Most of the criticism of the project is based on simple ignorance: Big giant infrastructural projects encounter problems. They are difficult, costly and sometimes not-at-all community friendly. If someone out there has a better idea (ya, sure, let’s have everyone install a septic system so we can all be “free of government”), I’d like to hear it.

Second, Ron Sims tried to put the Brightwater Project in any number of communities. This was a classic NIMBY situation. The project is digging through 13 miles of King County due to the shortsightedness of the citizens themselves.

Third, the numbers thrown out regarding the cost of Brightwater have been so politicized and tortured by its critics that one can hardly get a sense of what these projects really cost. The $1Billion figure so often quoted was based on projections back in the 1990’s. It’s a number that stuck…as if a decade later the cost would not go up.

Ultimately, this region will benefit greatly with the construction of Brightwater. It is emblematic of our current American inability to look into the future, to allow our infrastructure to fall into disrepair and then point the finger at someone else when something goes wrong. Happy flushing.