Medina Sewage Overflows Into Lake Washington

MEDINA, WA - A wastewater pump in Medina overflowed into Lake Washington on Thursday during heavy rains, spilling stormwater and sewage into water in the area, according to King County Natural Resources.

The pump is located near Northeast 8th Street and 81st Avenue Northeast, just east of Medina Elementary School. The rainfall exceeded the capacity of the pump in that area, and the overflow will stop when rains subside.

King County will test water in that area for bacteria levels. Residents are advised to avoid going near the water in the area until the county declares that bacteria levels have returned to normal. The county will place signs along the waterfront warning of potentially hazardous water.

But the Medina spill was minor compared to a Puget Sound spill that happened early Thursday. Around 2:30 a.m. Thursday, an equipment failure at the West Point treatment plant in Seattle's Magnolia neighborhood caused 150 million gallons of untreated wastewater to spill into Puget Sound.

While crews fix and clean equipment at West Point, the plant is sending some wastewater to other county plants for treatment. As of Friday morning, the plant was able to treat wastewater. However, the plant had been operating in emergency bypass mode for much of Thursday, which means that untreated wastewater was being delivered 1 mile out and 240 deep in Puget Sound.

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