A $7 million upgrade of the Sweyolocken Pump Station in Bellevue was recently completed by the King County Wastewater Treatment Division. The upgrade will allow the pump station to handle projected wastewater flows in the next 20 years.

The station serves Mercer Island and many Eastside cities.

Built in 1965, Sweyolocken is one of the oldest pump stations operated by King County. It could pump 22 million gallons of wastewater per day before the project; it now can accommodate 26 million gallons per day.

The upgrades include technological advances that will reduce odor and noise; other improvements included an emergency generator to ensure operation of the station during power outages, new pumps and pump drives, new pipelines, new power supply facilities, improved landscaping and improved architectural design.