FOLLOWUP: Water monitoring south of Alki after pump-station overflow

| Environment | Utilities | West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

That sign was up this afternoon near the 63rd Avenue Pump Station south of Alki Point, following the 330,000-gallon combined-sewer overflow reported late last night by King County Wastewater Treatment. The overflow happened during Thursday afternoon’s less-than-one-hour power outage in western West Seattle, before a portable generator could be brought to and fired up at the pump station.

We followed up today with county spokesperson Doug Williams. For one, as commenter Schwaggy asked, why isn’t there already a generator at the pump station? He says there soon will be:

We are wrapping up a construction project at the 63rd Avenue Pump Station that, when finished, will include a new emergency power generator at the facility. While that construction project is underway, we have an emergency generator loaded on a trailer and stationed at the Alki CSO facility. Yesterday when our workers got the 63rd Ave pump station overflow alarm they went to the Alki facility and picked up the emergency generator for the short drive over to the pump station (about ¼ mile, I believe). However, power was restored before the emergency power was brought online.

As for how long the signs will stay up, Williams didn’t have information on water-quality-test results yet when we checked in, but he said the signs will not be taken down until results are “below thresholds for human contact.”

Just Wondering February 17, 2017 (8:30 pm)

I’m thinking there should be a back up generator at any station where sewage can overflow, even if only temporary.

Mike February 18, 2017 (11:11 am)

That costs money. The city and county don’t put money into things that actually matter. They wait until things go to complete crap, then react with words and still do nothing to fix it. Years and years people fought to get budgets for equipment and maintenance of our systems, then politicians and developers waltzed in and did what they wanted without regard for impact on the supporting systems. Now we see the results. Alki is nothing compared to the nightmare that is happening at Discovery Park…which has impacted Kitsap beaches across the Sound. Yay for politicians and developers!
- Question Authority February 18, 2017 (6:56 pm)
  
  Your missing the most important part as those additional infrastructure investments as valuable as they are for the public good cost money. The attitude is “it only happens so infrequently that backup systems are an unjustified expense” What politician is going to sink their chance at reelection backing a seldom if ever used piece of costly equipment when bike lanes and the social services crowd will get them votes?

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