Power restored after outage leads to brief overflow into Lake Washington from King County’s Medina pump station

December 26, 2022

Summary

King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s Medina pump station experienced a power outage that caused a brief overflow into Lake Washington early on Monday, Dec. 26. The pump station quickly resumed normal operations once power was restored.

Story

King County reported a brief wastewater overflow caused by a power outage at the Medina pump station on Monday, Dec. 26.
 
The station was receiving a high volume of stormwater from ongoing rainfall mixed with wastewater when it experienced a utility power outage and the standby power system failed shortly before 8 a.m. Monday. Responding King County Wastewater Treatment Division crews quickly restored power and the pump station was back online by 9:45 a.m. 

There is currently no estimate of the amount of stormwater mixed with wastewater that entered Lake Washington through the pump station’s emergency outfall pipe. Employees with the King County Environmental Lab will be taking samples and King County Wastewater Treatment Division employees will post signs to avoid contact with the water.

King County has notified health and regulatory agencies, will test water quality as a precaution to protect public health. 
 
Updates will be posted at in the DNRP Newsroom.
 
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: 
Doug Williams, 206-477-4543; doug-media.williams@kingcounty.gov
 
About the King County Wastewater Treatment Division 
King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health and enhances the environment by collecting and treating wastewater while recycling valuable resources for the Puget Sound region. The division provides wastewater treatment services to 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.8 million residents across a 420-square-mile area in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties.