SOIL RESTORATION AT PRESTON MILL PARK

Cross-posted from kingcountyparks.org World Soil Day takes place on December 5 each year and serves as an opportunity to focus attention on the critical importance of healthy soil and sustainable management of soil resources. Soil is a critical piece of our natural systems and contributes to producing sufficient, safe, and more nourishing food for healthier plants, animals, and…

Wheels to Water: Breaking Down Barriers to Education Opportunities  

Each year, the King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) education team provides field trip programs that bring thousands of K-12 students to WTD facilities. Students come from school districts all over King County – Kent, Auburn, Seattle, White Center, Seattle, Shoreline, Bothell and more – to participate in water-focused education programs. For many teachers, planning…

Employee Spotlight: Drew Thompson, finalist for the Clean Tech Alliance Energy Leadership JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion) Award

Drew Thompson, Resource Recovery Project Manager for King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD),was recently a finalist for the 2022 Energy Leadership JEDI Award. The award, given by the Clean Tech Alliance, recognizes those who perform outstanding work to make the energy sector more equitable, support climate justice and diversity in the sector, and foster an…

A group of 13 people smile at the camera and hold up their hands waving. They are standing or kneeling in the rain garden.

Kent Meridian High School Rocks a Rain Garden

By Emma Foulk and Elizabeth Loudon In 2019, Risa Suho was a senior at Kent Meridian High School and an intern at King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s Clean Water Ambassadors program. After learning about green ways to manage stormwater, she decided to write her first grant proposal. Her school received a $35,000 WaterWorks Grant to…

Aerial photos of the five treatment plants

Celebrating our award-winning treatment plants

All five of King County’s wastewater treatment plants received 2021 National Association of Clean Water Agency’s (NACWA) Peak Performance Awards, honoring multiple consecutive years of compliance with state and federal effluent permit limits. Special congratulations go to Brightwater for earning its first Platinum award for five years of compliance – and to Vashon for Platinum…

Brightwater Public Art: Grandfather’s Wisdom

A Brightwater mystery: where is Grandfather’s Wisdom? If you’ve visited the Brightwater Trails area or driven by on Highway 9 past Woodinville recently, you may have noticed that something is missing. A bare metal framework stands where once an iconic longhouse art installation was nestled among flowering trees. Grandfather’s Wisdom brings the history, perspectives, and culture…

The Georgetown station as viewed from the intersection.

The first Envision Platinum sustainability award in the state

King County’s Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station (WWTS) earned the coveted “Platinum” designation 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 in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood will treat up to 70…

Two men in hardhats and safety clothing stand smiling at the camera. A railing and trees are in the background.

If you live in the City of Carnation, do you know where water goes after you send it down the drain?

Unless you use a septic system, the water you send down the drain in the City of Carnation travels through pipes owned and maintained by the City of Carnation to King County’s Carnation Treatment Plant. At this plant, we process about 111,000 gallons of wastewater every day. After we treat the water, we release it…