information from King County

King County’s contractor, Goodfellow Brothers Inc., constructed 63 roadside rain gardens on ten blocks in the Sunrise Heights and Westwood neighborhoods this year (blue blocks on map in attached newsletter). Next year’s construction schedule will be shorter. Crews moved quickly and were able to complete two blocks originally scheduled for 2015. In addition, crews prepared the five remaining blocks (orange blocks on map in attached newsletter) for roadside rain gardens by installing wells and maintenance holes and moving sewer and water lines as needed. Expect to see about six weeks of active construction per block starting next spring as crews excavate planter strips, install irrigation systems, bring in soil and install plants. King County is constructing these roadside rain gardens to keep stormwater runoff out of the combined sewer system. Keeping stormwater out of the sewer system will reduce overflows of sewage and stormwater into Puget Sound during storms.

Roadside rain garden maintenance
King County is responsible for regular maintenance of roadside rain gardens throughout the year. Over the winter months, expect to see crews onsite monthly, with more regular visits around large storm events. Here is what crews will be doing:
· Monitoring plant health and removing weeds

· Monitoring drainage

· Removing debris and trash

There is a 24-hour hotline for neighbors to call: 206-205-9184. Please call the hotline if you see:
· Ponding water that lasts longer than 24 hours after it has stopped raining

· Vandalism

· Other concerns

If you see a small amount of trash, pick it up! While crews will be on the lookout for problems when they perform regular maintenance, they are not onsite daily like neighbors. Keeping hotline calls to major issues ensures a prompt response when needed.