District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold shared via her newsletter to constituents news about a major investment being made for improvements in the Longfellow Creek watershed infrastructure. The design phase is set to begin in 2019.
Herbold writes:
Green stormwater infrastructure helps capture and clean polluted water runoff from roads, roofs, parking lots and other sources. When it rains, water picks up oil, greases, metal and other pollution as it makes its way back to our rivers, lakes and ultimately the Puget Sound. This pollution is toxic to the wildlife in our streams. As such, in 2013, the Council and Mayor directed departments to work together to manage a goal of 700 million gallons of stormwater runoff using green infrastructure, this is part of the Consent Decree we entered into with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the State Department of Ecology to reduce sewer overflows into Seattle’s water bodies. Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) had initially allocated $30 million to this end. However, during last year’s Strategic Business Plan update the Council approved an additional $35 million over the next six-years.
The Utility is tackling this issue in a number of ways. Many of you may have seen signs around your neighborhood for the RainWise program. This program, for eligible customers, provides a possible rebate of up to $5,000 for the installation of a rain garden or cistern. These solutions clean the water before it carries the pollutants to our waterways preventing the toxins from harming our wildlife. If you’re interested in the program and would like to see if you’re eligible, please go here.
In addition to the smaller scale RainWise program, SPU is partnering with sister agencies to lower costs and install “bioretention” along many of our street blocks within Seattle’s three major watersheds: Longfellow Creek, Thornton Creek, and Pipers Creek. Specifically, Longfellow Creek will begin the design phase of these bioretention areas this year and construction is set to begin in 2019.
Finally, SPU is working to leverage redevelopment to lower costs while updating green infrastructure. They are working with the Office of Planning and Community Development to prioritize urban villages based on equity, growth, and density to improve drainage, water quality and livability in the most rapidly growing areas. While I am supportive of this partnership and the outcomes, it is important to note that SPU recognizes that these types of improvements, by making these communities more livable and desirable to higher-income individuals, have the potential to exacerbate displacement of low-income individuals and communities of color. We need to ensure that we couple these investments with citywide anti-displacement strategies.
If you’d like to learn more, you can see SPU’s presentation here, and watch it here.
