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Department of Natural Resources and Parks - DNRP, King County, Washington
Sept. 17, 2008

Family fun, educational activities await at treatment plant open house, Oct. 4

Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the vote to clean up regional water pollution and enjoy a variety of educational activities at the West Point Treatment Plant open house on Saturday, Oct. 4.

Visitors can tour the plant, learn about the history of the county’s clean-water agency established by voters in 1958, and see how 21st century technology makes it possible to create valuable resources such as energy, reclaimed water and biosolids from the wastewater treatment process.

The Burke Museum’s Laura Phillips will lead tours of an archeological site that was discovered during a treatment plant construction project, sharing a glimpse of how Native Americans lived in the area more than 4,000 years ago.

There will also be a showing of a 16-minute version of the new PBS documentary “Liquid Assets – The Story of Our Water Infrastructure”.

This free event will take place from 10 a.m. to noon at the West Point Treatment Plant, which is located at 1400 West Utah Street in Seattle’s Discovery Park.

People planning to take the tours should wear sturdy closed toe walking shoes.

Directions to the West Point Treatment Plant are available on the Web at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/directions/#WestPoint. People can also call 206-263-6028 or 711 TTY for more information or to request reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities.

People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The county’s Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and water quality by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer utilities and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years.

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Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/newsroom/.

This release is also posted on the Web site for the Department of Natural Resources and Parks at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/.