February 22, 2017

County says treatment plant cleanup should finish today

King County said crews are making steady progress in restoring operations at the West Point Treatment Plant.

Millions of gallons of stormwater and sewage were discharged into Puget Sound after a Feb. 9 equipment failure during heavy rains. The last emergency discharge was on Feb. 16.

Crews have cleaned and sanitized around 95 percent of the treatment plant, said Doug Williams, a spokesman for King County.

Cleaning is scheduled to finish today.

The plant can currently treat up to 250 million gallons per day. That's nearly double the amount needed to treat an average day at this time of year, but only 56 percent of the plant's designed capacity of 450 million gallons per day.

Williams said that with continued good weather the plant should not discharge any additional wastewater. But rainfall of an inch or more in a 24-hour period in Seattle could lead to another emergency discharge.

Employees and contractors were continuing work on electrical and mechanical systems, including removing and repairing pump motors, in cleaned areas of the plant. About 50 percent of this work has been completed.

Workers are also cleaning and dewatering electrical conduits throughout the plant, and additional equipment has been brought in to help with drying.

County engineers are working on the design and replacement of electrical panels, and consulting engineers are assisting in electrical restoration throughout the plant.

Williams said the contractors include NRC, a firm that provides spill-response services. Other contractor names were not immediately available.

Restoration work is expected to continue for a number of weeks, Williams said.

Also, two Seattle beaches — at Discovery and Golden Gardens parks — that had been closed to the public as a result of the discharges are now open, thanks to favorable water quality tests.