Lakehaven Water and Sewer District penalized for pollution, required to improve systems
(UI) — Heavy rains coinciding with high tides at the Lakehaven Water and Sewer District’s Redondo wastewater treatment plant in early 2022 led to incompletely treated wastewater flowing into Cold Creek, causing shellfish bed closures in Poverty Bay.
The Washington Department of Ecology has penalized the district $85,200 for polluting Cold Creek and issued an administrative order for system improvements and enhanced emergency notifications.
The Lakehaven Water and Sewer District owns and operates the Redondo Wastewater Treatment Plant in the Redondo neighborhood of Des Moines. Heavy rainfall and high tide events, dating back to when the district extended the plant’s outfall line in 2009, have caused overflows at the facility. The wastewater backup resulted from heavy rainfall coinciding with high tide events, preventing proper discharge into the bay. Overflowing treatment channels within the disinfection building led to wastewater spilling into nearby Cold Creek, which flows into Poverty Bay.
In January and February 2022, approximately 484,000 gallons of incompletely treated wastewater were discharged, allowing harmful bacteria and viruses to enter the creek and bay. These pollutants can pose health risks to humans and wildlife, making shellfish unsafe to eat.
The potential for similar overflows into Poverty Bay led to the closure of around 68 acres of the bay’s shellfish beds in 2022 by the Washington State Department of Health’s Shellfish Program, and this closure remains in effect.
Vince McGowan, Ecology’s water quality program manager, emphasized the importance of proper wastewater treatment and handling, saying, "We’re requiring Lakehaven Water and Sewer District to invest in its facilities to meet permit requirements and to protect water quality, shellfish harvesting, and recreational uses of the local beach and Poverty Bay."
John Bowman, the District’s General Manager, acknowledged the challenges posed by excess inflow and infiltration from high rainfall events. He mentioned that the district is actively investing in wastewater system improvements to reduce stormwater entering the collection system, thereby safeguarding local shellfish beds and beaches in Poverty Bay and the Puget Sound.
Ecology is penalizing the district for unlawfully polluting state waters, discharging effluent in an unpermitted area, and failing to report discharges properly and accurately. In addition to the penalty, Ecology’s order requires the district to rectify the issues causing overflows by 2027. The order also mandates public notifications of overflows and the initiation of water quality monitoring in Cold Creek and Poverty Bay.
The Lakehaven Water and Sewer District has 30 days to pay the penalty or appeal it to the state Pollution Control Hearings Board. Penalty payments for water quality violations go to the state’s Coastal Protection Fund, which funds water quality restoration projects for public agencies and Tribes.
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