King County Executive Ron Sims has announced that the county will follow the City of Carnation’s recommendation for the location of a wastewater treatment plant. The plant will be on a 10-acre city-owned site west of the city business district at the end of Entwistle Street. The Carnation City Council formally recommended that location to the County Executive in November.

“I concur with the city’s recommendation on using this site to meet our common goal of protecting public health, water quality and the environment,” Sims said. “My decision follows extensive siting, environmental evaluation and public involvement activities by county staff in cooperation with city staff and the Carnation City Council.”

Sims also agreed with recommendations on alternatives for discharging highly treated water from the plant. He eliminated a proposed upland infiltration site southeast of Carnation. And he requested a five-month effort to seek grant funding for a wetland enhancement discharge location for the highly treated water.

“The wetland discharge alternative presents opportunities for the beneficial use of reclaimed water, building partnerships with public and private entities, and improving wildlife habitat,” Sims said. “It also has broad public support.”

But because the estimated cost of the wetland enhancement is significantly higher than a river outfall, King County will seek funding to pay for the extra costs. If King County can’t find adequate funding by April 2005, the county will move forward with the river outfall. That alternative would not preclude future wetland use.

“We are very pleased the County Executive concurs with our recommendation and has selected the city-owned site,” said Carnation Mayor Yvonne Funderburg. “This marks a major milestone for this vital project and keeps us on track to provide necessary sewer services to our community by 2008. We will continue to work closely with the county and our residents and businesses to make this collaborative project a success.”

Several years ago, the city determined that replacing individual on-site septic systems with a wastewater treatment facility would address existing public health concerns, achieve the city’s comprehensive plan goals, and enhance community livability. Construction permits are now difficult to get because of health and environmental concerns over failing septic systems.

In 2002, the city and county approved an agreement in which the county would design, build and operate a sewage treatment plant, wastewater pipe and discharge method for Carnation. The city will build and operate the local sewage collection system.

“This sewage treatment system will serve the city and its urban growth area as defined in the city’s comprehensive plan,” Sims said.

Carnation expects significant growth during the next 25 years with the addition of 1,800 residents, 600 homes and 2,200 employees.

Under the agreement between the city and county, Carnation residents will pay for the capital, operating and maintenance costs of the proposed collection system and treatment plant through monthly sewer bills.

To reduce the cost of the new facilities to ratepayers, King County will also continue work with the city to seek state and federal funding for the treatment plant and the city’s collection system. Besides applying for grants and low-interest loans, the county will try to cut costs through facility design measures and phased construction of the plant.

The treatment plant will be built on the north end of the plant site because of floodplain concerns on the south end. The plant will initially treat about 400,000 gallons of wastewater per day. To meet planned growth needs, plant capacity could be expanded to about 450,000 gallons per day.

Under the wetland discharge alternative, highly treated water would be used to create and enhance wetlands in the state’s Stillwater wildlife area, about two miles north of Carnation. This alternative would enhance habitat for native plants, fish and wildlife.

Under the river discharge alternative, highly treated water would be discharged into the Snoqualmie River at the Carnation Farm Road Bridge about a mile north of Carnation.

Construction of the treatment facility is scheduled to begin in mid-2006 and end in late 2007 with the start of facility operation.

“We will continue our public involvement program in close coordination with the city throughout the permitting, design and construction phases of the project,” Sims said.

To aid decision-making about the facilities, the county’s Wastewater Treatment Division worked closely with the city to conduct extensive public involvement activities:

four community advisory committee meetings on facility siting to get public comment on the siting criteria and on the results of the siting process

six community meetings to provide information about the project, get public comment on the treatment process and discharge alternatives, and explain the decision process

preparation of draft and final environmental impact statements, with opportunities for agency and public comment on the issues and alternatives addressed in the EIS. King County issued the final EIS in October.

For more information about the Carnation Wastewater Treatment Facility, visit the project Web site at http://dnr.metrokc.gov/wtd/carnation/. You can also call 206-263-5212; 711 (TTY); or 800-325-6165, ext. 35212 (toll free); or send an e-mail message to carnationwwtp@metrokc.gov.

King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and the environment by serving 18 cities, 16 local sewer agencies and more than 1.4 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional utility operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for more than 40 years