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Public engagement

Discover how King County is engaging the community in these early planning stages in South Park.

Working with the community

King County Wastewater Treatment Division is committed to improving the wastewater infrastructure we own in South Park to reduce the risk of wastewater backups and get ready for climate change impacts.

We are always happy to meet with community groups, organizations, or answer individual questions. To request a meeting with your group, ask questions, or share thoughts about this project, please contact us.

As design gets underway in 2026, you will hear more about the team and plans for the project.

WTD’s commitment to South Park

Illustrated image showing a cross section of an underground pipe that is filled with groundwater, sea water, and rainwater.

King County Wastewater Treatment Division is committed to reducing risks and damage caused by wastewater backups and to improving our wastewater infrastructure to get ready for climate change.

Seattle Public Utilities and King County have improved water infrastructure in the neighborhood and installed 24 grinder pumps for homes most at risk of sewer backups. We are sharing the installation costs of the grinder pumps and recovery with SPU.

King County’s commitment to sustainability and Equity and Social Justice

King County promotes Equity and Social Justice in planning, design, construction and management of infrastructure projects so communities can thrive. This means we are committed to taking feedback from the community, and you can expect to see us working with community groups in the project area to ensure that the project reflects neighborhood values.

Learn more at www.kingcounty.gov/equity

Working with other Duwamish-area projects

From large-scale planning efforts to support for rain gardens and other green stormwater solutions on private property, King County is committed to protecting public health and the environment in the Duwamish River and surrounding communities. Our goal is to make the Lower Duwamish the cleanest working river in the world.  

In addition to working with the City of Seattle to address wastewater backup issues in South Park, King County Wastewater Treatment Division invests in programs like Industrial Waste, RainWise, and combined sewer overflow control to protect our waterways. These are just some of our many efforts to help protect the river. 

  1. The Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station will treat up to 70 million gallons a day of combined rain and sewage that would otherwise have gone directly into the Duwamish River during big storms.
  2. The RainWise program helps private property owners install rain gardens and/or cisterns to manage the rain that falls on their roof, keeping it out of the combined sewer system and causing overflows into local waterways like the Duwamish River.
  3. The Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Cleanup  has been actively cleaning up waterway pollution for years, with much more work to come.
  4. Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) Mini Grants provide money for homeowners who are not eligible for RainWise to install rain gardens, cisterns, and other green solutions on their property.

To learn more about what the City of Seattle is doing in South Park, visit:

 
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