West Point Treatment Plant laying the foundation for climate change resilience
Cross-posted from Clean Water Stories Crews are working around the clock to quickly stand up the power system that will provide reliable power to clean wastewater at West Point, the region’s largest treatment plant. This project will make the treatment system more resilient to climate impacts as the region experiences more frequent, severe storms that can cause momentary voltage sags, and prevent emergency bypasses of wastewater to the Puget Sound. Read more and watch the video.
What you can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Cross-posted from Keeping King County Green A recent first-of-its-kind study led by King County shows greenhouse gas emissions per person decreased. We are all doing more to protect the environment. But total emissions increased, in part, because more people moved here. To read more and watch a video about what you can do to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, click here.
What did it take to become a female operator at a King County wastewater treatment plant?
Cross posted from Clean Water Stories Pam Restovic made history as a woman in the trades, working as a wastewater operator in the early days of the Clean Water Act. This law set new regulations to protect our nation’s waters from pollution and created new jobs across the country. Like many women at the time, Pam didn’t envision this career path. She grew up in Santiago, Chile and immigrated to the U.S. for school at age 20. After graduating from college, she was working as a waitress when a customer who worked in… Read More
Emergency evacuation training available for county-managed building tenants
Cross-posted from Executive Services Express If you work in person at a county site managed by the Facilities Management Division (FMD), even on a part time or hybrid schedule, you now have access to self-paced, online evacuation training. This is a shift from when each floor had “floor wardens” who were trained and assigned to help in emergencies. The change comes as a result of the county’s hybrid work environment. This expanded training ensures that the first capable person to access the floor warden kit during an emergency is able to act as… Read More
Griffin Creek flooded but now farms and fish return following completion of innovative project
From Keeping King County Green Heavy rainfall in 2019 and 2021 caused more than just water from Griffin Creek to surge over the banks and fan out across farmer Todd McKittrick’s fields. Sand, gravel, and rock swept across 15 acres of McKittrick’s fertile land along Griffin Creek, rendering the acreage unusable for farming. The torrent also left adult coho salmon returning to the creek’s spawning grounds stranded in a field amidst the debris and grass, with many of the fish dying before they could complete their journey. Projects such as Griffin Creek are… Read More
Federal Public Health Emergency ends May 11
President’s Biden’s administration has announced that the current federal Public Health Emergency for COVID-19 will be lifted on May 11, 2023. This means that King County’s obligations under the Health Emergency Labor Standards Act (HELSA) will also end as of that date. Currently the county is prohibited from discharging, replacing, or discriminating against high-risk employees for seeking accommodations or utilizing leave to limit their risk of exposure to Covid-19. Because of the improved conditions in the community which have led to the announcement of the lifting of the state of emergency, as… Read More
Guided by community voices, Michael Carter builds King County’s first Green Jobs Program
From Keeping King County Green As King County’s first Green Jobs Program Manager, Michael Carter knew his initial task would be to do a lot of listening. Working out of the Department of Natural Resources and Parks Director’s Office, Michael was asked to develop a countywide green jobs strategy – and that meant listening to the communities we serve, as well as partner employers and organizations. Read more.
Safety tip: Safe Commute Options
Our top priority is your safety and security at work, and we are continuing to partner with law enforcement, community, and other governments to ensure a safer, more welcoming environment in and around our facilities. King County offers employees a variety of Safe Commute Options to help you arrive to your destination with confidence. The Walkpool, Walking Bus, and Vanpool programs provided by the Employee Transportation Program are available for your benefit. Check out the Safe Commute Options video to learn more. Remember, in the case of an emergency call 9-1-1. To report a non-emergency… Read More
StormFest 2023 seeking volunteers
StormFest is an outdoor learning event with sixth and seventh grade Highline School District students using STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) and stormwater lessons for hands-on learning. At this outdoor event, students learn about their local watershed, sources of pollution, and engineering solutions to prevent stormwater pollution. Volunteers gain experience in best practices for environmental education and interacting with students from a variety of cultures. Bilingual station educators and interpreters will be paid stipends. Eligible employees can use leave for volunteer hours. Applications close on May 8. Check out this past… Read More
Together, we must do more on climate change
Cross-posted from Keeping King County Green The world’s top scientists released their latest report on climate change this week, warning that the Earth is on pace for severe damage. The United Nations climate report is a clear call for more ambitious climate action to prevent the worst effects of climate change. While King County is leading the nation with solutions and has a strong foundation to rapidly cut greenhouse gas emissions, together we must do more. The Department of Natural Resources and Parks is advancing King County’s Strategic Climate Action Plan goal to cut countywide greenhouse gas emissions in… Read More
Employee News 