Heathfield Pipe Repair and Environmental Restoration

Sept. 6 Update

King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) is contacting you to provide an update on the urgent repair work at the Heathfield Pump Station and the environmental restoration in surrounding areas. You may unsubscribe from these emails at any time.

The following is a summary of our activities to date and an update on what to expect in the next week.

Project webpage and construction hotline:

We will continue to share updates via email with the community weekly. Once updates have been sent via email, they will be posted to our project webpage at kingcounty.gov/heathfield-pipeline-repair. You will also find past updates on the page.

Additionally, we have set up a project hotline. For questions about pipe repair or Vasa (Squibbs) Creek restoration activities, please call: 206-263-4088

Pipe repairs at the Heathfield Pump Station

Activities completed the week of Sept. 2:

King County’s contractor finished replacing about 100 feet of force main pipe behind the pump station and began site restoration.  

Work crews deliver new sections of pipe for installation.

Activities planned for the week of Sept. 9:

The contractor expects to complete the site restoration work the week of Sept. 9. This is a temporary restoration work as additional repairs are anticipated in the next few months (read more below). The site will be fully restored once all construction activities are complete.

Operations staff will also work inside the pump station to replace a valve.

What to expect for near neighbors:

• Permitted work hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday.
  • Crews will typically work 8-hour shifts within the permitted work window but may work longer if needed.
• Noise and vibrations typical of an active construction project.
• Street parking restrictions near the pump station.
• The contractor may use flaggers to help direct deliveries to the pump station property and direct traffic, as needed.
• Emergency vehicle access will be maintained.
• Garbage, recycling, composting, mail, and delivery service will be maintained.

Pipe relining and future work

After further inspection of the damaged force main, King County determined that 1,700 feet of the pipeline will need to be relined before it can be placed back into service. This section of pipe runs northwest of the pump station along Southeast 35th Place and connects to a larger sewer main uphill, near the Southeast Eastgate Way intersection. The damaged force main was installed in 1983 and was not part of the 2022 upgrade project.

Relining consists of installing a new pipe layer inside an existing pipe to extend its lifespan. Relining is a less impactful process than a full pipe replacement because it does not involve digging as many trenches to access the pipe.

King County is in the early stages of designing the pipe relining project. We are working with the City of Bellevue and Washington State Department of Transportation to secure permits for this work. We are also working with a contractor to begin this work as soon as possible. We expect the relining effort to take at least six months to design, construct, and fully restore the work area.

We will share more details about the relining plan and expected impacts as they become available.

Vasa (Squibbs) Creek

The County’s Environmental Services Unit and the Environmental Lab are implementing a sediment sampling plan for Vasa (Squibbs) Creek. The results of the sampling effort will help to inform next steps.

Additionally, the team is continuing to coordinate with the City of Bellevue, state Department of Ecology, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to assess the need and scope for further creek cleanup and restoration activities.

Activities completed the week of Sept. 2:

On Tuesday, Sept. 3, crews collected samples from select locations in the creek and worked with the labs to have them processed. We expect to have the results of the samples next week.

Activities planned for the week of Sept. 9:

We will return to the creek to take a second round of samples on Monday, Sept. 9. This sampling timeline follows the recommendations of the Environmental Lab team.

What to expect:

If the location for sampling is on private property, we will inform you in advance of the team taking the samples.

We ask that the public continue to avoid contact with the creek until further sampling and investigation activities have been completed.

Stormwater Vault Cleanup

Water quality testing of the Stormwater Vault on Southeast 37th Street was conducted last week. Based on the results, King County and the City of Bellevue determined that no further cleanup is needed.

Public information and outreach

We are grateful for community members who have shared information and connected us with their neighbors who may want more information.

To find out more about ongoing construction activities and restoration efforts, please visit: kingcounty.gov/heathfield-pipeline-repair and sign up for email or text alerts.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not approach workers onsite, for your safety and the safety of the crew. Instead, call the Community Services leads at (206) 263-4088 and leave a message. Someone will return your call as soon as possible.