Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Poulsbo Cleans up a Lot on Liberty Bay

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Poulsbo Cleans up a Lot on Liberty Bay

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

Parking lot at Anderson Parkway near Liberty Bay after improvements.

Liberty Bay is an important waterway that supports commercial and recreational shellfish harvesting. For the city of Poulsbo, which sits at the top of Liberty Bay, it’s no wonder the people put the Anderson Parkway parking lot right next to the bay so folks can drive right up.

The Problem

The 2.1 acre Anderson Parkway is the single largest hard, non-porous surface in downtown Poulsbo. Rainwater lands on the Parkway, picks up pollution, and discharges untreated stormwater directly to Liberty Bay. The runoff from cars results in relatively high amounts of toxic contaminant loading to Liberty Bay.

Large portions of Poulsbo were developed over 100 years ago and have no stormwater treatment facilities. The city recognized that significant improvements could be achieved by retrofitting these developed areas, especially large paved areas near the water.

To find out how the city of Poulsbo dealt with the stormwater discharging into Liberty Bay, read this full story online, which was written by written by Joan Nolan, Ecology Northwest Regional Office.

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories.

Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Shoreline’s Aurora Corridor Improvement

By Diane Dent, Water Quality Stories Lead, Water Quality Program

A raingarden swale along Shoreline’s Aurora Avenue improvement area.

Introduction

A three-mile stretch of Aurora Avenue (Highway 99) between North 145th Street and North 205th Street in Shoreline, Washington, had problems. Before the city began making improvements here much of the area lacked sidewalks, and the wide roadway transitioned directly into parking for businesses along both sides of the street. The Washington State Department of Transportation said this corridor was one of the most dangerous stretches of road in the state.

Problem

Prior to the improvement project buildings, roadways, and parking lots covered approximately 97 percent of the area in hardened surfaces. During storms or heavy rain events, stormwater runoff from these surfaces flowed directly into nearby waters with little to no water quality treatment.

Milestones and outcomes

The city installed a series of low impact development (LID) structures that will help reduce stormwater volume, reduce pollutants from discharging into nearby waters; save money; improve community aesthetics; and improve air quality while reducing the heat island effect.

Read this full story onlinefor more information.

Story written by Melisa Snoeberger, Ecology Northwest Regional Office.

Telling our success stories

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of our Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories.

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New Washington Stormwater Center leads research to manage rainwater runoff

By Sandy Howard, Department of Ecology communications

If anybody’s going to figure out how to solve pollution problems caused by rainwater runoff, it’s going to be Washington, right?

It’s true: Our state is at the front of the pack in researching new tools and methods to protect our lakes, rivers and marine waters and aquatic life from polluted stormwater runoff.

Officials gathered May 20 to recognize the fact and dedicate the new Washington Stormwater Center. The Center is at WSU Puyallup Research and Extension Center. It's a great, new idea that’s just getting legs.

If you got too close during part of the event, you might have gotten wet! Watch this 49-second video and see thirsty pavement gulp down a bucket of water. It’s a new type of parking lot pavement the Center’s low impact development (LID) program is testing.

Two Department of Ecology grants helped start the Washington Stormwater Center and its work. Ecology provided $1 million to the universities and their partner, the City of Puyallup, for the Center and its stormwater technology review work. In an earlier grant, Ecology provided $1 million for the LID research facility at WSU’s Puyallup campus.

The Washington Stormwater Center is shaping up to be everything the Legislature envisioned and more. Josh Baldi, Ecology’s special assistant for water quality and Puget Sound, who spoke at the event, said the Center’s role is pivotal in transitioning stormwater management from ‘words on paper’ in permits, to actions on the ground that helps keep polluted runoff from harming our waters.

Other dignitaries in attendance included U.S. Congressman Norm Dicks (by phone), Washington State University President Elson S. Floyd, EPA Region 10 Administrator, Dennis McClerran, Puyallup Tribe of Indians Tribal Council Chairman Herman Dillon Sr., Puyallup Mayor Kathy Turner, Puget Sound Partnership Executive Director Gerry O’Keefe, Tacoma-Pierce County Economic Development President Bruce Kendall and Pierce County Public Works Director Brian Ziegler.

For more information, see the story in The News Tribune and Washington State University’s news release. Pierce County News also covered the event.

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