From purple pipes to purple plums: How a wastewater treatment plant is helping feed local families in need.

Joey R., of the White Center Foodbank, helps restock the produce stand.

It’s the height of the summer growing season, and Joey Romness, an operations coordinator at the White Center Food Bank, is picking up 100–pounds of ripe purple plums from the CitySoil Farm at King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s South Treatment Plant. Romness uses his large white van to transport the freshly picked fruit to the White Center Food Bank’s warehouse, just 10-miles away, where these plums will be distributed to King County families in need.  

“I used to work in the restaurant business, so I’ve always been helping feed people, but feeding those in need brings me a lot more joy!” said Romness, whose hauls from CitySoil in July have also included strawberries, figs, and cucumbers.  

Sarah Alper, of CitySoil, hands off the day’s harvest to Joey R., from the White Center Foodbank.

It’s an admittedly unusual arrangement – a wastewater treatment plant helping to feed thousands of local families – but the partnership has worked well for the White Center Food Bank and CitySoil for nine years. In that time, more than 15 tons of CitySoil produce has been handed out! 

CitySoil is a 1.5-acre demonstration farm tucked into a corner of King County’s South Treatment Plant in Renton. The farm’s purpose is to educate the public on the benefits of using recycled water, which flows through purple pipes, and Loop® biosolids as a sustainable way to grow food. 

Thai basil, daikon radishes, tomatillos, Roma variety tomatoes, and Kuri squash – these are some of the specialized varieties the farm grows to match the tastes and preferences of the predominantly Latino and Asian households served by the food bank.  

Every year, members of the White Center Foodbank meet with CitySoil staff to decide which desired crop varieties to grow. By summer, that planning effort becomes reality in the form of hundreds of pounds of produce.  

“Nearly all of the annual plants we harvest at CitySoil have been planted based on the feedback we’ve gotten from our meetings with the White Center Food Bank,” said Charity Villines of the Wastewater Treatment Division, who’s managed the CitySoil Farm education program for the past nine years. 

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The food bank supports more than 2,000 families every month, and access to fresh produce is a vital part of their operation.   

“We want to source as much of our produce from sustainable farms, while trying to keeping our carbon footprint down, so having CitySoil so close by is a win-win for us” said Romness, who visits the farm once a week to pick up produce.  “If I can’t make it to a pickup, King County will bring the food to us so that we have it ready for the next day.”  

All 100 pounds of the plums that Romness picked up on his most recent visit were handed out within 24-hours, and the farm expects to harvest another 100– pounds in time for his next visit. 

Both CitySoil Farm and White Center Food Bank rely heavily on volunteers to get the work done. Consider getting your hands dirty and volunteer to help feed local families!