Drafter

Clerk 01/17/2025

title

A RESOLUTION declaring the regional water quality committee's support of the wastewater treatment division's scoping document for updating the regional wastewater services plan update.

Body

                     WHEREAS, the regional water quality committee recognizes the critical importance of maintaining and enhancing its wastewater utility services to ensure public health, environmental protection, and operational efficiency, and

                     WHEREAS, a comprehensive long-range plan for wastewater services is essential to effectively address current and future needs, including infrastructure improvements, regulatory compliance, affordability of long-term rates and sustainable practices, and

                     WHEREAS, the council adopted the Regional Wastewater Services Plan ("the RWSP") in November 1999 through Ordinance 13680, subsequently codified as part of K.C.C. chapter 28.86, and

                     WHEREAS, the RWSP identifies projects and programs needed to provide wastewater treatment capacity for homes and businesses in the wastewater treatment division service area through 2030, and

                     WHEREAS, the RWSP provides policy direction for the operation and continued development of the wastewater system, the wastewater treatment division capital improvement program, financial policies to guide forecasting, budgeting, and debt financing, and revenue to support the implementation of the RWSP, and

                     WHEREAS, the RWSP, a supplement to the King County Comprehensive Water Pollution Abatement Plan originally adopted by the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle, serves as the primary framework for guiding the future of the county's wastewater utility and regional infrastructure, and

                     WHEREAS, the RWSP should be updated and the associated policies in K.C.C. chapter 28.84, Water Pollution Abatement, and K.C.C. chapter 28.86, Wastewater Treatment, should be examined to ensure investments in the wastewater system continue to improve water quality, ensure system performance, and to mitigate the impact of increasing sewer rates over the long term, and

                     WHEREAS, the wastewater treatment division has initiated the process to update the RWSP and review associated policies, and

                     WHEREAS, the regional water quality committee has a strong interest in ensuring the steps taken to update the RWSP are well coordinated and effective, and

                     WHEREAS, the plan update will benefit from a scope of work to describe the overall approach that will be used, and some of the major policy issues that will be analyzed, and

                     WHEREAS, the wastewater treatment division has developed a scoping document informed by comments and input received from the metropolitan water pollution abatement advisory committee, members of the regional water quality committee, and interested parties, and

                     WHEREAS, the scoping document prepared by the wastewater treatment division will support engagement with interested and affected parties by ensuring that diverse perspectives are considered in the planning process, and

                     WHEREAS, the regional water quality committee has reviewed and concurs with the approach proposed in the scoping document, Attachment A to this resolution, that will be used by the division to guide the development and content of the long-range regional wastewater services plan update;

                     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the King County Regional Water Quality Committee:

                     A.  The regional water quality committee declares its support of the wastewater treatment division's Scoping Document for Updating the Regional Wastewater Services Plan, Attachment A to this resolution, which the division shall use to guide the development and content of the long-range Regional Wastewater Services Plan update.

                     B.  The regional water quality committee requests the wastewater treatment

division brief the regional water quality committee before proposing any substantive changes to the scoping document.