In previous coverage<\/a>, King County Council member Kathy Lambert said most repair work was done at night.<\/p>\nWright said the jail has around 4.5 miles of piping that will need to be replaced, likely with a stainless steel system. There is no timeline for when it could be completed. And while the county is asking for $23.5 million, Wright said the total project cost may come in under budget.<\/p>\n
King County sued Aquatherm in March to recover damages associated with replacing the system and damage to the facilities. The lawsuit, which names Aquatherm and several of its U.S. subsidiaries, as well as local contractors, alleges the problems are not unique to the jail.<\/p>\n
“(The) unfair and deceptive acts were part of a pattern or generalized course of conduct, have been repeated and have the capacity for future repetition, and have injured other property owners in exactly the same fashion as King County,” according to the lawsuit.<\/p>\n
Aquatherm pipes are made from a material called polypropylene-random (PP-R), which Wright said usually works well in places that have hard water unlike Seattle.<\/p>\n
The Seattle Times reported in 2018 that the Via6 apartment project installed Aquatherm pipes during construction that had been deemed complete in 2013. The apartment complex has two, 24-story towers and 654 units. By 2018, the building’s management displaced tenants for a month to replace the piping after major water leaks and flooding. The building’s owners sued Aquatherm last year and litigation is ongoing.<\/p>\n
The Edith Green-Wendell Wyatt Federal Building in Portland also installed Aquatherm pipes in recent years following renovations that were completed around 2013. By summer 2018, the federally-owned building began experiencing leaks, said property manager Chad Hutson with the General Services Administration (GSA).<\/p>\n
“GSA is currently investigating the root cause for leaks with the assistance of the third-party consultant with the goal of permanently correcting the issue,” Hutson said in an email.<\/p>\n
If the emergency ordinance is declared by the King County Council, the county could begin the process of replacing the pipes at the correctional facility immediately.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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