kcwtd

Infrastructure

January 20, 2021

Working with Sammamish Plateau: No regional capacity limits and Diversion Project moving ahead

We clean wastewater for the region Pipes from homes and businesses in this area connect to local sewer systems. Then those local utility pipes connect to our bigger pipes, which carry wastewater to one of our regional treatment plants where…

kcwtd

People

December 23, 2020

Helping Feed Communities in Need

CitySoil Farm at King County’s South Treatment Plant in Renton was able to donate 3,762 lbs. of fresh, culturally-relevant fruits and vegetables to the White Center Food Bank this year – even thought we had to cancel our in-person education…

kcwtd

Operations People

December 22, 2020

Finding a job that fits you, pays well AND is meaningful is amazing. If you like freedom and change you might like operating a wastewater treatment plant. We’ll help you find out – and pay to train you.

Operators watch over large and complex industrial equipment and the flows going through them – from both on-the-ground and from computer monitoring systems. Our business is unconventional – and that works for a lot of our employees We get it.…

kcwtd

WTD Updates

December 8, 2020

Using the challenges of 2020 to improve our services

When local closures began in the spring of 2020 due to COVID-19, our utility’s employees quickly adapted to assure our essential services to the public continued. We also moved many of our interactions with the public online – such as…

kcwtd

WTD Updates

December 2, 2020

Sharing our know-how with developing countries

Many developing Asian countries face unique challenges delivering quality wastewater services. In an effort to mentor these communities and help them protect human health and the environment, a team of our employees participated in information sharing through the Water Operators…

kcwtd

Farms in a typical year (left) and after the 2020 fires (right).

Community People

November 24, 2020

King County Loop® Biosolids Help Community Recover from Wildfires

In the summer of 2020, the tiny community of Mansfield, WA (population 343) found itself smack dab in the middle of several wildfires between July and September. The largest fire, the Pearl Hill Fire, got a few thousand yards from…

kcwtd

Staff giving a tour of the Brightwater Treatment Plant

Community People

November 18, 2020

Get your own wastewater “gear”

Do you love to geek out on all things wastewater? Well, we do! Occasionally, we get requests for King County sewer “gear”. Here’s some of our favorite blasts from the past and present: Toilets aren’t Trash Cans! For those who…

kcwtd

WTD Updates

November 9, 2020

Keep the plumber off your holiday guest list – and grease out of your (and our) pipes!

Did you know plumbers refer to the day after Thanksgiving as “Brown Friday” because of the uptick in business they get from feast-clogged pipes and sewer lines? Cooking grease can turn into grease build up in your pipes! Fats, oils…

kcwtd

nothing but toilet paper should be flushed

Operations

October 29, 2020

Don’t flush that!

Did you know you have sewer equipment you're responsible for taking care of? And it’s not just plumbing. Every house or building has a sewer pipe that connects it to the larger sewer system. Often called a "side sewer", your…

kcwtd

Operations

October 21, 2020

Being a good neighbor & controlling odors

It’s important for King County facilities to be a good neighbor to the people who live, work and play near us. At the County’s South Treatment Plant in Renton, we work 24-7 to treat the water that people use in…

kcwtd

Students at home following along with water lessons & experiments

Community

October 2, 2020

Supporting schools & families with virtual STEM education

When local schools began closing in March 2020 due to COVID-19, our utility’s education team quickly adapted the normal in-person field trips to live, virtual programs that fit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

kcwtd

Wastewater workers prepare for rainy weather

Operations

September 30, 2020

As rainy weather approaches, we are on the job 24/7

As we move into the rainy season, our crews are on the job 24/7 to ensure the region’s wastewater treatment service is well-prepared for an emergency or stormy weather. Wastewater workers prepare for rainy weather To make sure we’re ready…

kcwtd