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Department of Ecology News Release - May 27, 2010
10-129 revised
Updated: Number of plants identified with perfect records increased to 91 from 89. (06/29/10)
OLYMPIA – Every hour of every day and every night, unseen people are working to protect the health of our waters and the water we drink. They are our state’s wastewater (sewer) treatment plant operators.
Most people don’t think about what goes on behind the scenes to protect our water, but the state Department of Ecology does because it regulates wastewater plant operations. When the agency sees perfect compliance at the plants, it recognizes the achievement with annual Outstanding Wastewater Treatment Plant Awards.
Last year, 91 of the state’s wastewater treatment plants had perfect track records.
The award-winning plants passed all environmental tests, analyzed all samples, turned in all state-required reports and avoided permit violations during 2009.
Highlights about the 2009 award recipients:
View a complete list by county of the state’s outstanding wastewater treatment plant award winners for 2009.
“Some people may take this work for granted, but we don’t,” said Kelly Susewind, manager of Ecology’s Water Quality Program. “These skilled and dedicated professionals in communities around our state get it right day in and day out, making sure wastewater is properly treated and discharged. Perfect compliance is a significant accomplishment, even more so considering our growing population and the economic struggles currently facing these communities.”
The state’s operator certification program and state financial assistance keep the program going strong. Ecology is offering approximately $85 million in grant and loan funding for wastewater treatment facility projects for fiscal year 2011. In 2010, Washington plants received $50 million in federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds and $46 million in State Revolving Fund loans.
Ecology’s award program has helped inspire big improvements in operation of treatment plants statewide. Before it began in 1995, only 14 treatment plants had perfect compliance.
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What do wastewater treatment plants do? Wastewater treatment (sewer) plants collect household sewage and industrial wastewater from large networks of underground sewer pipes all day, every day. They treat the sewage and then discharge clean, treated water into waterways or spread the water onto land. There are approximately 300 wastewater treatment plants in Washington.
How does the state regulate them? Ecology monitors each plant’s effectiveness by requiring they meet conditions of permits that limit the contaminants the plants may discharge into lakes, rivers or marine waters or onto the ground. Plant operators must be certified by the state and follow the requirements of their state permits. Ecology reviews every treatment plant’s tests, reports, and on-site inspections to determine which facilities met all conditions of their permits.
Contact: Sandy Howard, communications manager, 360-407-6408 (desk); 360-791-3177 (cell); sandy.howard@ecy.wa.gov
For more information:
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
