Brightwater Recycled Water
New Water, New Solutions for the
Sammamish River
Jacque Klug,
Recycled Water Project Manager
King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks
Wastewater Treatment Division
Recycled Water is:

One of the recycled products created at King County’s
wastewater treatment plants.

Highly treated, disinfected, continuously monitored and
tested.

Crystal clear and odor free

As clean (or cleaner) than river water sometimes used for
irrigation.

Used all over the US and the world.
Why Recycle Water?
• Reduce reliance on Puget Sound for discharge
• Keeps more water in streams and aquifers
• Recycle nutrients and reduce fertilizer use
• Supports conservation values of our
community
King County
Recycled Water Facilities
Brightwater Treatment Plant produces
high quality recycled water.
•
•
Water Production: permitted for 21 MGD;
currently distribute 7-9 MGD to Sammamish
Valley
Uses: irrigation, industrial process,
toilet/urinal flushing
Membrane Filters at Brightwater
produce Class A reclaimed water used
at Brightwater and the Sammamish
Valley.
Recycled Water is Safe!
• King County has been recycling
water safely for 20 years
• We clean the “bad stuff” and
recycle the “good stuff”
• Recycled water has almost zero
total coliform but has nutrients
plants need to thrive
What about medicines and
personal care products?
Why recycled water at
Brightwater?
• Requirement of outfall lease
• Cost-effective infrastructure
• Large irrigation demand in the Sammamish
Valley for farms, parks and golf courses.
• Opportunity to get water back in stream to
improve habitat.
Sammamish Valley
Recycled Water
Distribution
System
Sammamish
Valley
Irrigators &
Water Rights
Source:
Department of Ecology
Sammamish River Valley
People,
Farms,
and fish.
Sammamish River Challenges
• Channelization and dredging
• Loss of riparian habitat & species
• Water withdrawals & low stream
flows
• High water temperatures & low
dissolved oxygen
• Non-point pollution (bacteria,
nutrients)
Sammamish River Restoration and
Recycled Water
Switching Sammamish basin ground and
surface water uses with recycled water is
recommended in these plans:
• Lake Washington/Cedar/Sammamish
Chinook Salmon Conservation Plan
(2005)
• Sammamish River Corridor Action Plan
(2002)
• Bear-Evans Temperature, Dissolved
Oxygen and Fecal Coliform Bacteria
Water Quality Implementation Plan
(2011)
New water solutions for the
Sammamish River
King County saves
419 million gallons
per year of water by
using recycled water
at Brightwater Facility.
Toilet and Urinal Flushing
Process Water
Irrigation
Willows Run Golf Course keeps about 40 million
gallons of water in the Sammamish basin each
summer by using recycled water.
Sammamish River Flow
2015 Compared to Average
700
600
500
cfs
400
300
200
100
0
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Avg Samm. River Flow, 1969-2015
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Dec
Sammamish River Flow, 2015
Sammamish River flowed at record
low levels for most of summer 2015.
Washington
2015
Drought
Sixty Acres Park saves critically need
water for Sammamish River salmon by
switching to recycled water in 2015.
Sixty Acres Park, the largest
soccer complex west of the
Mississippi River, replaces
river water with recycled
water for irrigation in August
of 2015.
Kirkland and King County
save municipal water in 2015.
To meet regional water conservation
goals, Kirkland and King County
mobilized a truck haul fill station at
King County’s York Pump Station for
Kirkland municipal uses:
•
•
•
•
•
Tree irrigation
Street sweeping
Sewer flushing
Saw-cutting
Concrete mixing
Brightwater Recycled Water:
Future Benefits
-
Keep water in the Sammamish River: by switching irrigators to
recycled water, we could keep about 7 cfs in the river.
-
Expand Local Agriculture: recycled water can provide water for
farms with no or limited access to water.
-
Supplement regional water supplies: recycled water can
stretch municipal water supplies and support regional water
resiliency efforts to drought and climate change.
Pathway for Partnerships
• We coordinate closely with the
Department of Ecology,
Muckleshoot Tribe and
Washington Water Trust to
support water resource
management goals for the
Sammamish River.
• Laying the framework for using
the state’s Trust Water Program to
protect stream flows.
•
Support water resource goals
related to regional salmon
For more information:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 206-477-4474
Web: kingcounty.gov/recycledwater