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Rewards and recognition program

The Rewards and Recognition Program recognizes industrial wastewater dischargers in King County that meet or exceed wastewater discharge permit requirements.

These award winners help protect public health and the environment by controlling the discharge of harmful substances that damage wastewater treatment infrastructure, degrade wastewater treatment, and reduce biosolids quality.

Gold, Silver, and Commitment to Compliance Awards

The King County Industrial Waste program recognizes significant industrial users of the sewer system who maintain an excellent record of compliance with the rules and regulations during the previous calendar year. Dischargers are awarded with a Gold or Silver award based on their level of compliance and companies that receive five consecutive gold awards are recognized with a Commitment to Compliance Award.

Commitment-to-Compliance Award

The Commitment-to-Compliance Award honors companies that have received a Gold Award for five consecutive years.

2022 Commitment-to-Compliance Award recipients

  • Boeing Electronics Center
  • Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac International Airport, IWS - IWTP
  • Primus International - University Swaging Division

Gold Award

2022 Gold Award recipients

Thanks to our 2022 Gold Award recipients for working with our program to protect public health and enhance the environment:

  • ABAF - Imaginetics
  • Alaskan Copper Works - 6th Ave.
  • Ball Corporation
  • BNSF Railway Company - Interbay Facility
  • Boeing Commercial Airplane - Auburn
  • Boeing Commercial Airplane - North Field
  • Boeing Company - Plant 2 Facility
  • Boeing Electronics Center
  • Boyd GMN Inc.
  • Carsoe US Inc.
  • Cedar Grove Composting Inc.
  • Continental Mills Inc.
  • Elysian Brewing Company - Airport Way S.
  • Exotic Metals Forming Co.
  • Glacier Northwest Inc. - Kenmore Facility
  • Gyrus ACMI Inc. dba Olympus Surgical Technologies America
  • Industrial Container Services - WA LLC
  • Just - Evotec Biologics Inc.
  • Lafarge - Seattle Plant
  • National Industrial Concepts
  • National Products Inc.
  • Phillips 66 Company - Renton Terminal
  • Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac International Airport, BW
  • Port of Seattle, Sea-Tac International Airport, IWS - IWTP
  • Precor Inc. - Plant 2
  • Primus International - University Swaging Division
  • Seattle, City of - SPU - Kent Highlands Landfill
  • Skills Inc. - Auburn Facility
  • Terex Washington Inc. - South Campus
  • Tim's Cascade Snacks
  • TLP Management Services LLC
  • Tri-Way Industries Inc. - Auburn
  • UniSea Inc.
  • Vigor Shipyards Inc.
 

Gold Award criteria

The Gold Award is given to individual facilities that meet the following criteria during the calendar year:

  • Possess an active industrial wastewater discharge permit each month
  • Discharged industrial wastewater for at least three months
  • Collected all samples required by its permit
  • No King County-issued violations (code, permit, discharge) or other actions (final notices, fines, enforcement) issued to the permitted facility
  • Has not been in Significant Non-compliance status
  • No late reports
  • No self-monitoring violations

Special notes:

  1. Mid-tier facilities are eligible for the award
  2. A monthly average violation or a self-reported permit or code violation is the same as a self-monitoring violation
  3. If one or more self-monitoring reports for a permit with multiple locators is late (in a single reporting period), it’s considered as one late report for award evaluation.
  4. A single screening level exceedance is not a violation. However, multiple exceedances requiring county or facility action (in accordance with permit conditions) is considered a King County violation for the purposes of this award evaluation

Silver Award

2022 Silver Award recipients

Thanks to our 2022 Silver Award recipients for working with our program to protect public health and enhance the environment:

  • AGC Biologics, Inc.
  • AGC Biologics, Inc. - North Campus
  • Baker Commodities Inc.
  • ConAgra Foods Packaged Foods LLC
  • Darigold Inc. - Rainier Plant
  • Davis Wire Corp.
  • Emerald Services Inc. - Airport Way Facility
  • Flow International Corp.
  • Foss Maritime Company
  • Honeywell International Inc.
  • Hytek Finishes Co.
  • Island Spring Inc.
  • Northwest Cascade Inc. - Septage Thickening and Dewatering Facility
  • Partner Therapeutics
  • Safeway Inc. - Beverage Plant
  • Seattle Genetics North Creek
  • Seattle, City of - SPU - South Transfer Station
  • Starbucks Coffee Co. - Kent Flexline Facility
  • Western Washington Coca-Cola Bottling LLC
 

Silver Award criteria

The Silver Award is given to individual facilities that meet the following criteria during the calendar year:

  • Posses an active industrial wastewater discharge permit each month
  • Discharged industrial wastewater for at least three months
  • Collected all samples required by its permit
  • No King County-issued violations (code, permit, discharge) or other actions (final notices, fines, enforcement) issued to the permitted facility
  • Has not been in Significant Non-compliance status
  • No more than one late report
  • Has not exceeded the number of self-monitoring violations allowed, as follows:
Sampling Frequency Number of samples per year in violation
Semi-annual and quarterly 0
Monthly and bi-monthly 1
Weekly 2
Daily 4

Special notes:

  1. Mid-tier facilities are eligible for the award
  2. A monthly average violation or a self-reported permit or code violation that only requires a response letter is the same as a self-monitoring violation
  3. If one or more self-monitoring reports for a permit with multiple locators is late (in a single reporting period), it’s considered as one late report for award evaluation
  4. A single screening level exceedance is not a violation. However multiple exceedances requiring county or facility action (in accordance with permit conditions) is considered a King County violation for the purposes of this award evaluation

EnvirOvation Award

The King County Industrial Waste Program (KCIW) recognizes companies and facilities within the King County sewer service area that are leaders in environmental protection with the EnvirOvation Award. The award is given to facilities that have KCIW discharge approvals and voluntarily go beyond their regulatory obligations to manage their operations in ways that help protect public health and enhance the environment. EnvirOvation award winners are eligible for consideration for the next Leaders in Waste Reduction Green Globe award, King County’s highest environmental award. 

Companies and facilities can self-nominate for the award by filling out this application form. Please read through the eligibility and award criteria to determine if you are eligible.

 

Eligibility Criteria

  • Facility must have had a KCIW approval to discharge industrial wastewater to the King County sewer system for the year in which award is applied for.
  • Facility must have an excellent record of compliance for the year in which award is applied for based on conditions specified within its discharge approval from KCIW.
  • Achievements must be related to a facility’s industrial wastewater discharges, such as reductions in water use, chemical use, reductions in pollutant concentration and overall pollutant loading, or an innovative pollution control strategy.
  • The achievements must have been in place for a minimum of one full year prior to a facility’s application for the award, with demonstrated effectiveness.
  • Facility must have made the applicable change(s) voluntarily and not as the result of a compliance order, regulatory mandate, or applying standard industry practices.
  • Facility must submit all required information using the KCIW application. Applications are available on the program’s web pages at www.kingcounty.gov/industrialwaste by following the links to “rewards and recognition program” and then “EnvirOvation Award” or by contacting the program.


Award Criteria

  • Facilities that have implemented a pollution prevention strategy beyond requirements by regulatory authority.  OR
  • Facilities that have significantly reduced the concentration of chemicals discharged to King County not related to production changes.  OR
  • Facilities that have significantly updated their pretreatment equipment or methods beyond requirement of regulatory authority.  OR
  • Facilities that have significantly reduced their water use not related to fluctuations in production.
 
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