Puget Sound Sewage Spill
Event Year: | 2009 | Reliability: | Confirmed |
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Country: | United States | ||
Industry Type: | Water/Waste Water | ||
Description: | A sensor on a valve malfunctioned and resulted in the release of 10 milliion gallons of untreated wastewater into Puget Sound. In the early morning at the West Point plant in Discovery Park, a mishap with a sensor sent the roughly 5-to-1 mixture of stormwater and sewage through a pipe into the shallow waters of the Ellliot Bay. Ecologists expect short term impacts. However, the untreated waste would be higher in nitrogen which can contribute to fish-killing low-oxygen zones like the one in Hood Canal. |
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Impact: | A faulty sensor is responsible for the release of 10 million gallons of untreated wastewater in Puget Sound. This spill is being called King County’s worst spill in decades. |
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Action Description: | Treatment plant workers plan to examine their equipment and their responses to try to prevent sewage spills. |