FAQ's from the Hazard Mitigation Survey

King County Water District No. 90

FAQ’s and Comments regarding the Hazard Vulnerability Customer Survey

January & February 2025

Thank you for participating in the survey! We were excited to receive 642 responses to our Hazard Vulnerability Survey. 

Several questions and themes emerged from the comment sections of the survey. I would like to highlight some of these points here.

1.    Earthquake Risk—Among all potential hazards in our area, customers express the most concern about earthquakes, and rightfully so, as the District also identifies this as our greatest risk. Recent LIDAR technology has revealed that the southernmost fault line of the Seattle Fault runs along May Valley Road. The last significant earthquake on this fault occurred approximately 1,100 years ago, resulting in a vertical displacement of 20 feet on Mercer Island and West Seattle. An earthquake in this location is likely to be shallower and could potentially cause more damage to the District than a larger earthquake on the Cascadia Fault.

a.    What is the District doing to prepare for earthquakes?

                                          i.    We have updated our Construction Standards to ensure that all new water mains are restrained (tied down). New water mains will be made of flexible HDPE pipe, which is welded together. This type of pipe does not pull apart like other water mains and can withstand ground movement.

                                        ii.    We have installed “Shake Alert” early warning system at multiple locations, with more planned in the future. This system can alert the District of ground movement, allowing us time to shut down pumps to decrease potential damage.

                                       iii.    We are currently seismically upgrading Pump Stations #4, #5, and #6. FEMA is funding approximately 60% of this project.

                                       iv.    We are drilling a new well at the District's office. This site is more secure because it is located outside the landslide and liquefaction zones along the Cedar River. Once completed, this well will enable potable water distribution after an emergency event. FEMA is funding about 75% of this project.

                                        v.    We are installing an emergency intertie with the City of Renton to ensure we can continue providing water if we lose our primary water supply from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU). FEMA is funding approximately 85% of this project.

b.    What plans does the District have for addressing future earthquakes?

                                          i.    We continue to replace the Steel and Asbestos Cement (AC) water mains, which are prone to breaking due to ground movement. Currently, we have approximately 4 miles of Steel and 15 miles of AC water mains left in our system. The cost to replace each mile of main ranges from $1.6 million to $2.0 million for the District. The district has replaced four miles of main in the past two years.

                                        ii.    We would like to add an additional intertie with SPU so that if the Cedar Supply is cut off, we could receive water from the Tolt Supply.

                                       iii.    We are also looking for ways to improve the infrastructure that crosses or is adjacent to May Valley Road.

2.    Wildfire Risk—Customers' second biggest concern is the risk of wildfires, and we share this concern. District staff operates and tests each fire hydrant at least once every three years to ensure effective operation.

a.    Future planning for Wildfires?

                                          i.    We propose expanding the District’s service area boundary to include customers along SE May Valley Road, from Squak Mountain Road SE to Issaquah-Hobart Road SE. This expansion aims to provide water for firefighting efforts on the District's east side. Homes in this area, as well as in most of unincorporated King County, are situated in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI), which is prone to a higher rate of wildfire activity.

                                        ii.    While we all love parks and open spaces, we are concerned that the north and east sides of the District are adjacent to parks and open spaces that do not have water service. We have been communicating with King County, Local Fire agencies, and the State about adding water so that small wildfires can be addressed before they become large.  

                                       iii.    Our water system wasn't designed to combat wildfires or multiple fires simultaneously, but we are exploring ways to temporarily increase the water supply to address this issue.

3.    Severe Weather and Other Hazards—The District is prepared for snow, ice, wind, flooding, cyber-attacks, and extreme heat hazards.

a.    Our Emergency Plan, Continuity of Operations Plan, and IT Contingency Plan are all current and comply with State and Federal requirements.

b.    The District has installed generators at its pump stations to ensure a continuous water supply during power outages.

c.    The Field Crew members are cross-trained, enabling them to respond to any emergency effectively.

d.    We are assessing solar solutions to enhance our electricity resiliency and provide redundancy.

e.    When weather conditions make it unsafe to access the District office, employees can work from home to continue providing customer assistance.

f.     We have emergency fuel, food, and supplies for our staff.

g.    The District has an emergency notification system that sends automated phone and text messages. We are upgrading this technology to make it more user-friendly and speed up notification delivery.

h.    The District is a PSERN (Puget Sound Emergency Radio Network) member to ensure communication during and after an event.

i.      The District is a member of WAWARN (Washington Water/Wastewater Agency Response Network). The mission of WAWARN is to support and promote statewide emergency preparedness, disaster response, and mutual aid assistance for Washington’s public and private water-related utilities in the case of a natural or man-made disaster.

j.      After an earthquake or another major disaster, we can distribute potable water directly to customers from our Reservoir #1 location. (You will need to bring your own containers.) In the future, a second location will be available at the District office.

