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Department of Ecology News Release - May 12, 2003
03-085
OLYMPIA - Thirty-one of Washington's approximately 300 wastewater-treatment plants will receive awards this month for perfect compliance with their wastewater-discharge permits during 2002.
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 treatment plants that passed every environmental test and analyzed all samples according to requirements laid out by Ecology, and had no spills into Washington's waters during 2002.
"Running one of these plants isn't easy. It's a round-the-clock job of enormous complexity," said Megan White, who manages Ecology's water-quality program. "The winners of this award have worked incredibly hard to prevent pollution and protect the quality of our state's water."
Wastewater-treatment plants treat household sewage and industrial waste. Discharges from the plants are sent into waterways or spread on land. Ecology issues permits that limit the contaminants treatment plants may discharge into lakes, rivers or marine waters or onto the ground. Waste water must be treated with all known, available and reasonable technology before it is discharged.
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 harmful wastewater spills do not occur.
Ecology reviewed every treatment plant's tests, reports and on-site inspections to determine which facilities achieved 100 percent compliance with their permits. Following is the list of the 2002 award winners:
Benton County - Kennewick Wastewater Treatment Plant*
Clallam County - Sequim Sewage Treatment Plant
Clark County - Washougal Sewage Treatment Plant*
Columbia County - Dayton Sewage Treatment Plant
Cowlitz County - Toutle Sewage Treatment Plant*
Douglas County - Bridgeport Wastewater Treatment Plant*
Grant County - Grand Coulee Sewage Treatment Plant
Island County - Holmes Harbor Water District Reuse Plant
Jefferson County - Port Ludlow Resort Wastewater Treatment Facility, Port Townsend Wastewater Treatment Facility
Kitsap County - Bainbridge Island Wastewater Treatment Plant*, Kitsap Co. Sewer District #7 Wastewater Treatment Plant*, Manchester Wastewater Treatment Plant
King County - Redondo Wastewater Treatment Plant, Miller Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant, Salmon Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant
Pend Oreille County - Newport Sewage Treatment Plant
Pierce County - Crystal Mountain Wastewater Treatment Plant, Wilkeson Sewage Treatment Plant*
San Juan - Eastsound Wastewater Treatment Plant
Skagit County -Anacortes Wastewater Treatment Plant, LaConner Wastewater Treatment Plant*, Sedro-Woolley Wastewater Treatment Plant, Skagit County Sewer District #2 - Big Lake Wastewater Treatment Facility
Snohomish County - Olympus Terrace Sewer District
Thurston County - Carlyon Beach Homeowners Association*
Walla Walla County - Walla Walla Sewage Treatment Plant
Whatcom County - Bellingham Wastewater Treatment Plant, Birch Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant, Seattle City Light - Diablo Wastewater Treatment Plant & Newhalem Wastewater Treatment Plant
*=First-time award winner.
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Ecology media contact: Tammie McClure, wastewater-operator certification coordinator, 360-407-6449; Leslie Thorpe, public information manager, 360-407-6848
For more information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/wastewater/index.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
