West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility Online Open House
New storage tank near South Park will keep pollution out of the Duwamish River
King County is building a 1.25 million-gallon underground storage tank near the First Avenue Bridge to hold stormwater and wastewater during large storms. In addition to the storage tank, the County will update existing structures underneath West Marginal Way S.W. and at the edge of the Duwamish Greenbelt. This project will help clean up the Duwamish River by reducing sources of river pollution.
Learn about this project and share your thoughts on the project site and community benefit project ideas.
Welcome
Scroll through the open house or use the chapter headings above to navigate to a different section.
Click on a chapter heading to go directly to that section
Use links that are in the open house to go directly to the project website or community survey .
Acknowledgement
No story about the dxʷdəw - the Duwamish - river would be complete without acknowledging that the land on which we work, live and play is the traditional territory of the Coast Salish people whose descendants formed the Duwamish (dxʷdəwʔabš), Suquamish (dxʷəq̓ʷabš), Muckleshoot (bəqəlšuł), Tulalip (dxʷlilap), Snoqualmie (sdukʷalbixʷ), and Puyallup (spuyaləpabš) Tribes.
King County's work to clean and protect water quality reflects the values of our community and our shared commitment to honor treaty rights. We encourage you to learn more about the heritage of all the Coast Salish people and what they teach us about stewardship of the earth.
Brief History
At one time, the Duwamish River meandered across lush tidal marshes and mudflats to meet Elliott Bay. It provided ideal habitat for fish, birds, and wildlife and was home to the Coast Salish Tribes.
Canoes on Black River, ca. 1898. Photo from the collection of The Museum of History and Industry.
European settlers transformed the Duwamish River.
In the early 1900s, fourteen miles of winding river were straightened into a five mile shipping channel. This channel supported growing needs for the region: agriculture and industry.
You can see on the map that historic river bends that once flowed around Georgetown are filled in to create industrial land.
Boeing plant, Seattle, April 16, 1918. Photo from the collection of The Museum of History and Industry.
Heavy industry operated along the banks of the river from the 1920s through to the present day. King County Wastewater Treatment Division, formerly Metro, maintained combined sewer overflow pipes into the Duwamish River.
Eighth Avenue outfall, 1933
King County will build the West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility next to the former site of Boeing Plant 1, which was used for manufacturing and testing airplane components during World Wars I and II.
The storage tank will hold stormwater and wastewater that currently overflows into the Duwamish River during large storms. The stored water in the tank will then flow to the West Point Treatment Plant for treatment before it is released into Puget Sound.
Boeing Plant 1, 1941
The red star on the map shows the project site.
West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility
This project is one part of ensuring the future health of the river. It’s part of the source control effort, reducing future sources of pollution.
The project is in the design phase, with construction expected to begin in 2025.
Project schedules are subject to change
You can click to enlarge this image
The project is in the design phase. The site layout and general features for the storage tank and associated equipment have been determined, but we are seeking community input to shape the design details of things including fencing, landscaping, and building architecture.
This image shows the building as it will sit on top of the underground storage tank. Click to enlarge.
Our commitment to sustainability
The storage tank and surrounding site will incorporate many sustainable elements.
New trees will:
- Absorb and filter stormwater that falls on the site
- Improve air quality near the 1st Avenue Bridge
- Add tree canopy to a currently bare parking lot
- Create much-needed habitat for birds, pollinators and other wildlife
Plants in a typical rain garden
Rain gardens will:
- Collect and filter stormwater
- Highlight simple ways we can all control pollution
- Mimic the wetlands and forests that were here before development
- Collect and filter pollution from stormwater that runs off the building’s roof and paved areas
- Showcase natural systems that remove pollution from rainwater runoff
King County is committed to reducing our carbon footprint to fight climate change. For this project, we are using materials that reduce our carbon footprint from cradle to grave.
Solar panels on the roof will provide energy to power operation and reduce our dependence on fossil fuels.
We will use "low embodied carbon" in the concrete for the storage tank and building. This means that King County will focus on reducing greenhouse gas emissions at every stage of the process - from manufacturing to transportation, installation, maintenance, and ultimate disposal of all concrete products.
The West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility is part of the Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Art Master Plan. 4 Culture and King County are currently preparing a Call to Artists for local artists to participate in this project. Watch for an announcement this fall on how you can get involved.
The theme for this public art project will be "the end of the line." The end of the line is where the built system meets the natural one at our regional bodies of water. This topic considers our relationship to the point of connection between built and natural systems.
Cover page of the CSO Master Art Plan
What Should It Look Like?
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts!
We will share how your input has influenced the project soon.
If you live, work, or commute near South Park and Highland Park, you will pass by the West Duwamish storage facility. The Duwamish Trail is directly south of the site.
Many design elements not only support operations of this new facility, but play a role in enhancing the environment and improving how the site looks.
Below are the areas where we solicited community input.
What type of building materials should we use? There are two theme options for the building. The Modern Sustainable theme uses darker colors and industrial-looking materials such as a metal roof or siding, or cement.
The Natural History theme incorporates lighter materials, wood-like products, or living walls.
What type of habitat do you want this site to look like?
The Modern Sustainable theme for plantings focuses on native and adapted species that filter stormwater and continue to provide habitat and water quality benefits into the future even as the local climate changes.
The Natural History theme for plantings would highlight native plants that thrived in the region's pre-industrial environment.
This site requires fencing for safety. Which type of fencing should we use?
Fence options will allow different views into the site.
We have an opportunity to make landscaping choices that support migrating birds, local wildlife, pollinators and a healthy Duwamish ecosystem. What should we include?
Community Benefit Projects
Opportunity to support community-driven initiatives
As part of the West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility, there is an opportunity for King County to support community-driven initiatives. Supporting our communities' visions and goals aligns with our Equity and Social Justice Strategic Plan.
Our team wants to understand what's important to you. We have talked and met with agency staff who work in your neighborhood. We have reviewed neighborhood plans. We have met with community groups to share information and understand your priorities.
Now we want to hear from you. We will take your input and find creative ways to bring money and resources to projects that matter to you. For example, we have heard that bringing good jobs to the neighborhood is a top priority. As a result, we are partnering with other King County departments to improve our Community Workforce Agreements . Keep scrolling to see how our facility fits into your neighborhoods, and share your thoughts on areas we should focus on.
Click on the map buttons to read about community benefit ideas.
We want to benefit the neighbors around our facility
Community connections
Priorities we have heard include:
Career Pathways
Priorities we have heard include:
Greening the Neighborhood, Highland Park
Priorities we have heard include:
Greening the Neighborhood, South Park
Priorities we have heard include:
What's Next
The project is currently in the "final design" phase. In this phase, the project design is refined and we develop the construction contract.
We want to hear from you! Find us online , at local community group briefings, events, and by phone or email.
Phone: Kristine Cramer, 206-477-5415; Amelia Bahr, 206-263-9275, or Demmelash Adera, 206-263-234.
Email: kristine.cramer@kingcounty.gov, dadera@kingcounty.gov or abahr@kingcounty.gov
Our Commitment to the River
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.
King County invests in programs like Industrial Waste, RainWise, and combined sewer overflow control to protect our waterways. In addition, we are working with the City of Seattle to address flooding issues in South Park. These are just some of our many efforts to help protect the river. Partnerships, habitat restoration, grants and education are also key to our work.
Clockwise from top left: Bird's eye view of the Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station; RainWise garden in South Park; proud cistern owners; Clean up activities on the river; Duwamish River Festival
- 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.
- 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.
- The Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Cleanup has been actively cleaning up waterway pollution for years, with much more work to come.
- 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.
