Mission -- The King County Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and enhances the environment by treating and reclaiming wastewater, recycling solids and generating energy.

Year in review - 2010

What we do
2010 accomplishments
Outlook
Wastewater Treatment Division financials

What we do

WTD is a clean-water utility that provides wholesale wastewater treatment services to 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.5 million people across a 420-square-mile area in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.

Its 600 employees maintain and operate the facilities that collect and treat wastewater, plan and design new facilities, regulate the disposal of industrial waste and educate the public and businesses on ways to protect water quality.

The division’s work is also guided by its forward-thinking vision, “Creating Resources from Wastewater,” to research and invest in new technologies to turn the byproducts from the wastewater treatment process into valuable, recyclable resources for the benefit of the community and the environment.

2010 accomplishments

Brightwater Treatment Plant, 2010
The Brightwater Treatment Plant is on target to begin operating in summer 2011.

Major capital investments

King County invested about $324 million in clean-water infrastructure in 2010 to upgrade and expand the system while supporting broad regional environmental and economic goals, such as protecting Puget Sound and creating jobs.

Significant progress was made on the Brightwater Treatment System project, the largest expansion of the regional treatment system since the 1960s.

By year’s end, construction on the treatment plant was 95 percent completed, and system testing was already under way. In September, mining resumed on the remaining 1.9 miles of Brightwater’s 13-mile-long conveyance tunnel. The plant is on schedule to begin treating wastewater in August 2011, and the tunnel is expected to begin operating in 2012.

Brightwater’s community amenities will be open to the public in 2011, and will include an education/community center and 40 acres of restored habitat and trails.

In addition to Brightwater, WTD carried out dozens of sewer improvement projects to ensure the system continues to operate reliably and comply with environmental regulations. New equipment and computer systems were installed at the South Treatment Plant in Renton, the West Point Treatment Plant successfully began conversion of its disinfection system from chlorine gas to a safer sodium hypochlorite system, and the agency identified proposals to control combined sewer overflows that occur during heavy rains near four recreational areas along Puget Sound.

Resource recovery and conservation

Roasted potatoes, garden fresh salads and herbed salmon accompanied a helping of expert testimonial by local farmers and scientists about the safety and benefits of biosolids at King County’s South Treatment Plant’s second annual Biosolids Demonstration Garden Harvest Luncheon in September.

Demand remained high for WTD’s biosolids, the nutrient-rich organic byproduct of the solids treatment process. In 2010, the division recycled 100 percent of its biosolids, or 116,000 tons, which is used to fertilize farms and forests and to make consumer-grade compost for residential use. In 2011, the utility will explore ways to better market its biosolids product to expand its appeal to new and existing customers.

In 2010, the division produced 330 million gallons of reclaimed water from its existing facilities that was primarily used on the plant sites for landscape irrigation, industrial processes and heating and cooling. WTD is currently engaged in planning efforts to expand the availability of reclaimed water to potential customers near its existing treatment facilities.

The division also continued capturing and using the gas and heat created in the treatment process through alternative “green” energy technologies. In 2010, WTD harnessed biogas from the solids treatment process to create energy and heat for plant processes. The utility sold 1.3 million therms of natural gas to Puget Sound Energy and produced 0.39 million kilowatt hours of electricity that was used on site at South Treatment Plant.

Construction began in December on the West Point Treatment Plant’s Waste-to-Energy project to upgrade an aging cogeneration system and enable the facility to turn digester gas into a source of heat and electrical power. An $8.2 million grant awarded from Environmental Protecion Agency (EPA) will cover almost 44 percent of the cost of the project.

System operation

Duwamish Waterway
King County will continue working with the Port of Seattle, the City of Seattle, and Boeing on plans related to the Lower Duwamish Superfund cleanup.

Tour program at WTD's regional wastewater treatment plants
In 2010, WTD continued its very popular tour program, taking well over 3,000 students and community members through its plants to learn about the utility’s clean-water mission

Both the South Treatment Plant in Renton and the West Point Treatment Plant in Seattle received Platinum Peak Performance awards for attaining 100 percent compliance with their respective National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit effluent limits under the federal Clean Water Act and the state’s Water Pollution Control Law. Platinum level awards indicate multiple consecutive years of compliance.

Earning public trust: finance and business

The division issued more than $300 million in bonds in 2010 to cover the cost of completing projects outlined in the Regional Wastewater Services Plan, a 30-year comprehensive plan adopted by the King County Council in 1999 to ensure the system keeps pace with population growth.

Bond rating agencies Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s affirmed WTD’s favorable credit ratings, citing the utility’s strong management practices, commitment to a capital improvement plan and consistent financial performance. The utility’s creditworthiness will reduce its borrowing costs to finance capital improvement projects.

In June, the King County Council unanimously voted to increase the monthly wholesale sewer rate from $31.90 to $36.10, or 13.2 percent. The two-year rate went into effect on Jan. 1, 2011. In addition, the capacity charge paid by newly connecting customers was increased from $49.07 to $50.45. The new rates will provide the funding to ensure WTD continues to meet its regulatory requirements and fiscal commitments while safeguarding the environment and human health.

April 2011 marks the sunset of WTD’s 10-year Productivity Initiative program. The program has effectively saved ratepayers about $70 million since its inception. Executive Constantine is expected to submit a plan to the King County Council to consider revising and relaunching a similar productivity/savings program for the utility.

Outlook

In 2011, the division will continue to advance its environmental agenda by creating resources from wastewater, meeting regulatory requirements through programs to upgrade and maintain its regional system, and continue its fiscally responsible management practices.

WTD will also look to the future by anticipating changing regulatory environments, employing new technologies, and investing in programs to recycle resources, reduce waste and provide value to ratepayers.