Employees respond to overflow at Barton Pump Station

Normal operation restored; submersible pumps being used to capture and return some overflowed wastewater back to the pump station

Crews with King County’s clean-water utility responded quickly Sunday afternoon to a sewage overflow from the Barton Pump Station near the Fauntleroy ferry terminal in West Seattle.

The overflow occurred after a power outage caused pumping equipment shut down around 4:15 p.m. Crews were able to restore normal operation and control the overflow within 65 minutes. The volume of overflow into Puget Sound is still being calculated.

Tidal conditions will enable crews to employ submersible pumps to capture and return a significant amount of wastewater back to the pump station so it can be conveyed to the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle.

To protect public health, County staff will take water samples, post public beach areas as closed, and notify health and regulatory agencies about the overflow.

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

King County Wastewater Treatment