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As drought conditions highlight the limited nature of the region's water supply, King County Executive Ron Sims today announced plans to boost reclaimed water production at the County's Renton Treatment Facility by one million gallons a day — saving an equivalent amount of fresh water to serve 5,200 families each day.
Reclaimed water is the highly treated by-product of the County's wastewater system. It can be used safely and effectively for landscaping and agricultural irrigation, heating and cooling, and industrial processing.
Through cooperative pilot projects with Foster Golf Course, the City of Tukwila, Baker Commodities and others, Sims said the County's wastewater treatment plant in Renton will more than double its production of reclaimed water for use by parks, businesses, and other communities.
"This will save our fresh water for other uses," said Executive Sims. "Reclaimed water is part of daily life in drier regions across the United States. And, even though we are thought of as a very rainy region, the drought reminds us of the value of water conservation. Reclaimed water is a drought-proof supply of water and helps protect our drinking water supply for the future."
"The Governor's declaration of a statewide drought emergency has highlighted the need to find different ways to manage our water," said Washington Department of Ecology Regional Director Ray Hellwig. "King County's expanded water reclamation project is exactly the type of innovative, insightful plan we need to help protect our vital supply of water.
"Everyday, 200 million gallons of treated wastewater from the Renton plant is piped into Puget Sound. This project captures two million gallons a day of clean, useful water, which can be used for landscaping and other uses. It makes perfect environmental sense," Hellwig said.
Sims said the pilot projects are part of a long-term King County commitment to water conservation and turning used water into a resource. The County already irrigates its Fort Dent Park, and many of its newly planted projects, with reclaimed water. The use of reclaimed water this year for daily County operations such as irrigation, cleaning streets, bus stops and sidewalks, and washing runways at King County International Airport is also being explored.
"This is vital to the future of our area in terms of how we balance potable water for our homes and how we use reclaimed water to irrigate and recharge the groundwater systems," said King County Councilmember Louise Miller.
"The reclaimed water provided through this program is safe for most industrial and commercial purposes," said Dr. Ngozi Oleru, Chief of Public Health - Seattle & King County's Environmental Health Division.
"The State Department of Health extends its compliments to King County officials for their leadership in developing this new, safe, drought-proof source of water," said Gregg Grunenfelder, Director of the Washington State Department of Health, Division of Drinking Water. "King County and its reclaimed water customers are taking a pivotal step for the region as we all work to conserve our valuable drinking water resources."
"It's important to understand that this is just the start," Sims said. "These projects will allow us to learn, innovate and jump-start the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of reclaimed water in our region. Water is our most precious resource and we are planning ahead to make sure people, fish and wildlife have a quality, reliable water supply for the future."
The projects along the Duwamish are less costly than starting from scratch because the Renton Treatment Facility already has pipes near the river to provide reclaimed water for these projects. The pipes can be used to serve Foster Golf Course's considerable irrigation needs (300,000 gallons per day), expand use of reclaimed water at Fort Dent Park in Tukwila (90,000 gallons per day), and provide water to the Baker Commodities rendering plant (80,000 gallons per day).
Sims said reclaimed water is a critical element in the regional wastewater plan, which calls for a $1.2 billion wastewater treatment system expansion over the next 30 years. A proposed new facility, due in operation by 2010, is expected to treat a significant amount of its wastewater for reuse. The County is also exploring a reclaimed water satellite plant in the Sammamish Valley to provide irrigation water for the many agricultural and recreational uses in the area.
"The more water we can reclaim and use for non-drinking purposes, the more we can have clean, fresh water for people and for fish, and the more drought resistant we can make ourselves," said Sims.
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King County Executive
Ron Sims holds a sample of reclaimed water as he announces a major expansion of the Renton Treatment Plant's program that produces this drought-proof source of water.
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