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King County's West Point water treatment plant was pushed past its limits Thursday morning during heavy rainfall and high tides, leading crews to bypass wastewater direct to Puget Sound.

The Department of Natural Resources and Parks said in a news release that the plant, located near Discovery Park, had gone into a bypass mode early Thursday morning.

Here is part of the release:

"West Point Treatment Plant is operating in emergency bypass mode as a result of an equipment failure that occurred at about 2 a.m. on Thursday morning, Feb. 9, during heavy rainfall and high tides. Crews are responding to restore operations.

"To protect the treatment plant from significant flooding that could severely damage equipment, West Point is operating in emergency bypass mode. Untreated wastewater is being discharged from the outfall, about three-quarters of a mile offshore and 240 feet deep in Puget Sound."

King County said in the release that it will monitor water quality and post signs telling people to avoid the water in the area over the next few days as a precaution.

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