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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 - 2009What we do The King County Wastewater Treatment Division provides wholesale wastewater treatment services to 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.5 million residents across a 420-square-mile area in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. The division’s 600 employees plan and design new facilities, regulate the disposal of industrial waste, educate the public and businesses on how to protect water quality, and manage and maintain the regional system of treatment plants, pipelines and pump stations that operate 24/7. Guided by its forward-thinking vision,“Creating resources from wastewater,” the division pursues programs to recycle treatment process byproducts into valuable resources such as energy, reclaimed water, and biosolids to enrich soils for forestry and agriculture. Back to top 2009 accomplishmentsInvesting in the future: major capital projects
Breaking ground on the Brightwater Environmental/ Education Center. Non-profit community groups have partnered with the county, securing more than $1 million in grants to build this innovative facility to the highest green standards.
The utility invested more than $500 million in clean-water infrastructure to protect public health and support broad regional environmental and economic goals such as protecting Puget Sound and creating jobs. A $12 million project to upgrade an aging pump station in downtown Kirkland began in October. In December, the division commissioned its newly upgraded 53rd Avenue Pump Station in West Seattle. Updated equipment, improved odor control and increased capacity will enable the new pump station to better serve the community. The division made significant progress on the $1.8 billion Brightwater Treatment System, the county’s largest clean-water project in 40 years. Treatment plant construction was about 70 percent complete at year’s end, and the contractors building the east and west segments of the 13-mile conveyance tunnel met their respective schedule and budget milestones. Successful completion of the mile-long, 600-foot-deep marine outfall earned the county and its contractors several prestigious local and national engineering awards. Construction on the central tunnel was temporarily delayed to enable repairs on two damaged tunnel boring machines. Still, the county expects an on-schedule start-up of the Brightwater Treatment Plant in 2011. Enhancing the environment: resource recovery and conservation
In March, employees directed the first flows of Class A reclaimed water produced at the Carnation Treatment Plant into a 59-acre wetland to benefit habitat. The new plant replaces the city’s failing septic systems.
The division continued expanding its capture and use of gas and heat created in the treatment process through alternative green energy technologies. An $8.2 million grant awarded from EPA will cover nearly half of the cost of 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. King County and Seattle City Light agreed to a 20-year contract to sell the electricity produced by the new cogeneration system when it comes online in 2012. The division involved regional stakeholders in discussions about increasing the availability of reclaimed water from future facilities as part of its Reclaimed Water Comprehensive Plan. In 2009, the division produced 293 million gallons of reclaimed water from existing facilities that was primarily used on the plant sites for landscape irrigation, industrial processes and heating and cooling. Nutrient-rich biosolids remained a popular soil amendment for agriculture and forestry. The division recycled 100 percent of its biosolids, 116,000 tons, which were used to fertilize farms and forests and to make compost. Protecting our quality of life: managing and operating the regional systemAfter review and public comment, the state Department of Ecology renewed the National Pollution Discharge and Elimination System permits for both the South and the West Point treatment plants. The permits are reviewed by regulators every five years. Both treatment plants got favorable reviews from neighbors, who reported few if any noticeable impacts, according to the results of the 2009 Near Neighbor Survey. The division’s new Maintenance Best Practices standards enabled employees to become more efficient in maintaining facilities. The plan will help employees establish a comprehensive asset inventory, prioritize maintenance work and track it through a work order system. In response to possible flooding from the Howard Hanson Dam, the division invested $5 million to safeguard the $1 billion in regional wastewater infrastructure in the Green River Valley. The division will pursue reimbursement from the federal government. Concerns about environmental health and safety are spurring a project to convert West Point Treatment Plant’s disinfection system from chlorine gas to sodium hypochlorite, a stable liquid form of household bleach that will provide reliable disinfection. The division’s Facilities Inspection group is leading work to reduce saltwater intrusion into facilities near Puget Sound, which will cut corrosion and extend equipment lifespan. Earning public trust: finance and business
Where does the money go? About 53 percent of the agency's revenue is spent operating facilities and treating wastewater.
Since its inception in 2001, the division’s innovative Productivity Initiative Pilot Program, which enables some components of the utility to operate like a private sector business, has saved ratepayers more than $62 million. Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s affirmed the King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s favorable credit ratings, which reduces the utility’s costs to finance its capital improvement program. (View July 30, 2009 news release.) Standard & Poor’s assigned an AA+ rating to the utility’s sewer revenue bonds, citing financial performance that exceeds policy targets, a consistent track record of progress on its major capital plan and a commitment to strong management practices. Moody’s Aa3 rating was based on the utility’s continued positive financial results and a well-managed system. The division issued $550 million in bonds in 2009 to cover the cost of completing some of the most complex projects under the Regional Wastewater Services Plan, a 30-year comprehensive plan adopted in 1999 to ensure the system keeps pace with growth. With Brightwater scheduled for completion in 2011, the county expects spending on capital projects to stabilize at a significantly lower level after 2010. As infrastructure improvements move ahead, rate stability and predictability remain a priority. The County Council voted in June to keep 2010 sewer rates at the present level of $31.90, a rate that was adopted in June 2008 and took effect on Jan. 1, 2009. Back to top OutlookIn 2010 and beyond, the Wastewater Treatment Division will continue its mission to protect public health and the environment by conveying and treating the region’s wastewater, meeting stringent permitting requirements, and continuing its fiscally responsible management practices. The division will also continue looking to the future, anticipating changing regulatory environments, employing new technologies and investing in programs to recycle resources, reduce waste and provide value to ratepayers. Wastewater Treatment Division Financials
Page 23 (PDF) of the 2009 Annual Report, King County Department of Natural Resources
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