The Washington state department of ecology (ecology) proposes to reissue the Individual National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit for the West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant (permit). The current permit was last issued in December 2014 and was administratively extended after its expiration in January 2020. The revised draft permit and fact sheet, which explains the legal and technical basis for the permit, are available with any associated documents for review and public comment from April 5 through June 5, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Ecology will host two virtual workshops and two public hearings on the draft permit. The workshops and hearings will be held on May 9, 2023, from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. and May 16, 2023, from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Purpose of the Permit: The permit regulates the quality of treated wastewater discharged from King County's West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant. The permit also regulates the discharge of treated and untreated combined sewage from specific locations in Seattle. The Federal Clean Water Act and State Water Pollution Control Act require that anyone proposing to discharge pollutants into surface water bodies must obtain a permit that regulates that discharge. This proposed permit establishes requirements King County must comply with to ensure that the discharges of treated and untreated wastewater occur only at authorized locations and meet standards developed to protect the quality of area waterways.

Copies of the Draft Permit and Fact Sheet: Ecology will make the draft permit and fact sheet available online at https://ecology.wa.gov/WestPoint-Renewal by end of day on April 5, 2023. You may request hard copies from the Northwest Region Office records office at nwro_public_request@ecy.wa.gov or 206-594-0000.

Submitting Written Comments: Ecology will accept written comments on the draft permit from April 5 through June 5, 2023, by 11:59 p.m. Ecology prefers online comment submission via the eComment form (link below) on the permit web page. Written comments by mail must be postmarked by June 5, 2023. Comments should reference specific permit text when possible.

Ecology Contact: Tricia Miller, Permit Coordinator, Washington State Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 330316, Shoreline, WA 98133-9716, phone 206-594-0167, email tricia.miller@ecy.wa.gov.

Assistance for Persons with Disabilities: To request Americans with Disabilities Act accommodation for disabilities, call ecology at 360-407-7285 or visit https://ecology.wa.gov/accessibility. People with impaired hearing may call Washington relay service at 711. People with speech disability may call TTY at 877-833-6341.

Public Workshop(s) and Hearing(s): The purpose of the workshop is to explain the permit and to answer clarifying questions prior to the formal public hearing. The purpose of the hearing is to provide an opportunity for people to give formal oral testimony and written comments on the proposed draft permit. Oral testimony will receive the same consideration as written comments.

The permit workshops and hearings will occur on May 9, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., webinar https://waecy-wa-gov.zoom.us/j/88946897076?pwd=cGtsMlgxcU5CRS9JRHhRZjNmYXljdz09; and on May 16, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., webinar https://waecy-wa-gov.zoom.us/j/81908474079?pwd=aDdtNVBWM1UzOHhUanpGOFVBbCtZQT09.

Issuing the Permit: After ecology receives and considers all public comments, we will make a final decision on permit issuance. We will publish summaries of all comments along with our responses as part of the final permit record.