King County responds to wastewater system issues following weekend storm

Sewer utility crews working to address issues and restore normal operation

Employees with King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division are working around the clock to restore normal operation at facilities that were impacted by a “Pineapple Express” storm that slammed the region this weekend.

On Sunday morning, crews responded to a wastewater overflow in Seattle’s Meadowbrook Park that occurred when torrential rains forced high volumes of stormwater and wastewater into the sewer lines. The water’s force blew open a concrete block over a sediment trap, causing wastewater to spill into the park.

To protect public health, the park has been closed to the public to enable crews to initiate clean up.

County staff will take water samples from nearby Meadowbrook Pond and Thornton Creek and notify public health and regulatory agencies. The park will remain closed until further notice.

Crews are also working to restore normal operation at the Medina Pump Station in Medina following an overflow that began there around 1 a.m. on Sunday. Heavy rains and a computer system malfunction at the pump station are believed to have contributed to the conditions that caused the overflow. The volume of the overflow is unknown at this time.

Employees are also following up on reports of an overflow from the Cascade Siphon in Renton, the North Mercer Pump Station on Mercer Island, as well as odor complaints near the Bellevue Pump Station.

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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/wtd/Newsroom.aspx.

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Lake Washington