County recommends project proposal to protect water quality in Magnolia

King County to work closely with the Port, City through siting

The proposal would entail building a 1.8 million gallon storage facility in the Smith Cove Park/Port of Seattle West Yard area to hold excess stormwater and wastewater flows during heavy rains to control combined sewer overflows into Puget Sound. King County will work closely with the Port of Seattle and City of Seattle to identify an exact site where the facility would be built. Wastewater and stormwater stored at this facility will ultimately be conveyed to the County’s West Point Treatment plant, meaning this proposal does not entail building a treatment facility at the site.

In addition to meeting permit and engineering requirements, the recommendation reflects the input of community members who had opportunities to review project proposals throughout a public process that began in fall 2009.

The recommended project includes an underground diversion structure beneath the right-of-way near 32nd Avenue West, a 2,700-linear-foot gravity sewer line that would be built in the right-of-way from the diversion structure to an underground storage tank built in the Smith Cove Park/Port of Seattle West Yard area.

The proposed project also enables the County to limit construction activities in dense residential neighborhoods. King County will work with project neighbors on 32nd Avenue throughout construction. An environmental review process under the State Environmental Policy Act will begin in early 2011, providing additional opportunity for public comment.

Additional information about the project is available at http://www.kingcounty.gov/csobeachprojects or by calling 206-684-1280 or 711 TTY.

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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 districts 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.

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.

Related information

Puget Sound Beach CSO Control Projects

King County Wastewater Treatment