West Seattle, Washington
28 Thursday
Two more areas are reporting brown water today – Highland Park (18th/Cloverdale) and Arbor Heights. Lately it’s usually been because of hydrant testing stirring up “sediment” (mostly rust) in the lines, but if it happens to you, please report to Seattle Public Utilities, as it’s also sometimes first word of a line break. 206-386-1800 is their 24/7 hotline. And while the utility says the discoloration is not toxic, you definitely don’t want to do laundry until it’s cleared.
We’re continuing to keep track of brown-water reports, since there’s no public log for them. This afternoon, Dani reported, “Just letting you know that we’re experiencing brown water. We notified SPU and they let us know they are doing maintenance on a fire hydrant that will affect the water for anywhere from 1-24 hours. For reference we are near Alki off Admiral and Lander.” Earlier we got a report of a hydrant-testing sighting but no accompanying water discoloration at the time. If it happens to you, report it to SPU ta 206-386-1800.
Thanks for the photo. We’ve received several reports of brown water today, this time in Seaview – the photo is from a home near 45th/Seaview. No official word on the cause but lately it’s mostly been from hydrant testing stirring up the sediment, aka rust, in water lines. But please be sure to report it to SPU – 206-386-1800, 24/7.
As the Pump Station 38 overhaul in the 1400 block of Alki Avenue SW nears completion, here are new views of the art installation. We first told you almost three years ago about the planned artwork by Sarah Thompson Moore, inspired by an old topographic map of Alki. As we showed you earlier this month, it’s now coming to life as a lithomosaic concrete installation, and Seattle Public Utilities just sent new photos.
Before the crew is done with the art installation, one of the final components of the pump-station project, they will be installing a guardrail fence which will include elements of the design. The work on the pump-station infrastructure, SPU says, will “improve service reliability, improve system performance, and reduce maintenance requirements and costs.”
Multiple reports, via email and Twitter, with word of brown water. First:
John on the 7100 block of California Ave SW reports taking a “mineral bath” and recommends checking your water before doing the laundry.
Also just out of the inbox, T reports, “I want to let you know about brown water in Gatewood (41st and Holden) this morning. It’s been reported to SPU. … Apparently someone has operated a hydrant in the neighborhood which stirred up sediment. It should be clear by 6:00 p.m.” If your water turns up discolored, always report it to SPU, 206-386-1800, so they can track it; they recently explained that a change in hydrant-testing procedures is apparently stirring up more sediment – mostly rust – in the lines. (Thanks to the commenter who provided the initial tip about that change!)
If your tap water looks like this right now …
… it’s hydrant testing again, according to what Garrett – who sent the photo – was told when he called Seattle Public Utilities. As we’ve been reporting recently, a procedural change in hydrant testing has led to more sediment disturbance in the lines than used to be the case. The sediment is mostly rust, and SPU says it’s not toxic, but certainly unpleasant to see – and definitely hold off on laundry until the water runs clear. Always report it to SPU – 206-386-1800.
Thanks to David for the report: “Looks like we have brown water coming out of our faucets in Upper Gatewood area of West Seattle (I’m near the intersection of 39th Avenue SW and SW Holden).” He called Seattle Public Utilities – always report it via 206-386-1800 – and they attributed it to annual hydrant testing; as noted here last week, a change in procedure is believed to be stirring up sediment (mostly rust) in the lines more than previously.
This alert is from the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, for work that will affect traffic:
King County Wastewater Treatment Division is building a wet weather storage facility near the intersection of SW Michigan Street and 2nd Ave SW to reduce combined sewer overflows into the Duwamish River. Starting as early as May 25, crews will spend up to four business days potholing, or digging small holes, to better understand the locations and condition of utility lines including sewer, power, water, telephone, and gas lines. This work will occur at the storage facility site and near the following locations:
-2nd Ave SW between SW Michigan Street and Highland Park Way SW
-SW Michigan Street east of 2nd Ave SW
-Highland Parkway SW near the intersection with 2nd Ave SW
-W Marginal Way SW near the intersection with SW Front StreetÂWhat you can expect
-Work hours 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on business days between May 25 and May 30. Potholing on Highland Park Way SW may require night work due to high traffic volumes in the area.
-Temporary lane closures with flaggers on site to assist vehicle and pedestrian movement. Lane closures will not be concurrent, and each will last up to three hours.
-One drill rig and up to four service vehicles on site.
-Noise and slight vibrations during work hours, including engine noise and periodic hammering.
-Occasional truck traffic accessing the site during work hours.
As for the project itself, we’ve reported on it several times, most recently here. Construction of the 1.25-million-gallon tank and surrounding facilities is not expected to begin before 2025.
