Protecting the Environment

Protecting Your Water

Northeast Sammamish Sewer and Water District is committed to protecting your water. The District receives its water entirely from groundwater sources located beneath the Sammamish Plateau and Evans Creek valley. Sewer facilities are located throughout the District. It is the District’s intention to operate, maintain and repair the water and sewer systems in a manner that does not adversely affect the environment. In doing so, the District protects the high quality of your water supply.

Stream Monitoring

The District maintains a groundwater, surface water, and atmospheric monitoring network in the Bear/Evans system. The District also collects rain data, which is used to study interactions between water systems operations and the local aquatic system. The District monitors temperature along Evans Creek for good stewardship and to detect if the construction of new facilities impacts temperature.

Wellhead Protection Plan

The District’s water system is served from five wells. The wells pump groundwater into the District’s distribution system and water tanks. The water quality is superb and there is no need for the District to disinfect the water with any chemicals.

In order to protect this low cost, high quality water source, the District adopted a wellhead protection plan in 1995. A wellhead protection plan delineates wellhead protection areas for each of the District’s wells or well field. The county and city adopt land use regulations for these protected areas which prohibit certain activities which could harm the aquifer. The District updated the wellhead protection plan in 2012.

Protection of Local Streams

When the District constructs facilities near a stream, monitoring devices are placed in the stream to monitor water quality. This ensures that construction run-off is carefully monitored and controlled. The District also collects rain data, which is used to study interactions between the water systems’ operations and the local aquatic system.

Stationary generators have been installed at sewage lift stations next to streams or environmentally sensitive areas. In the event of a power outage, sewage pumps are unable to operate and there is the potential for sewage overflows into adjacent areas. The backup power generators eliminate this risk. In additions, lift stations are designed with additional storage capacity to allow time to respond to pump failures.

Regional Activities

In addition to these local activities, the District participates in regional activities:

In 2008 the District worked closely with the state Department of Ecology in studying temperature and dissolved oxygen in the Bear-Evans watershed.
The District participated for several years in a regional process to develop the Redmond-Bear Creek Valley Ground Water Management Plan. The plan contains strategies to address the potential threats to ground water quality and quantity in the area.
The District has participated on an advisory committee to the King County Sewer Treatment Division for many years. The committee advises the King County Council and Executive on matters related to water pollution abatement, such as sewage treatment and reclaimed water.
The District is a member of the East King County Regional Water Association, which in turn is a member of the Central Puget Sound Water Suppliers Forum (Forum) and the Washington Water Utility Council (WWUC). The Forum is an on-going effort to determine water needs for people and how these needs will be met over the next 20 to 50 years. The WWUC monitors and participates on behalf of the water industry in relevant litigation, regulation, and legislation.

The District will continue to work diligently to protect the environment.