2023 has been a productive year on multiple fronts, completing major projects that protect water quality, improve habitat, reduce flood risks, and better connect communities. We also kickstarted several new ones that will produce measurable results for generations to come.
Thanks to outstanding work by our employees and our partners, the final year of Director Christie True’s 39 years of service proved to be one of our most successful ever. We invite you to watch a brief retrospective on how our Department has advanced during her career, including 13 years as our Director.
Here are a few of the accomplishments we made this year:
Improving stream health throughout King County
Multiple studies based on 20 years of data collected by our scientists indicate widespread improvements in stream health throughout King County, with 16 of 38 watersheds trending in the right direction and only one declining.
One of the studies determined that newer development is less harmful to stream health than older ones, indicating that stronger regulations enacted over the past few decades are contributing to better water quality in urban streams.
Leading the nation to convert wastewater into renewable energy source for major commercial real estate
Our Wastewater Treatment Division launched King County’s first sewer heat recovery project at a 1.6 million-square-foot urban campus in South Lake Union. It is one of the first projects of its kind in the nation to draw heat from the sewer system as a renewable energy source for commercial buildings and is expected to provide 70 percent of the campus’ heating.
It is a significant advancement for King County’s initiative to develop commercial interest in sewer heat recovery and to partner with the private sector on innovative solutions that cut energy costs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Transforming dilapidated buildings along the Duwamish River into critical habitat for salmon, greenspace for communities
Our Water and Land Resources Division successfully transformed a run-down hotel along the Duwamish River into healthy habitat for salmon and much-needed greenspace for the nearby community in Tukwila, applying an innovative funding strategy that included Sound Transit.
The new estuary, known as Chinook Wind, provides the complex, intertidal habitat young salmon need as they transition from freshwater to saltwater on their journey to Puget Sound. The project team included members of Green Start, our second Jobs and Housing crew that offers ecological career opportunities to people experiencing homelessness.
Completing the final segment of East Lake Sammamish Trail, contributing to the 44-mile Locks to Lakes Corridor
King County Parks hosted a celebration in Redmond for the final segment of the East Lake Sammamish Trail, completing King County’s portion of the 44-mile paved Locks to Lakes Corridor that connects Golden Gardens Park in Ballard to Eastside cities and the Cascade foothills.
The 11-mile East Lake Sammamish Trail connects to the Burke-Gilman, Sammamish River, Marymoor Connector, and Issaquah-Preston trails, providing a safe, accessible paved path for people of all ages and abilities to walk, ride, roll, and bike.
Reinventing the waste system, transitioning to a sustainable economy
Executive Constantine launched Re+, an initiative led by our Solid Waste Division to reinvent the region’s waste system to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions and transition to a sustainable circular economy.
While King County has achieved one of the highest recycling rates in the country, nearly 70 percent of the materials currently brought to the regional landfill could be reused, recycled, or composted, rather than buried as waste that generates potent greenhouse gas emissions. Re+ will mobilize the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to extend producer responsibility, make it more convenient to recycle, reduce food waste, and invest in new technologies that recover valuable materials.
Creating a 40,000-square-foot food hub to better connect local farmers to hunger relief organizations
We are partnering with community-based organizations and Food Lifeline to convert their 40,000-square-foot warehouse into a facility that will strengthen connections between local farmers and hunger relief organizations. The South Seattle Community Food Hub will provide much-needed shared space for storing, packing, and distributing fresh produce and goods to people and families experiencing food insecurity.
Developing regional solutions to reduce stormwater pollution, one of the greatest threats to water quality in our region
Executive Constantine led a regional summit we organized for Tribal leaders, state and federal agency leaders, water quality experts, university researchers, and cities and counties throughout Central Puget Sound to pursue regional solutions to stormwater pollution, one of the greatest threats to water quality in the Puget Sound watershed.
Making West Point Treatment Plant safer, more reliable, more resilient
Crews are making rapid progress on a project that will provide West Point Treatment Plant operators with an uninterruptable power supply starting next year, building a structure to house 88,000 pounds of batteries. It’s the first project of its kind in a major metropolitan region.
