Millions of gallons of sewage pouring into Seattle estuary

Failed plant likely will face fines for violating federal clean-water laws

SEATTLE — Millions of gallons of raw sewage and untreated runoff have poured into the United States’ second-largest estuary since a massive sewage treatment plant experienced equipment failures that forced it to stop fully treating Seattle’s waste.

The county-run facility has been hobbling along at about half-capacity since the Feb. 9 electrical failure resulted in catastrophic flooding that damaged an underground network of pumps, motors, electric panels and other gear.

The sewage treatment plant — Washington state’s largest — is only partially treating dirty water that goes down Seattle toilets and washes off roofs and roads before discharging it into Puget Sound. It’s likely to face fines for violating federal clean-water laws.

“It has been a disaster, and we’re not out of it yet. We still don’t know really what went wrong,” said Jeanne Kohl-Welles, a King County councilwoman whose district includes the 32-acre West Point Treatment Plant, on the shores of Puget Sound next to Seattle’s largest public park.

“We’ve got to get a handle on it. I’m very concerned about the environment, the effects on marine life in the sound, public health,” she added.

County officials say crews have been working around the clock to repair about $25 million in floodrelated damages and bring the plant to full operations by the end of April. They note that raw sewage has not flowed from the plant since Feb. 16.

In the meantime, KohlWelles and other council members have launched an independent probe. They say they want to know what led to the breakdown and make sure this type of disaster doesn’t happen again.

The sewage spill is a potential black eye for a region that prides itself on its environmental consciousness. Years of work have gone into trying to clean up the nation’s second-largest estuary, a vast inlet where water from the Pacific Ocean mixes with water draining from thousands of streams and rivers. One recent effort banned boats from dumping raw or partially treated sewage.

In all, about 30 million gallons of raw sewage have poured into Puget Sound — during the initial breakdown and on two other occasions.