Fixes to Seattle Treatment Plant May Cost $25 Million
King County's West Point Treatment Plant was flooded and had two pumps knocked out on Feb. 9.
Work is going on 24/7 to restore King County, Washington's West Point Treatment Plant to its full wastewater treatment capacity as soon as possible, the county's Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) reports. Fixing the damage after the plant was flooded and two of its pumps knocked out on Feb. 9 may cost $25 million or more, The Seattle Times’ Lynda V. Mapes reported Feb. 27, adding that an investigation is ongoing to determine the extent of the damage and the cause of the problem.
WTD's social media channels are keeping residents updated on the work. Light snow fell in the Seattle area on Feb. 27, but the agency had said weather forecasters expected only light precipitation during the next few days and that "emergency bypasses of highly diluted stormwater and wastewater from the plant are unlikely." No emergency bypasses had occurred since Feb. 16, it added.
The plant can provide limited wastewater treatment to roughly 250 million gallons per day, which is nearly twice the capacity needed to safely treat all of the stormwater and wastewater the plant receives on an average day for this time of year, according to the agency.
Mapes reported that the plant "probably won’t be back to normal operations at least until April, managers have estimated."
The plant treats wastewater from homes and businesses in Seattle, Shoreline, north Lake Washington, north King County and parts of south Snohomish County.