Superior Court affirms decision upholding Brightwater project

2005 Archived News

Planning for the Brightwater wastewater treatment plant reached another milestone late last week when a King County Superior Court judge affirmed a hearing examiner's decision upholding the adequacy of the final environmental impact statement for the plant.

Judge Theresa B. Doyle agreed with the hearing examiner in ruling that the impact statement "adequately identified and evaluated a reasonable range and number of alternative sites for the proposed treatment plant." She also ruled that when King County issued the document in November 2003, it "adequately evaluated probable adverse effects of potential seismic events on the project."

"This is a tremendous milestone in the long planning process to build needed sewage treatment capacity for south Snohomish County and north King County," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "This decision affirms our massive study of the possible environmental impacts of Brightwater -- and where we should build it. I am proud of the outstanding work of our staff, consultants and experts."

The Sno-King Environmental Alliance (SKEA) had challenged the adequacy of the document in evaluating potential adverse seismic effects at the Brightwater site next to State Highway 9 north of Woodinville. The judge denied all of SKEA's claims and said the organization's challenges "are based largely on information gathered as a result of USGS studies conducted after issuance of the EIS."

Because of this new information from the U.S. Geological Survey in March 2004, the hearing examiner had added a condition that the county conduct seismic trenching at the Brightwater site to further determine earthquake risk to future plant buildings.

Judge Doyle wrote that King County has complied fully with the hearing examiner's order to conduct the trenching and is preparing a supplemental EIS on the results of the trenching. The investigative trenching performed by the USGS found that a past seismic event is an active fault.

When Brightwater begins operating in 2010, it will serve Bothell, Brier, Kenmore, Mill Creek, Redmond, Sammamish and Woodinville. It will also serve unincorporated areas of Snohomish and King counties in the Alderwood, Cross Valley, Northeast Sammamish, Northshore, Silver Lake and Woodinville sewer districts.

Wastewater from the growing population in the Brightwater service area is now treated at King County plants miles away in Renton and Seattle. Formerly known as Metro, the regional wastewater-treatment utility now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for 40 years.

King County's Wastewater Treatment Division serves 17 cities, 17 local sewer agencies and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.