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Brightwater

Artworks highlight wastewater treatment, history, and the lifecycle of water throughout this sprawling site.

Buster Simpson. Bio Boulevard and Water Molecule (detail), 2011. Painted steel and concrete. Brightwater, Woodinville, WA. King County Public Art Collection. Photo: Jon Kamita

Science, art, design, and ecology come together at Brightwater, one of the largest wastewater treatment facilities in the world. Located north of Woodinville, WA, Brightwater comprises a park, a community gathering space, an exhibition hall, and a scientific learning laboratory in addition to the structures that house technical operations. Throughout the site, integrated and portable artworks highlight the science of wastewater treatment processes, illuminate the history of the place, and reveal the role of people in the lifecycle of water.


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Brightwater’s artworks encourage environmental stewardship and proactive management of natural resources. In its community gathering space and laboratory, photographs by Eduardo Calderón, taken over a period of years, tell the story of Brightwater with documentation of the wastewater conveyance tunnel, auto wrecking yards that once occupied the land, completed structures, installed artworks, and staff. The gathering space also features artworks by Jim Blashfield, Cris Bruch, Ellen Sollod, and Claude Zervas.

Outside the Brightwater facilities, more than 70 acres of open space unfold. Three miles of walking paths wind through various native plantings and 40 acres of riparian habitat and restored salmon streams connect to the Little Bear Creek watershed. Within this landscape, permanent and temporary artworks celebrate natural water systems and reclaimed water use. The foreground landscape, visible from the street, features artworks by Buster Simpson and Andrea Wilbur-Sigo. A trio of pieces by Jane Tsong are installed across the site, each with a specific connection to the elements of water, air, or earth. Environmental sculptures by Janet Zweig, Jann Rosen-Queralt and Christian Moeller also appear on the grounds near the plant’s buildings.

To develop this extraordinary collection, 4Culture worked in partnership with King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division for 12 years, starting in 1999. The effort began by hiring three lead artists—Jann Rosen-Queralt, Buster Simpson, and Ellen Sollod—who collaborated with the project’s design team to create an Art Master Plan. The plan provided a conceptual framework for the artworks, laying the foundation for subsequent commissions. It also defined thematic zones for linking the artwork to Brightwater’s mission, landscape, architecture, and educational programs.