POLLUTION ALERT: 330,000-gallon Alki overflow during power outage

| Environment | Utilities | West Seattle news

Just got word from the King County Wastewater Treatment District that this afternoon’s power outage caused a ~330,000-gallon overflow from the 63rd Avenue Pump Station in South Alki. The pump station usually sends stormwater and wastewater flows to the Alki Combined Sewer Overflow facility at Alki Point. That facility has an emergency generator on site, and the county says crews brought that generator to the pump station, but it wasn’t needed for long, since the outage lasted less than an hour.

… King County has reported the overflow to health and regulatory agencies. King County employees will post signs in the vicinity of the pump station at first light on Friday, Feb. 17, and employees with the County’s Environmental Lab conducted water quality monitoring.

The Alki facility itself had a quarter-million-gallon overflow just four weeks ago.

Dave February 17, 2017 (12:16 am)

Brilliant!

nw February 17, 2017 (6:35 am)

This is terrible, do your part west seattle and when you see plastics cigarette butts and other non organic debris on the ground pick it up and prevent Stormwater Pollution!!

old timer February 17, 2017 (7:47 am)

Sure having a lot of water to deal with.

Any word on how the new facility at Lowman Beach is doing?

WSB February 17, 2017 (8:06 am)

It has “operated successfully” since it was officially completed a few months ago, per a KCWTD rep at the most-recent Morgan Community Association. Per the CSO map, it has not had a recent overflow (click the marker): http://www.kingcounty.gov/services/environment/wastewater/cso-status.aspx

schwaggy February 17, 2017 (9:13 am)

Is there a reason a generator is not permanently on-site at the pump station?

BJ February 17, 2017 (10:51 am)

Maybe don’t order the fish at Salty’s for awhile.

WSB February 17, 2017 (2:46 pm)

Perhaps you’re just joking. At any rate, Salty’s does not source their seafood from this area. The sources are all listed on the menu:

http://saltys.com/phocadownload/seattle-dinner-menu.pdf