Heathfield Pump Station Wastewater Overflow Response in Bellevue

Aug. 22, 2024 Update

King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is contacting you to provide an update on our wastewater overflow response at the Heathfield Pump Station. You may unsubscribe from these emails at any time.

The following is a summary of our response activities to date. We will continue to keep the community, jurisdictions, and agencies up to date.

Pipe repair and condition inspection

Starting on Thursday, Aug. 22, King County will be inspecting the force main connected to the Heathfield Pump Station to better understand its current condition. The inspection crew will use a remote camera and radio transmitter to view inside the pipe.

Some of this work will occur at the pump station property and some will take place away from the property. King County’s contractor made temporary repairs to the damaged force main pipe by replacing a section of the damaged pipe on Aug. 17. We will share plans to make permanent repairs to the pipe once they are available.

Stormwater Vault Cleanup

The City of Bellevue (Bellevue) has requested that King County clean out and disinfect a nearby stormwater vault to protect area waters from further impacts. Our contractor has been removing wastewater and cleaning the vault this week. This large stormwater vault connects to Vasa/Squibb's Creek. We will conduct tests and work with Bellevue to determine if further cleanup is needed.

We understand this cleanup work in the cul-de-sac has been noisy for neighbors. We will keep you updated on this important activity.

The map below shows the location of the stormwater vault (in blue) in the cul-de-sac on SE 37th Street.

Vasa (aka Squibb’s) Creek Cleanup

King County’s Environmental team expects to visually survey the creek today, Thursday, Aug. 22. They will be taking photos to document current conditions following the overflow.

We will continue to coordinate with the city of Bellevue, Department of Ecology, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to assess any long-term creek restoration activities. We will keep neighbors notified as we have more to share about this effort.

We have heard concerns from near neighbors about wildlife in the creek being affected by the spill. If you see sick or injured wildlife, please report it immediately to the WDFW.

Report wildlife observations | Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife

Environmental/Water quality response

Consistent with direction from Public Health - Seattle & King County, beach closure signs around Vasa Park Resort were removed today, Thursday, Aug. 22.

Please note that the lab results may continue to show elevated E. coli counts in some places. It is common in urban creeks to see elevated E. coli counts right after it rains due to pet and wildlife waste.

For public swimming beaches, you can always check King County’s Lake Swimming Beach map for more information on good beaches for swimming. 

Public information and outreach

We are grateful for community members who have shared information and connected us with their neighbors who may not have been home and others who live outside the immediately affected area.

To find out more about this incident, please visit: kingcounty.gov/WTD-Incident-Response and sign up for email or text alerts.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call the Community Services hotline at 206-296-7432 and leave a message. Someone will return your call as soon as possible.

We appreciate the community’s cooperation as we address this unanticipated incident at the Heathfield Pump Station.