6:20 PM: Various areas of West Seattle just lost power for a minute or two. You? (So far, no widespread outage reported, but it was more than a “flicker.”) … So far we’ve heard from North Admiral, South Admiral, The Triangle, Gatewood, Upper Fauntleroy (us). Also High Point, which reported “booms” around the same time, and South Delridge. No SFD calls so far, though.
7:06 PM: The booms seem to have been along SW Graham. LyndaB near 36th/Graham believes balloons might be the culprit. (Added: Texted photo)
We’ve received multiple reader reports this morning about discolored water in the West Seattle Junction area. No water breaks reported so far; a frequent cause is fire-hydrant testing, and as Seattle Public Utilities confirmed to us last week, a recent change in procedure may be stirring up more sediment (mostly rust) in the lines when that’s done. If it happens to you, be sure to report it to SPU at 206-386-1800.
11:13 AM: Seattle Public Utilities is still looking into our followup questions about brown water in Gatewood earlier this week. Meantime, we’ve just received this from Kaelen in South Admiral:
We’re on 42nd Street between Hinds and Hanford, just south of West Seattle High School. Appear to be experiencing brown water this morning. Noticed about an hour or so ago. And it has yet to resolve.
Discolored water usually results from “sediment” – mostly rust – stirred up in lines for reasons from a pipe break to hydrant testing. We’re also asking SPU about a commenter’s note that there’s been a change in the latter procedure at the utility’s direction. Whatever the cause, it’s important that you report it if you see it – 206-386-1800.
9:22 PM: SPU spokesperson Sabrina Register responded tonight to our original inquiry about Gatewood water woes earlier this week, and to the hydrant-testing change:
The Seattle Fire Department tests fire hydrants annually to make sure they will work properly in emergencies to save lives and property. Recently, firefighters have tested hydrants within the Gatewood neighborhood and are expanding throughout West Seattle. Testing hydrants can sometimes disturb sediment in the pipes and cause the water in nearby homes to be temporarily discolored. If this happens, the water will usually clear on its own in a couple of hours or by running the cold water for a few minutes. Customers can also call the Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) 24/7 Operations Response Center at 206-386-1800 for assistance or visit SPU’s website for information about discolored water and how to clear it.
From 2017-2022, fire hydrants were tested without flowing water. In 2023, fire hydrant testing protocol is returning back to its pre-2017 approach, which involves gently flowing water out of the hydrant to remove any sediment that may be trapped in the pipe feeding the hydrant. This change in practice may increase the likelihood of temporary discolored water. We apologize for any water quality issues that may be caused by this change, and we’re working diligently to test the hydrants in a manner that minimizes water quality issues for our customers.
Thanks to John for this report:
I live on SW Orchard St and 39th. Lots of brown water coming out of my faucets. I’ve reported it to SPU, who received numerous other reports. The usual suspect, Seattle Fire Dept. doing testing, had not reported anything.
Reminder that if discolored water happens at your home or business, 206-386-1800 is the Seattle Public Utilities number to call.
We’ve had multiple reports of brown water on Genesee Hill since late last night. Here’s a photo sent by Molly:
No outages/repairs mapped in the area so far. If it’s happening at your residence, call Seattle Public Utilities to report it at 206-386-1800.
11:43 AM: Thanks to John for reporting, “Really brown water on 61st in Alki.” He says SFD was in the area a short time before, and since there are no emergency responses logged for that area, it could have been hydrant testing – nonetheless, if your water shows discoloration, in any area for any reason, be sure to report it to Seattle Public Utilities. The discoloration is usually “sediment” stirred up by unusual activity in the line, and that “sediment” is usually rust, but the utility needs to know – 206-386-1800 24/7.
2:25 PM: As Ray notes in comments, about an hour and a half after we published this initial report, a water-main break was mapped at 61st/Admiral.
10 PM: The SPU map does not show it resolved yet.
12:09 AM: Thanks for the tip! Power’s out for 191 customers north of Westwood Village, according to Seattle City Light. The outage started just before midnight and is attributed to “equipment failure.”
9:49 AM: Still out.
11:11 AM: We found two SCL trucks on Thistle by Chief Sealth IHS, but no crews in view.
5:26 PM: Dorinda mentioned in a comment below that the crew is in a nearby alley, so we went over there. They’re using a vacuum truck now. Neighbors say they’d been told the problem is a “conduit break” and that it’s taking so long because they have to excavate to find what’s broken.
