After rivers flood, King County Water Taxis use infrared goggles to dodge logs

Seattle was spared from the worst of recent flooding, but the raging rivers in Western Washington sent lots of trees and logs into Puget Sound. That can mean trouble for captains sailing through Elliott Bay.

Crews aboard King County's water taxis are used to some debris floating in the water this time of year. But as December 2025 has seen record-setting river flooding, it's been worse.

Heavy rain and wind, like we’ve seen the past couple of weeks, can push a lot of the trees, logs, and debris along river banks into waterways.

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That can be a hazard for boats, like King County Metro’s Water Taxis that crisscross Elliott Bay. Aboard every taxi is a crewmember dedicated as a lookout to keep an eye on the water to make sure there isn't any debris in front of them.

To avoid crashing into a big, floating log, Terry Federer from King County Metro says they use tools straight out of a spy movie: infrared goggles.

"The debris in the water has a different heat signature than the water itself,” Federer told KUOW. “So, with the infrared goggles, the lookout can spot different types of debris and then tell the captain that they should move to this direction or to that direction to change course."

The boats have light bars on them, too, that emit infrared light. Federer said they can not only spot logs with the goggles and lights, but also large animals like whales.

Water taxis are nimble enough, he says, to quickly sail around obstacles. Because of their catamaran shape, captains can also sail over a piece of debris with the object slipping in between the two hulls.

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This time of year, with limited visibility and more stuff in the water, taxis will sometimes slow down a few knots. Thankfully, so far this month, that has not caused big delays to service, Federer said.