On Friday, November 30th, at 8:29 a.m., Anchorage, Alaska was struck with a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. The quake occurred just prior to the release of a three-year study by Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) that states that if hit with a magnitude 7 earthquake or greater, Seattle and suburbs such as Bothell, Woodinville, Kirkland, Redmond, and Bellevue would lose all water pressure within 24 hours and “would need at least two months to entirely restore water service.”[1] On average, SPU’s pipes are 70 years old, and the impact of an earthquake would be substantial to the major transmission pipelines that transport water from the mountain reservoirs to the city.
The report states that Seattle should spend $850 million over the next 60 years (by 2075) to prepare the water system for any large-magnitude earthquake. The work would include “an estimated $217.5 million in transmission-pipe upgrades and $322 million in distribution-pipe upgrades.”[2] Over the next five years, the project is scheduled to only spend $10 million for the design and materials necessary to complete the recommended upgrades. From that point forward, SPU plans to install pipes in high-risk areas that would be earthquake resistant, spending $15-20 million each year.
SPU’s 1.4 million customers will have to prepare themselves to carry the financial burden that will be incurred by the project. Water, wastewater, solid waste and drainage costs are estimated to increase from a household rate of $181 in 2017 to a rate of $248 in 2023.
Upon the report’s completion, the SPU initially made public only 13 pages of the 722-page document referencing “Protected Critical Infrastructure Information,” a designation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; however, a week later released six out of 8 sections of the report.
[1] Beekman, Daniel, and Sandi Doughton. “Seattle, Suburbs Would Lose All Water Pressure within 24 Hours of Catastrophic Earthquake, City Study Says.” The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 3 Dec. 2018, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/seattle-would-lose-all-water-pressure-within-24-hours-of-catastrophic-earthquake-city-study-says/.
[2] Beekman, Daniel, and Sandi Doughton. “Seattle, Suburbs Would Lose All Water Pressure within 24 Hours of Catastrophic Earthquake, City Study Says.” The Seattle Times, The Seattle Times Company, 3 Dec. 2018, www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/times-watchdog/seattle-would-lose-all-water-pressure-within-24-hours-of-catastrophic-earthquake-city-study-says/.