King County repairing sewer pipe near Luther Burbank Park

Traffic, bus route detours on 84th Avenue Southeast

King County contractors and staff are working to repair a leaky sewer pipe discovered late yesterday afternoon near Luther Burbank Park on Mercer Island.

Inspection crews discovered that the 18-inch pipe, which carries wastewater from the North Mercer Pump Station to South Treatment Plan in Renton, had three fractures that began leaking after a severe storm on Dec. 14 caused high flows that pressurized the pipe. During normal flow levels, these fractures would not leak. 

To protect public health, the county has posted the beach and portions of the park as closed, took water samples, and told local health and regulatory agencies about the leak. Neighbors have been told about the county’s emergency response and repairs.

To prevent additional leaks, Wastewater Treatment Division staff took pressure off the damaged pipe by reducing pumping capacity at North Mercer. However, saturated soil from the leak caused a depression in the roadway beneath 84 th Avenue Southeast near Southeast 26 th Street.

For public safety, 84 th Avenue Southeast will be closed between Southeast 26 th Street and Southeast 24 th Street until the county can complete sewer line repairs. Local access will be maintained for nearby residents.

Road closure and reroute map (Adobe Acrobat format)

The road closure will also affect Metro bus routes in that area, which will be rerouted around the closure. Check Metro Online at http://transit.metrokc.gov for details.

Over the next week, King County will work to determine the extent of any damage and develop a plan to repair the pipe. Construction will get under way in early January. 

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/.