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…

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…

City Soil Farm: A Record Year for White Center Food Bank Donations

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…

People planting plants in a rain garden lined with mulch

WaterWorks grants $5 million to community water quality improvement projects for 2022-23

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,…

Students in the Clean Water Ambassador teen intern program stand in front of a building with masks on

Wastewater education team wins award for inclusive youth employment

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…

Interns discussing environmental monitoring at Mini Mart City

Clean Water Interns & Accessibility

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…

Green roof at Sunset Pump Station

Making projects sustainable, resilient, and equitable

King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is being recognized for its commitment to sustainable communities and the environment. WTD’s Sunset / Heathfield Pump Stations and force main upgrade project was awarded an Envision® Silver Award this month for project sustainability. This is the second Envision-certified project for the region’s wastewater utility. In 2018, King County’s…