Ship Canal Water Quality Project to start 70-foot-tall pump station construction soon

Meghan Walker Ballard

The project to build a 70-foot-tall illuminated pump station tower is breaking ground soon at 24th Ave NW and Shilshole Ave NW .

The pump station is part of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project, which is a multiyear project to build a 2.7-mile-long wastewater tunnel between Ballard and Wallingford. The goal of the project is to reduce runoff into Salmon Bay and the Ship Canal.

The new rather epic-looking pump station will pump flows captured in the storage tunnel to the West Point Wastewater Treatment Plant next to Discovery Park in Magnolia.

Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) says the pump station designers found inspiration in Ballard’s “history, the underground infrastructure, and how Ballard looks today. The cylindrical shape mirrors the pump station and below-ground equipment space. The frame around the building echoes the industrial feel and scaffolding of Ballard’s shipyards,” the project description reads.

The pump station will also feature a large art sculpture (below) from Jeffrey Veregge, from the Port Gamble S’Kallam Tribe, which will celebrate the Coast Salish heritage and historical use of the area.

SPU is hosting two upcoming information sessions in Ballard about the project. There won’t be a formal presentation, but project staff will be on hand to answer questions and share project details.

In other Ship Canal Water Quality Project updates, Stone Way N has reopened in Wallingford between N 34th St and N 35th St. SPU says there may be some temporary lane closures in the coming months as they make final improvements.

Photos and renderings: SPU