Leading ESJ strategy for wet weather facilities in Seattle

King County’s Mouth of the Duwamish CSO Program

During heavy storms, Seattle's combined sewer system can overflow, causing polluted runoff to flow into the Duwamish River, Elliott Bay and the Puget Sound. King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) launched the Mouth of the Duwamish Combined Sewer Overflow Program to address this. The program plans to build wet weather facilities to control overflows from combined sewer outfalls along the Duwamish River. These efforts are essential for meeting federal and state regulations. By investing in these facilities, King County is modernizing its wastewater treatment system and reducing the frequency of combined sewer overflows.

Greenprint serves as the Equity and Social Justice (ESJ) Program Manager for this initiative, ensuring that King County’s commitment to equity is fully integrated into every aspect of the program. We oversee the consultant team responsible for public communication, community engagement and internal communications. Our work includes actively engaging with local communities, particularly in Seattle’s SODO, Pioneer Square and West Seattle neighborhoods where the outfalls are located. This approach ensures that the program addresses the needs and concerns of the communities most affected, while enhancing water quality in the area. King County is dedicated to promoting ESJ in the planning, design, construction and management of infrastructure projects to help communities thrive. Greenprint’s role in this program is to create tangible pathways for implementing King County’s commitments and bringing them to life in a way that truly benefits the community.