

The city of Kennewick’s new biosolid fertilizer production greenhouses, shown in background, are on track to be completed by the end of May. Biosolids from the city’s wastewater treatment plant will be converted into Grade A fertilizer.
Photo by Laura KostadThree Mid-Columbia wastewater treatment facilities are among those being celebrated by state ecology officials for protecting water quality and public health.
The state Department of Ecology honored 125 plants for their work in 2025 with Outstanding Performance Awards, according to a release. The awards indicate that a given facility has regularly met numeric effluent limits, conducted required water quality monitoring and submitted reports on time.
“Wastewater infrastructure is something that often goes unnoticed. Many of us don’t think about where our water goes or how it gets treated, while wastewater operators think about it every day,” said Jon Kenning, Ecology’s Water Quality program manager, in a statement. “Their work often goes unseen, but it benefits everyone in the state.”
The Mid-Columbia facilities that were recognized are:
