Our Tour Guide
Bob Bucher is a Senior Wastewater Engineer in the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks Wastewater Treatment Division. He has spent the last eighteen years in the Technology Assessment Program pilot testing new technologies, commissioning processes in treatment plants, and supporting research efforts by both local universities and industry research foundations. He is a registered professional engineer in Washington State and holds a Washington State Group IV wastewater operator license.
Brightwater Facility
The Brightwater Wastewater Treatment Plant is King County's newest treatment facility. The 114-acre site includes a LEED® Platinum education center and 70 acres of public open space with three miles of walking trails. Constructed within a community, King County has promised zero odor detection outside the boundaries of the site with the purpose of maintaining the air quality for our neighbors. An extensive odor control system has been put in place to uphold this promise. As part of the treatment process, one hundred percent of the organic solid material is converted into fertilizer onsite and distributed around the state of Washington to return the nutrients back to the soil.
Brightwater uses membrane bioreactors. These offer technology advantages for removal of pollutants such as pharmaceuticals, personal care products, and certain endocrine disruptors, and allowed the facility footprint to be smaller. The tour of Brightwater will highlight all these unique elements of this innovative public utility.
Please RSVP by Thursday October 9, tour space is limited.