Recovery Act funds Washington stormwater projects worth $5.6 million

Environment News Service: Governor Chris Gregoire and the Washington state Department of Ecology have approved clean water projects in Olympia, Spokane, and Seattle's Ballard neighborhood worth a total of $5.6 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding. The funding will pay for low-impact development projects that provide enhanced stormwater treatment. These projects capture or slow stormwater runoff allowing it to infiltrate back into the ground.

The goal is to prevent polluted runoff from getting into downstream waters and drinking water. The projects will reduce flooding and sewer-stormwater overflows, and improve water quality for threatened and endangered salmon. Project proponents estimate the projects will support about 75 construction jobs. "Getting more jobs is a great bonus, but so is getting the clean water these projects provide for our state and for our salmon," said Governor Gregoire.

Polluted stormwater is the leading cause of urban water pollution in Washington state because water that goes into storm drains is not treated. Washington's capital city of Olympia will receive $3.67 million for enhanced treatment of stormwater runoff at Yauger Park. Half of the $3.67 million is a low-interest 20-year loan and half is forgivable principal loan, or money that does not need to be repaid.

….The project will increase stormwater storage at Yauger Park, reducing erosion from flooding. The project includes low impact development, a water quality treatment wetland, retention ponds, a 5,000 square foot rain garden, and swales. The city also will create a new parking lot using porous pavement.

The eastern Washington city of Spokane will receive $382,000 for its West Broadway SURGE (Spokane Urban Runoff Greenway Experiment) project. Half of the $382,000 is a low-interest 20-year loan and half is a forgivable principal loan, or money that does not need to be repaid.

…Seattle Public Utilities’ Ballard Green Streets project gets $1.54 million. Half of the $1.54 million is a low-interest 20-year loan and half is forgivable principal loan, or money that does not need to be repaid. Using this funding, the utility will install 10 blocks of swales to naturally detain and infiltrate stormwater. This Green Streets project will control runoff from 2.6 acres of hard surfaces, reducing sewer-storm overflows. The swales also will free up capacity in the combined sewer-storm system, further reducing pollution overflows….

Spokane Falls, from an 1888 illustration