After years of sewage spills, King County settles tribal lawsuit, agrees to plant upgrades

In 2017, catastrophic failures at the West Point Treatment Plant in Discovery Park turned into one of the worst infrastructure disasters in the region’s history – sending 30 million gallons of untreated sewage into the Sound.

The Department of Ecology fined King County and ordered improvements.

But smaller spills have continued: In 2018 and 2019 the plant dumped more than six million gallons of untreated or improperly treated sewage into the Puget Sound.

So, the Suquamish Tribe took a big step: In 2020, it announced its intent to sue the county.

On July 19, 2019, the Suquamish Tribe was preparing for its annual tribal canoe journey.