It is one of several actions we’re taking to make the Puget Sound region’s largest treatment plant safer, more reliable, and more resilient as we experience more frequent, severe rainstorms due to climate change. The Wastewater Treatment Division completed seismic upgrades and replaced raw sewage pumps, some of which had been operating nearly nonstop since the plant opened in the 1960s.
Investing Parks Levy funds to build and upgrade aquatic facilities, enhance parks and trails, restore river corridors, increase equity in recreation
Executive Constantine announced nearly $30 million in King County Parks Levy funding for 53 projects that will build and upgrade aquatic facilities, enhance parks and trails, protect and restore river corridors, and make access to healthy recreation more equitable.
Grant recipients include cities, park districts, school districts, Tribes, and community organizations that contribute to healthy, welcoming parks, trails, and natural areas where people, families, and communities can gather, relax, and play.
Delivering on a commitment to accelerate land conservation with $100 million to protect 3,000 acres of open space
One year after King County voters approved Executive Constantine’s initiative to accelerate land conservation, he announced $109 million for 52 projects that will increase climate resiliency and access to open space, and advance food sovereignty where there is the greatest need.
The conservation investments double the amount approved the previous year. Another reason for the sharp increase is that King County cut in half the amount of matching funds that partners are required to bring to the table. This unlocks additional conservation funding available from the voter-approved King County Parks Levy and other funding sources.
Building a trail bridge that will cross the White River, connecting cities, schools, and businesses with 22 miles of paved trail
King County Parks broke ground on a new steel trail bridge that will cross the White River, connecting two segments of the Foothills Trail at the King-Pierce county line.
Once completed next year, the newly connected trail will offer a 22-mile paved path that connects 238,000 residents, schools, business districts, and civic centers. A portion of the trail is built along the Carbon River, passing through farmland and forests with scenic views of Mount Rainier.
Diving into Lake Washington to improve wastewater treatment, restore habitat, enhance I-90 Trail
Crews with unique expertise in underwater construction are replacing aging pipes along the bottom of Lake Washington that connect Mercer Island to Bellevue to provide reliable sewer service while simultaneously restoring lake habitat and enhancing the popular I-90 Trail.
The Wastewater Treatment Division’s project, scheduled to be completed in 2026, is the latest example of capital projects that make the region’s wastewater treatment system more reliable while contributing to healthier habitat and greater accessibility to outdoor recreation.
Making it safer, easier for South King County to contribute to Re+ climate solutions
Our Solid Waste Division broke ground on a state-of-the-art station in South King County that will offer enhanced waste disposal and recycling services, contributing to the Re+ initiative that will cut greenhouse gas emissions by reinventing the region’s waste system.
The new South County Recycling and Transfer Station in Algona – south of Auburn – will make it safer and easier to recycle appliances, glass, metals, plastics, wood, and paper, compost yard waste, and dispose of hazardous materials. The green design includes a solar array that will provide nearly half of the energy needed to operate the station, charging stations for electric vehicles, and habitat enhancements.
Honoring winners of the 2023 Green Globe Awards, King County’s highest recognition for environmental stewardship
Executive Constantine led a celebration in White Center honoring the 2023 winners of the Green Globe Awards, the region’s highest recognition for environmental stewardship.
This year’s 11 award winners included a company that carefully deconstructs buildings to put lumber back into the economy, an organization whose highly efficient approach to building tiny homes for people experiencing homelessness minimizes waste, a collective that improves the health of Black communities by strengthening the local food economy, and a pioneering land conservation advocate who helped protect 120,000 acres of open space.
Simultaneously restoring habitat, protecting farmland, preventing floods in Snoqualmie Valley
The successful Griffin Creek project is among the first completed applying the principles of Snoqualmie Fish, Farm, and Flood, a cooperative framework developed by stakeholders convened at the direction of Executive Constantine to overcome historic conflicts to achieve multiple benefits in the Snoqualmie Valley.
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