King County secures major portion of 2006 funding for Brightwater reclaimed water project

Sewer rate payers and the environment will benefit from a decision made by the Washington State Public Works Board to award a $1 million low-interest loan to King County to help with the costs of building a reclaimed water system. The pipeline system that will distribute reclaimed water from the future Brightwater treatment plant is a crucial element in water supply planning as global warming increasingly affects our region.

The funding will go towards design and preconstruction activities, covering a significant portion of the $1.6 million budgeted for 2006. The county will have five years to repay the loan, which has a 0.5 percent interest rate. Total project costs are estimated at $26 million.

The Brightwater reclaimed water "backbone" project will include converting an existing pipe into a reclaimed water pipeline that will run from the North Creek Pump Station in Bothell to the York Pump Station in Redmond, and installing reclaimed water pipes in the tunnel being built for the Brightwater conveyance system.
Construction is expected to begin in 2007.

A recent survey of 400 King County residents showed overwhelming public support for reclaimed water, with 82 percent of people saying "the county should use as much reclaimed water as possible."

Nearly 70 percent of people cited irrigation as the most appropriate use for reclaimed water, and 75 percent had no objections to using reclaimed water on their own lawns. Three-quarters of the respondents had no objections to using reclaimed water for a variety of non-drinking uses, suggesting a significant market for reclaimed water.

King County is among 250 municipalities in the United States currently supplementing fresh water supplies with reclaimed water, which is a safe, reliable, drought-proof water source that is excellent for non-drinking uses such as irrigation and industry. The county is working with area water utilities on a plan to supply reclaimed water to potential customers in north King and south Snohomish counties.

King County's Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer utilities and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for 40 years.