CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
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AN ORDINANCE relating to Seattle Public Utilities; authorizing the Director of Seattle Public Utilities to enter into a Joint Project Agreement with King County to design, construct, operate, and maintain the Ship Canal Water Quality Project, in partial fulfillment of the objectives of the Consent Decree authorized under Ordinances 123908 and 124129, and the "Plan to Protect Seattle's Waterways" authorized under Ordinance 124766, to reduce Combined Sewer Overflows; and ratifying and confirming certain prior acts.
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WHEREAS, the City of Seattle and King County own and operate their own combined sewer systems, portions of which are interconnected and that in some locations are at risk of overflows during heavy rain events; and
WHEREAS, the combined sewer system overflows (CSOs) are regulated under the federal Clean Water Act and governed by the State of Washington under the terms of National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits separately issued to both the City of Seattle and King County; and
WHEREAS, the terms of the NPDES permits require the City of Seattle and King County to limit untreated overflows at each CSO outfall to an average of no more than one per year; and
WHEREAS, under a Consent Decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology), and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) authorized by Ordinance 123908 and amended by Ordinance 124129, the City of Seattle must implement control measures to limit untreated combined sewer overflows in accordance with State of Washington requirements by December 31, 2025; and
WHEREAS, under a separate Consent Decree with EPA, Ecology, and DOJ, King County must control its combined sewer overflows, including its 3rd Ave. W outfall by December 2023 and 11th Ave. NW outfall by 2030; and
WHEREAS, the Consent Decrees of both the City and King County contain...
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