Seattle Public Utilities Responding to Broken Sewer Pipe at Edgewater Hotel
Temporary Repair Could be in Place This Evening

For immediate release: 7/22/08
For more information, Contact:
Seattle Public Utilities Customer Service, (206) 684-3000

SEATTLE — Seattle Public Utilities, assisted by the Washington Department of Ecology, is responding to a broken sewer pipe at the Edgewater Hotel, 2411 Alaskan Way. The broken pipe has been discharging its contents into Elliott Bay since Friday.

The hotel’s 8-inch side sewer line, beneath Pier 67, ruptured after its mounting brackets broke and the pipe pulled away from the pier. The severity of the spill could not be immediately determined.

Contractors for the hotel are attempting a short-term fix to the problem — pulling the pipe back up to the pier with chains — which, it is hoped, will have the break repaired by this evening. In the meantime, a barge is being readied to be brought into position with a storage tank in case the temporary fix doesn’t work.

Water use in the hotel has been substantially reduced by closing the laundry facilities at the site, and kitchen water use will be reduced to the extent possible.

Because the Edgewater sewage system is built over the water, it cannot be permanently repaired without scaffolding. At the earliest, that work is expected to be completed by Friday.

Occupancy in the 223-room hotel is at 100 percent.

Seattle Public Utilities said the hotel’s management has been cooperating fully in the effort to respond to the broken pipe.

In addition to providing a reliable water supply to more than 1.3 million customers in the Seattle metropolitan area, SPU provides essential sewer, drainage, solid waste and engineering services that safeguard public health, maintain the city’s infrastructure and protect, conserve and enhance the region's environmental resources.

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Seattle Public Utilities