Forty-four of Washington’s 305 wastewater-treatment plants will receive awards for helping keep Washington’s waters clean through perfect compliance with their wastewater-discharge permits.
Representatives from the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) will present “Outstanding Wastewater Treatment Plant” awards to the plant operators at public events over the next couple of months.
These awards honor operators of treatment plants that had no spills into Washington’s waters during 2004. Award winners also passed every environmental test and analyzed all samples according to requirements laid out by Ecology.
The Manchester Wastewater Treatment Plant in Kitsap County will be receiving special recognition for maintaining a perfect record for all 10 years the award’s program has been in existence. Manchester is the only treatment plant to have received the award every year.
“I am impressed by the extraordinary effort demonstrated by the staff at these 44 treatment plants,” said Dave Peeler, who manages Ecology’s water-quality program. “They deserve our thanks for their outstanding dedication to keeping Washington’s waters clean.”
Wastewater-treatment plants treat household sewage and industrial waste all day, every day. Discharges from the plants are sent into waterways or spread on land. Ecology issues permits that limit the contaminants the plants may discharge into lakes, rivers or marine waters or onto the ground.
In addition to treating the water, plant operators must conduct up to thousands of water-quality monitoring tests during the course of a year.
They also must assure that no waste water is spilled.
Ecology reviewed every treatment plant’s tests, reports and on-site inspections to determine which facilities met all conditions of their permits.
Last year, 35 treatment plants were recognized. The 44 award winners for this year are:
Clark County – Larch Correctional Center Wastewater Treatment Plant*, Salmon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, Vancouver Westside Treatment Facility, Washougal Wastewater Treatment Plant, Woodland Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ridgefield Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Cowlitz County – Toutle Sewage Treatment Plant.
Grant County – Grand Coulee Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ephrata Water Reclamation Facility.
Grays Harbor County – Aberdeen Wastewater Treatment Plant, Hoquiam Wastewater Treatment Plant, Ocean Shores Wastewater Treatment Plant, Satsop Development.
Island County – Holmes Harbor Sewer District Wastewater Treatment Plant, Langley Wastewater Treatment Plant, Oak Harbor’s Wastewater Treatment Facilities.
Jefferson County – Port Townsend Wastewater Treatment Plant, Port Townsend Biosolids Wastewater Treatment Plant.
King County – Lakota Wastewater Treatment Plant, Miller Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, Redondo Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Kitsap County – Manchester Wastewater Treatment Plant, Port Ludlow Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Lewis County – Lake Mayfield Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Mason County – Harstene Point Wastewater Treatment Plant, Rustlewood Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Okanogan County – Okanogan Wastewater Treatment Plant, Omak Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Pacific County – Naselle Youth Camp Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Pend Oreille County – Newport Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Pierce County – Chambers Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, Tacoma Wastewater Treatment Plant #1, Taylor Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wilkeson Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Skagit County – LaConner Wastewater Treatment Plant, Mount Vernon Wastewater Treatment Plant, Skagit County Sewer District #2 – Big Lake Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Skamania County – Stevenson Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Snohomish County – Lynnwood Wastewater Treatment Facility, Monroe Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Whatcom County – Birch Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, Seattle City Light – Diablo Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Whitman County – Palouse Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Yakima County – Naches Wastewater Treatment Plant.
