WTD Newsroom

Current Projects | Current News Releases
Other WTD Information | Other County Information | County Executive | County Council | Graphics/Photos/Multimedia

A portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division of the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks

You can find news and current information about the regional wastewater treatment utility at the links below. News Media Contacts: To arrange interviews and ask questions, reporters and editors are urged to contact the utility's news media relations staff.

WTD Mission:

The Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by conveying, treating and recycling wastewater and its byproducts. The clean water agency has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years. Its first regional treatment plant began operating in 1965.

Residents of King County voted in 1958 to create an independent wastewater treatment agency called the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, or Metro. In 1993, voters approved the merger of Metro's wastewater and water quality functions (and its public transit function) with King County.

No longer called Metro, the regional wastewater treatment utility serves 17 cities and 17 local sewer utilities, and more than 1.4 million residents in King, south Snohomish and northeast Pierce counties. Maps of wastewater treatment service area.

History of King County's Regional Wastewater Treatment Utility

Current WTD Projects:

• Construction Projects Overview for 2008
• Brightwater Treatment System, Woodinville
• Hidden Lake Pump Station and Sewer Improvement, Shoreline
• Bellevue Pump Station Upgrade, Bellevue
• Juanita Bay Pump Station Replacement, Kirkland
• Barton Pump Station Emergency Repair, Seattle
• Soos Creek Sewer Improvements, Covington, Maple Valley, Black Diamond
• Source Control Inspections, Lower Duwamish Waterway Area, Seattle
• Energy Recovery
• Carnation Wastewater Treatment Facility
• Fuel Cell Demonstration, Renton
• Fairwood Interceptor Sewer Project, Renton

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Current News Releases:

• Smooth sailing for Brightwater outfall pipelines -- Sept. 9, 2008
• Brightwater outfall pipeline tow rescheduled for late Sunday morning -- Sept. 5, 2008
• Brightwater outfall construction to temporarily affect marine traffic from Everett to Shoreline -- Aug 27, 2008
• Community invited to celebrate clean water at Vashon treatment plant open house -- Aug. 25, 2008
• Heavy rains result in small overflow in University Slough -- Aug. 25, 2008
• Carnation earns WateReuse Association's Small Project of the Year award -- Aug. 13, 2008
• Brightwater project puts local trucking companies on the road -- Aug. 5, 2008
• King County receives upgraded sewer bond ratings from Moody's and Stardard & Poor's -- July 28, 2008
• Smile! Dental waste reduction program celebrates five successful years -- July 9, 2008
• Current wastewater news releases
• Other current DNRP news releases

Other WTD Information

• WTD Facts at a Glance
• Wastewater Treatment Division brochure (PDF file, 565KB)
• Treatment Plant Tours and Speakers Bureau -- WTD media relations staff can arrange interviews and tours
• WTD Accomplishments -- 2006
• CSO Program Review -- April 2006
• Being a Good Neighbor During Construction
• Endocrine disrupting chemicals in the environment
• Bert the Salmon's tips for saving water
• How to Get Rid of Stuff You Don't Want or Need
• Map and directions to King Street Center, WTD/DNRP headquarters
• Driving directions to WTD facilities
• Map and directions to Canal Place, Industrial Waste offices
• Maps: King County wastewater treatment service area and facilities:
  » Service Area and Facilities
  » Local Sewer Agencies
  » Facilities and Incorporated Areas
• Things You Can Do to Protect Your Environment
• Other wastewater, water and environmental organizations

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Other County Information:

• Office of Emergency Management
• Natural Resources Reference Maps
• King County Watersheds Map
• The Lake Washington Story
• DNRP Technical Document and Research Center
• Water Supply in King County
• DNRP Publications
• King County Environmental Laboratory
• Lakes Monitoring Program
• Marine Monitoring Program
• Streams Monitoring Program
• Favorite DNRP Web Pages
• Water Quality Trouble Call Program
• Wastemobile of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program
• GIS Center Map Portal
• King County Editorial Style Manual

King County Executive Ron Sims:

• Home Page
• Budget Office
• E-clips
• Executive Sims' News Releases
• Media Relations
• Schedule

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King County Council:

• Home Page
• Recent Council News
• Councilmembers
• Council District Map
• Regional Water Quality Committee
• Growth Management & Natural Resources Committee
• Legislation
• County Code

Graphics, Photos and Multimedia:

• Contact WTD Media Relations for help in getting county photos, logos and other graphic images.
• Contact King County Graphics to get King County's logo and terms of use policies at 206-205-8556.
• Contact King County Multimedia at 206-296-3171 about video and other mulitmedia footage.
• Contact King County Civic Television at 206-296-0300 about broadcast of County Council meetings and the County Executive's weekly news briefings.

WTD News Media Contacts | Current Wastewater News Releases