
How we manage the wastewater as it goes through the treatment plant can enhance the cleaning process and make it more efficient. To do this, operations, maintenance, laboratory, and process staff closely monitor the water we clean as it goes through our treatment plants and can make adjustments. Over the last year and a half,…
At King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD), we consider it a win whenever we can partner with local agencies and organizations to accomplish a goal. In 2021, WTD’s partners at City of Bellevue Parks navigated the ongoing pandemic to create a big win for trail users and youth employment. WTD’s Coal Creek Sewer Upgrade Project…
Sixty-eight projects aimed at protecting and improving regional water quality will be launched in the new year, thanks to funding through King County’s WaterWorks Grant Program. The King County Council recently passed an ordinance approving the funding. The projects include a variety of approaches, including restoring stream and riverbanks, installing rain gardens, educating students and teachers,…
King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) was presented with the Youth Employer of the Year Award from the Governor’s Committee on Disability Issues and Employment (GCDE) on October 26, 2021. This award recognizes employers who make efforts toward inclusion of people with disabilities in employment. In a virtual celebration, WTD staff members Kristin Covey and…
King County is working to control all our combined sewer overflows (CSOs) through several strategies. One way we are reducing CSOs is through natural drainage solutions, also known as green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), which use plants, trees, and soil to soak up the rain.These solutions help our neighborhoods manage stormwater naturally and on-site, and compliment…
As the days get shorter and we anticipate more rain in our forecast, we are celebrating a timely milestone—we just mailed our 1,000th RainWise rebate check in one of the eligible combined sewer overflow basins! Our utility strives to prevent pollution from entering our local waterways, and one way we are doing this is through…
King County Wastewater Treatment 