4.    Communication - We sought your input on the actions that KCWD90 should take to prepare for a disaster. The majority agreed that upgrading our infrastructure is the most important step. A close second was the need to educate and communicate with the public to inform everyone about our efforts.

a.    Customers expressed frustration about not knowing about our current preparations.

b.    Many customers seemed confused by our request for community input on our hazard mitigation plans. Community engagement is a requirement for updating this plan. In general, governments across the nation are striving to be more transparent and to incorporate community input and feedback whenever possible.

c.    Customers requested additional information on emergency preparedness kits, early warning notifications, emergency education, and post-emergency actions.

5.    Other Comments –

a.    Some customers confuse the District with the larger "King County." For clarification, "King County" in our name indicates our location. We are not part of the King County government; rather, we are a Special-Purpose District governed by three elected officials.

b.    In the survey’s comments, some customers have requested additional discounts or reduced rates. However, the reality is that we will never have sufficient funds to achieve all our goals. Replacing just one mile of water main costs between $1.5 million and $2 million, and we have to consider 140 miles of main. Depending on the material type, a water main typically lasts 50 to 100 years. Additionally, we have numerous pump stations, reservoirs, and other essential infrastructure that require upgrades and replacements, all of which need funding. We are actively seeking grants and low-interest loans to help finance these projects. Currently, 25% of your rates are allocated to capital projects.

c.    Many customers have suggested that we should allow experts to determine hazard mitigation strategies. We agree! The District collaborates with the EPA, USGS, Washington Department of Health, and Ecology to research and plan for hazards. Additionally, the District utilizes external engineering services from DEA Engineering.

d.    Many residents have expressed concerns about having only one access road in and out of their neighborhood. This situation often means there is only one water main supplying the area as well. We are exploring options for creating loops and redundancies in our future improvement plans. Unfortunately, any changes to the road infrastructure fall outside of our authority.

e.    Several individuals have suggested burying power lines and trimming trees to reduce the risk of wildfires. While we believe this is a valuable idea, it is not part of our normal scope of work. However, we are focusing on strategies to remove flammable materials around buildings, upgrade building materials and roofs, and implement other "defensible space" activities to mitigate fire risk.

f.     Lead pipes have recently garnered attention, raising concerns among customers. The District believes that there are no lead pipes in our system. Lead was banned in our area after 1958, and our first water system was installed in 1956, at which time lead was not included as an approved material.  

g.    Most people agree that climate change affects the frequency and intensity of natural disasters. Snow melts earlier each spring, which means we may need to store more water to survive hot, dry summers. In the short term, the district is adding air conditioning units to pump stations to reduce the risk of the pumps overheating when temperatures soar, as they did in 2021 when temperatures reached 110 degrees.

h.    Helpful resources:

·         EPA Natural Disaster info and preparedness = https://www.epa.gov/natural-disasters

·         State of WA Emergency Management Division = https://mil.wa.gov/emergency-management-division

·         State of WA Department of Health, Drinking Water = https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/drinking-water

·         King County Office of Emergency Management = https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/executive-services/governance-leadership/emergency-management

·         King County Emergency News = https://kcemergency.com

·         King County Public Health = https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/dph

 To see results of the Hazard Mitigation Survey, click on this link:

https://www.kcwd90.com/articles.php?ar=213&ac=9

Do you want to know more about what we are doing? Please join us for the Open House on April 8, 2025, from 3 pm to 6 pm or April 9, 2025, from 10 am to noon to learn more!

Do You Have a Backflow Device?

KCWD90 has partnered with Backflow Solutions, Inc. (BSI), a third-party contractor, to manage the District's Cross Connection Control Program. BSI provides a web-based tracking program and a more efficient and cost-effective means of managing the District's inventory of backflow prevention assemblies.

What does this mean for you as a backflow customer? Click here to find out.

Here to Serve Our Entire Community

Clean water is essential to the pursuit of health and happiness and King County Water District No. 90 exists to provide these services to everyone in our community. We serve a diverse population and we want to communicate to you, our customers, that we support equality.