Description
King County provides regional wastewater services for approximately 1.9 million people, including most urban areas of King County and parts of south Snohomish County and northeast Pierce County. Many of the wastewater system’s fixed assets (e.g., pipes, regulator stations, pump stations, outfalls) are located within climate vulnerable areas. Ensuring that wastewater assets can continue to collect and treat regional wastewater in a changing climate is critical to protecting public health and water quality.
King County will develop a Wastewater Climate Adaptation Investment Plan identifying program, project, and policy investments needed to account for climate impacts in the County’s regional wastewater system over time. The plan will allow King County to strategically scale up climate adaptation work by taking a holistic look at the entire regional wastewater system to characterize potential impacts and risks more fully, and describe solutions to minimizing those risks. The investment plan will provide a cohesive approach to preparing for and adapting to climate change at each step of project planning and delivery by integrating existing activities with new recommendations. The plan will also support communications around funding and resourcing needs for specific work.