53rd Avenue Pump Station upgrade

The 53rd Avenue Pump Station will remain underground but will be about three times as large. King County designers worked with neighbors and property owners to help plan the above-ground structures required for the upgraded facility. Air circulation vents, a generator stack, a fire hose hook up and a backflow preventer will be the only above ground features.

King County protects public health and the environment by conveying and treating the region's wastewater. Many of King County's wastewater facilities are more than 40 years old and do not meet current design standards. To ensure the safe and reliable operation of the 53rd Avenue Pump Station, King County must upgrade it starting in 2008.

The pump station is located at 53rd Ave. SW and Alki Blvd. It is an underground facility located under the pedestrian and bike way. The renovated pump station will pump 17 million gallons of wastewater per day to the county's regional treatment plant at West Point in Seattle.

Proposed work

Major changes to pump station include:

• Expanded pump station vault to the west 70 feet
• New pumps and associated mechanical equipment
• New odor control equipment
• Standby generator
• All new electrical and control system

Schedule

Construction on the 53rd Avenue Pump Station upgrade is expected to take about 20 months with completion in summer 2009.

How work will occur

Work at the pump station will be completed in an open excavation about 18 feet deep. The site will be secured with chain link fencing. Crews will conduct most activities in the excavation but some tasks will also occur above ground inside the fence.

Work schedule and activities

During work at the pump station, soils will be removed and materials will be delivered by truck. Flaggers will direct traffic around short-term loading and unloading of trucks. More about what to expect during construction.