PEOPLE FOR PUGET SOUND’S ‘ACTION AGENDA’
FEBRUARY 2008
Stormwater and Water Quality

The 2006 Puget Sound Partnership, a coalition of 14 eminent scientists, and the Department of Ecology have all noted that stormwater is one of the most significant sources of pollution to Puget Sound. Stormwater carries large quantities of pollutants such as oil and grease from cars, fecal matter from pets and farms, and pesticides. Metals and persistent pollutants end up in Puget Sound bottom sediments. As the volume of stormwater increases, it also causes great damage to physical habitat, scouring stream bottoms, washing away salmon spawning beds, and significantly altering the natural characteristics of streams.

Rapid urbanization in the Puget Sound region has transformed the landscape, and impervious surfaces have replaced natural vegetated areas. These hardened surfaces prevent rainwater from infiltrating back into the ground where it is stored. Mature native trees capture 50% of all rain that falls, either on their foliage or through their root systems.   This water is then “transevaporated” back into the atmosphere. Cutting down forested areas, filling wetlands, and replacing these areas with residential and commercial development compounds the problem. These changes and the impacts listed above have been identified as a major contributing factor in the steep decline of salmon and, in turn, Orca populations in the region. Currently, the state does little to prevent the generation of stormwater but, instead, attempts to “manage” it after it is generated through stormwater retention ponds and other similar techniques. This approach has failed to correct the problem.

Solutions to the Stormwater Problem for the 2020 Action Agenda

A promising new technique that has been “piloted” throughout the region is known as Low Impact Development or LID, and the 2020 Action Agenda must focus on how to scale-up LID Soundwide. Under LID, new development maintains appropriate amounts of vegetation, particularly trees, on the property. LID development also reduces impervious surfaces such as asphalt and allows for more infiltration of runoff. In addition, many LID developments capture and reuse rainwater through rainbarrels, cisterns, and other techniques. This approach must be mandated for new development in the region.

In addition, it is very important that local jurisdictions preserve and protect forested areas, wetlands, stream buffers and other important features of the landscape that prevent runoff, and the 2020 Action Agenda must address this critical problem.

The Action Agenda must include two-year, measurable benchmarks designed to bring us into compliance with water quality standards and habitat objectives by 2020 and should ensure the following:

•    All new development should be required to meet Low Impact Development requirements.

•    Where possible, forest lands, wetlands, and other features of the landscape which are important to the natural hydrologic process should be preserved.

•    Existing areas that have been degraded should be restored and retrofitted to reduce or eliminate stormwater impacts. A large new funding source is needed to accomplish this goal.  

•    Land use planning must account for water quality impacts of development. Local jurisdictions should be required to do full-build out analysis on new plans to account for water quality impacts. Sub-basin plans should be developed to identify problems and opportunities to prevent or correct stormwater problems.

•    Source control strategies must be adopted to phase out damaging pollutants commonly found in stormwater.

•    A regional monitoring program linked to adaptive management programs is needed.

See here Rhoda Green's underwater video of a stormwater event at Seacrest in Puget Sound.