King County Continues Work To Restore Operations At West Point Treatment Plant

King County has mobilized crews and equipment to respond to flooding at the West Point Treatment Plant, which experienced an equipment shutdown early on Thursday, Feb. 9. Plant managers are diverting as much flow as possible to other treatment plants in the regional system. West Point continues operating in emergency bypass mode.

The King County West Point Treatment Plant is continuing to operate in emergency bypass mode as a result of an equipment failure that occurred early Thursday morning, Feb. 9, during heavy rainfall and high tides.

Operations managers are utilizing the regional treatment system to divert as much flow as possible from West Point Treatment Plant, which experienced an equipment failure that resulted in flooding in portions of the plant.

Crews have been pumping flooded areas of the treatment plant in order to clean, inspect and repair equipment so that normal treatment plant operations can resume.

Crews will be working around the clock to restore operations. There is no estimate for when wastewater treatment operations will resume at the West Point facility.

The plant has diverted 150-200 million gallons of combined stormwater and wastewater to an emergency bypass outfall into Puget Sound since about 2:30 a.m. The bypassed flows are comprised of about 90 percent stormwater and 10 percent wastewater.

The County’s four combined sewer overflow treatment plants have been providing primary treatment to a portion of the flows that are being diverted from the treatment plant. Additional wastewater flows from communities around the north end of Lake Washington are being diverted to the County’s Brightwater Treatment Plant in Woodinville, and South Plant in Renton.

King County will provide updates on the emergency response and notification when operations have resumed.

King County has notified health and regulatory agencies, and is sampling water quality and posting signs warning people to avoid contact with the water over the next several days as a precaution to protect public health.