KING COUNTY, Wash. — Seattle and King County have been penalized nearly a quarter million dollars for sewer overflow violations between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022.
The penalties were issued by the Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
KIRO 7 has covered multiple overflow incidents including one back in September 2022 that dumped between 15,000 to 20,000 gallons of raw sewage into Lake Washington, leading to beach closures such as Chism Beach Park and Burrows Landing.
Seattle has been told to pay $102,500 for 39 separate overflow incidents.
King County has been penalized $141,000 for exceeding pollutant limits at wet weather treatment stations and four overflows.
The penalties are requirements of separate 2013 consent decrees negotiated with the WADOE and EPA settling past violations.
Under the consent decrees, Seattle and King County have committed to controlling combined sewer overflows according to state regulations by 2030.