Operating error sends wastewater into Puget Sound

SEATTLE (AP) - An operating error caused thousands gallons of wastewater to spill into Puget Sound early Wednesday morning.

According to the state Departnent of Ecology's website, the spill came from King County's West Point Treatment Plant.

The public is advised to avoid contact with the water at Discovery Park, which is near the sewage spill. The beach near the treatment plant is closed pending water quality results, and Public Health – Seattle & King County issued a no water contact advisory. 

Contact with fecal-contaminated water can result in illnesses like gastroenteritis, skin rashes and upper respiratory infections, according to the ecology department. Children and the elderly may be more vulnerable to water-borne illness. 

King County Councilmember Jeanne Kohl-Welles issued the following statement in response to the spill.

“I’m disheartened to learn that an accident at the West Point Treatment Plant has caused yet another discharge of raw sewage ... Fortunately, the discharge could have been a lot worse but, unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened, and it may not be the last."