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…
December 5, 2018
Saving SoundGuardian
Cross-posted from The Downstream Blog: View of the lumberyard fire behind the King County Environmental Lab from across the Fremont Cut. On the night of Saturday, Nov. 10, a four-alarm fire started at a lumberyard right across from the King…
September 26, 2017
Poofighters rock on and take the stage at world’s biggest, most extreme, wastewater Ops Challenge at WEFTEC in Chicago
When asked why he became a wastewater operator, Darek Kenaston reveals, “The more I got into it, the more I was interested. It was a good fit. I’ve always been around the water. I grew up in Florida, two blocks…
September 19, 2017
Fast action by Vashon Treatment Plant neighbors helps recover missing buoy
A drifting buoy in Puget Sound was quickly retrieved thanks to watchful community members.
February 6, 2017
We Put Ourselves in Tight Spots to Care for Our System
At 6’2”, Randy Westendorf fit right in as a linebacker for the University of Colorado football team. Imagine that same man, now a facilities inspector working for King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD), squeezed into a 48” wide manhole. That…
November 16, 2016
King County Partners With Emergency Responders for Rescue Training
Snohomish County rescue teams and WTD employees train at King County's Brightwater Treatment Plant.
September 28, 2016
Who are the ‘Poofighters’?
If you’ve been following along on our Instagram and Twitter, you’ll notice we’ve been talking a lot about the “Poofighters.” But who is this mysterious group? Despite what the name might suggest, the Poofighters are not a group of volunteers…