Carnation earns WateReuse Association’s Small Project of the Year award

Recognized for its innovative use of reclaimed water to enhance wetlands and preserve local habitat, King County’s newly completed Carnation Treatment Plant has earned the Small Project of the Year Award from the WateReuse Association.

The county’s Wastewater Treatment Division will be one of seven award recipients honored at the 23^rd-annual WateReuse Symposium in Dallas on Sept. 8.

The City of Carnation contracted with King County in 2002 to build a new wastewater treatment plant to replace the community’s failing septic systems, which were polluting the environment and restricting planned growth.

The facility began operating in May and serves about 2,000 people in Carnation’s urban growth area, treating wastewater to the state’s highest reclaimed water standards with advanced technology called a membrane bioreactor, or MBR.

At its design capacity, the plant is expected to produce 480,000 gallons of Class A reclaimed water each day that can be used for irrigation and industrial processes, and for municipal uses such as street cleaning – almost anything except drinking.

The technology is a wise investment, enabling the facility to meet or exceed its permitting standards while providing a water resource that will help benefit the environment.

“Carnation is proud of this recognition,” said Carnation Mayor Mike Flowers. “The city is pleased to have partnered with the county on this environmentally significant project. The Carnation wastewater treatment system will benefit the entire Snoqualmie Valley by protecting our water quality.”

In selecting King County for the award, the WateReuse Association acknowledged the contributions this project will continue to make to the advancement of water reuse by small communities.

The reclaimed water produced at Carnation will initially be used to enhance a nearby wetland at the Chinook Bend Natural Area, which is where the treated water from the plant will be discharged. The county partnered closely with Ducks Unlimited, a non-profit organization dedicated to habitat conservation, to complete this portion of the project.

In addition to the reclaimed water, the plant has been designed with numerous “green” features that minimize impacts on the environment, conserve resources and maximize energy efficiency. Regionally available materials as well as those with recycled content were used during plant construction, and construction waste was recycled whenever possible.

Energy and water efficient equipment was installed throughout the plant, and the building was designed to take advantage of natural light for indoor spaces. The administration building was designed with numerous sustainable Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) elements in mind. LEED is a national rating system with several benchmarks acknowledging the sustainability of buildings.

More information about the Carnation project is available at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/carnation/index.htm

Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/dnrp/newsroom.aspx.