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…
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…
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…
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…
Our relationship to water is what makes this region special. King County is a partner in this relationship. Regional wastewater treatment plays a key role in keeping our rivers, lakes, streams, and the Puget Sound clean for people and aquatic life. We manage a big regional wastewater system that needs regular inspection, maintenance, and upgrades…
Since 2016, our utility’s education team has partnered with the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust to lead the Clean Water Ambassador youth internship program. This summer the program returned as a hybrid experience, online learning mixed with in-person field trips, to learn about water systems, sustainability, watershed ecology, climate change and ways to take action…
King County Wastewater Treatment 