Report confirms no active faults on critical portion of Brightwater site

People now have added assurance that the Brightwater treatment plant will be a safe neighbor. An extensive seismic report released by King County today confirms there are no active earthquake faults on a portion of the site where two chemical storage facilities will be built.

The report details the findings of a team of geologists and engineers who dug five seismic trenches on the site last summer as part of the process to find an appropriate location for two buildings that will store wastewater treatment chemicals.

The report concluded that no active faults as defined by the 2003 International Building Code are present in the proposed location of the buildings. The report also confirmed no evidence of seismic activity since glaciers retreated from the area almost 16,000 years ago.

"This is great news that should be reassuring to our community neighbors," said King County Executive Ron Sims.

The county conducted the seismic trenching investigations as part of the Brightwater Development Agreement, which was signed by Snohomish County in 2005. Snohomish County officials will review the report and its findings before issuing the building permits needed to begin construction on the treatment plant facilities.

King County received its binding site plan permit from Snohomish County in May. Site preparation for Brightwater construction has been underway since last summer. Copies of the report will be available at the Brightwater project Web site at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/brightwater/ or by calling 206-684-6799 or TTY Relay 711.

People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The 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 more than 40 years.