Ship Canal Water Quality Project Series - Jacobs / Lane Construction / Seattle Pacific Utilities
Government / Public Utilities / Instructional
Completed December 2025
The Challenge
Jacobs, alongside Lane Construction and Seattle Public Utilities, approached Element 7 with a need to document and deliver a comprehensive training program for operators responsible for managing Washington State’s Ship Canal Water Quality Project and associated wastewater treatment facilities.
This was not a single video deliverable, but a large-scale instructional system. Training needed to cover classroom-based learning, on-site walkthroughs, and live operational procedures across multiple locations — including underground tunnels, conveyance systems, and active treatment plants in Seattle and Edmonds. Videos would be captured in real time as training occurred, often with limited opportunity for retakes, while adhering to strict government compliance, safety protocols, and vendor documentation requirements.
The core challenge was clarity at scale: producing accurate, usable training content while coordinating feedback, approvals, and documentation across multiple project leads and public agencies.
Our Approach
Element 7 approached this project as an instructional ecosystem rather than a traditional video series. From the outset, we designed a system that prioritized consistency, traceability, and precision — ensuring that every module could be clearly reviewed, approved, and deployed within a government framework.
We developed a standardized visual and editorial language across the entire series, including consistent graphics, pacing, and presentation styles. To manage scope and accountability, we implemented detailed progress trackers that documented module status, reviewer responsibilities, approval stages, and time tracking — allowing multiple stakeholders to stay aligned throughout production.
Equally important was subject-matter understanding. By investing time in learning the operational details of wastewater treatment processes and facility systems, our team was able to identify what truly mattered on camera — capturing the right soundbites, insert shots, diagrams, and demonstrations to support clear instruction and future troubleshooting.
Production Highlights
Filming took place across Wallingford, Fremont, Edmonds, and Seattle Public Utilities facilities, including active construction zones and underground tunnel environments. Production required full compliance with safety regulations, including PPE protocols and restricted-access workflows.
Instructional sessions were captured live, combining screen recordings of classroom presentations with cutaways to presenters, trainee questions, and on-site demonstrations. In noisy and confined environments with spotty signal transmission, we employed redundant wireless audio recording systems to ensure clarity and reliability while allowing instructors to move freely about the space while teaching.
To accommodate tight spaces and challenging access points, production remained intentionally nimble — allowing crews to move efficiently through ladders, tunnels, and machinery-heavy environments while maintaining high technical standards.
The Result
The final deliverables included more than 50 individual instructional modules, ranging up to an hour in length, covering a wide spectrum of operational training needs. The videos are now used internally by Seattle Public Utilities as a long-term training resource for current and future operators.
Because of the success of the courses, Element 7’s contract extends to 2027 to deliver additional training videos as more projects are completed.
Feedback from project leadership highlighted the effectiveness of the training program and the collaborative effort behind its execution, with recognition for the clarity, organization, and professionalism of the final materials.
Takeaway
By treating instructional video as a system — not just a set of recordings — Element 7 delivered training content that is scalable, compliant, and built to last. Meticulous planning, transparent tracking, and a deep understanding of the subject matter allowed us to support a highly technical government initiative with confidence and precision.
This project reflects Element 7’s ability to bring structure to complexity, and to translate real-world operational knowledge into clear, usable instruction.
At its heart, this work is about trust — delivering clear, reliable training for the people responsible for maintaining infrastructure that communities depend on every day.