(Recent Lowman Beach aerial photo, by Long Bach Nguyen)
Next week, a month-long project is starting at King County’s Murray Pump Station in Lowman Beach Park, and it means reduced park access and parking, according to county spokesperson Annie Kolb-Nelson, who explains:

King County contractors will begin work during the week of July 16 to replace the wet well grate in the County’s Murray Pump Station located in Lowman Beach Park. The work is not part of the CSO project but necessary for the maintenance of the facility. The project will take about a month to complete and will reduce parking on Beach Drive Southwest and access to the southeastern corner of Lowman Beach Park (see attachment). Public access to the swing set, tennis court and beach will be maintained.

The pump station transports West Seattle’s sewage and stormwater for treatment at the County treatment plant in Magnolia. The new grate will allow County operations and maintenance staff to continue working safely in the pump station. The old grate has been corroded by sewer gases over the course of the pump station’s 55 years of service. Park users and neighbors can expect the following:

· Work hours typically 7 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday
· More noise and activity at the site
· Construction fencing and boom truck on site
· Reduced access to southeastern corner of the park
· Three closed parking spaces on Beach Drive Southwest

Again, she says this is NOT related to the upcoming megaproject to build a million-gallon underground storage tank (the houses/apartments in the center of the photo, “above” the park – east of it – will be demolished for that), but there is a related meeting coming up:

Also, the next Murray CSO Control Facility DAG meeting is Tuesday July 17, beginning at 6:30 at the Fauntleroy Church.

Meeting topics include:
· SDOT review of 60% design
· Facility landscaping, architecture and art
· Site fencing and art