7:42 PM: Just talked with Jenn Strang of SCL. She says what’s taking them so long is that the trouble is far beyond what they first thought – at first it was a cable failure, then they got in and discovered “crushed conduit and some other things that needed to be fixed,” and that led to a much longer repair time than they’d usually need. She says they hope to be done “soon” – provided they don’t find anything else that needs to be fixed.
8 PM: Moments later, power returned, after almost 20 hours.
Thanks to Pam for the tip! Crews working on the Pump Station 38 upgrade in the 1400 block of Alki Avenue SW are now installing its artwork. It’s centered on a topographical map in “decorative litho-mosaic concrete,” as Seattle Public Utilities describes it. The design by artist Sarah Thompson Moore was first announced in 2020, and updated in 2021. The artist explains the project in this video made public then:
As of the last construction update two weeks ago, SPU said remaining project components also included the safety railing that will be integrated with the art installation (as explained in the video), plus electrical work, irrigation, and landscaping, with completion expected sometime this summer.
The artist says she hopes the installation will “create a bit of magic” every time someone visits the site.
11:50 AM: Thanks for the tip. Just added to the Seattle Public Utilities water-trouble map, an outage in Admiral, affecting at least 124 customers. The cause is listed as “emergency repair”; we’re asking SPU for details.
12:18 PM: The SPU crew that’s working on this is on 44th SW north of Holgate (44th is closed as a result). They confirm it’s a water-main break and they’re starting repairs.
1:16 PM: SPU spokesperson Sabrina Register says service was restored around 1 pm. What broke was a “service line,” but the water main had to be shut down for repairs.
11:02 AM: Thanks to the texter who reported brown water in upper Gatewood. Nothing of note on the Seattle Public Utilities map so far. If your water is discolored – now or any other time – be sure to report it to SPU’s hotline, 206-386-1800. The discoloration is usually from “sediment” – mostly rust – being stirred up in the lines by anything from a water-main break to nearby hydrant testing.
4:09 PM: Another texter says this just started at their residence, and sent a photo (added above). SPU told them hydrant testing was the likely culprit, and that the discoloration might persist until tomorrow morning.
FRIDAY MORNING: Jean reports brown water in the 3000 block of Alki Ave SW. If you’ve noticed it too, be sure to call Seattle Public Utilities at 206-386-1800 – sometimes the cause can be as simple as SFD hydrant testing in the area, but sometimes it’s first word of a major problem nearby.
FRIDAY AFTERNOON: We also got a similar report from Jenn in the Alki area. And both say it hadn’t cleared up even hours later.
Two reports of brown water in Gatewood: Grace emailed this morning about experiencing the problem near 39th/Elmgrove. And we belatedly discovered a message from Brad, also in Gatewood, reporting dark water early Wednesday afternoon. Save this number in case it happens at your home, business, or school – 206-386-1800, a 24/7 number for Seattle Public Utilities.
A resident of the Cal-Mor Circle apartment building at 6420 California SW in Morgan Junction emailed to let us know they had received notice of a planned 10-hour power outage tomorrow (Tuesday, April 18th) to replace a utility pole. We checked with Seattle City Light, which says the 8 am-6 pm outage will only affect that one building, and that each of its 75 units should have received a hand-delivered notice three weeks ago. The pole that’s going to be replaced is in the alley behind the building, and needs to come down because of “previous damage.”
(Video by Tom Trulin)
It’s a simple sight – water, flowing – and yet restoring that flow wasn’t simple at all. We’ve been updating you on work to unclog Fauntleroy Creek‘s 45th Avenue SW culvert, caught by creek stewards who called for city help after they saw “ponding” upstream, and now Seattle Public Utilities confirms its most-recent efforts last week succeeded. Crews removed “most of the blockage,” reports SPU, adding, “We are still monitoring the culvert and evaluating whether additional short-term work is needed to ensure the culvert’s operation.” We asked what they pulled out of the culvert to unclog it; SPU spokesperson Sabrina Register replied, “Debris – mud, leaves and branches, and possible slurry – created the blockage. SPU is looking into the debris’ contents and its origins.” The utility continues working on a long-term plan to replace the culvert, with construction expected to start in 2026. Fauntleroy Creek is one of the few remaining salmon-bearing creeks in Seattle; this year’s fry releases as part of the Salmon in the Schools program start toward the end of this month.
3:23 PM: Thanks for the tips. Seattle Public Utilities is working on emergency repairs for an outage described as centered in the 5200 block of 49th SW, affecting at least three dozen customers. One texter says they’re affected in an area north of what’s on the SPU map. We’re checking with SPU to find. out more about the problem.
5:01 PM: We have yet to hear back from SPU, but the map shows the outage resolved. (If your water’s not back, call 206-386-1218 to be sure they’re aware.)
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