March 2008

Urban areas pose special challenges in terms of restoring critical habitat and water quality as well as preventing further damage.  

Urban Bays

Urban areas pose special challenges in terms of restoring critical habitat and water quality as well as preventing further damage.   Urban bays, such as those found in Seattle, Tacoma, Bremerton, Everett, Olympia, and Bellingham, have changed dramatically over the past 100 years.   Urban centers were developed in these locations because they were flat areas that are part of major estuaries.  These estuaries are the center piece of the Puget Sound ecosystem providing vital nursery areas for important species that help make up the bottom of the foodweb.  
 
Fortunately, today, these cities on urban bays provide opportunities for environmental improvements in the redevelopment of their waterfronts.  Redevelopment and cleanup of urban bays improves habitat and water quality in these heavily damaged waters.   People For Puget Sound is a leader in many of these initiatives, pushing for cleanup of historic contamination and restoration of lost habitat.

Stormwater

 Stormwater is the most important carrier of toxic pollution to Puget Sound today.  In addition, in sensitive areas susceptible to dissolved oxygen problems - such as Hood Canal and the South Sound -  stormwater carries a load of nutrients that is helping overwhelm the system.

Urbanization, largely due to the loss of forested areas and the increase in hardened or “impervious” surfaces, such as roads and parking lots, has created major stormwater runoff problems.    Stormwater carries with it a host of toxic chemicals such as pesticides, metals, phthalates, and oil.

People for Puget Sound is a leader in the effort to reduce and eliminate impacts in this area. Our focus has been on alternative “low impact development” which can prevent storm-water runoff entirely.  

Stormwater also causes problems in watershed rivers and creeks.  Polluted stormwater runoff (rain) from streets, parking lots, roofs, and other surfaces, is a major threat to stream health.  Eroded soil causes a load of silt in streams, leading to excessive scour or to accumulations which smother vital salmon habitat.

Disrupting the water cycle
In pristine watersheds the forest floor acts like a sponge, absorbing rainwater, and either the roots of plants and trees suck it up or it slowly trickles into the ground feeding wetlands and streams such that water levels rise and fall slowly.

As the land is cleared of trees, the soil is compacted and covered with impervious surfaces (like asphalt), stormwater quickly runs off the land and into wetlands, lakes, and streams. These large volumes of fast-moving water can power-wash streams of critical salmon habitat and erode stream banks.

As more water runs off the land, less is infiltrating into ground water causing streams to dry up in the summer and threatening our drinking water supply.

Delivering pollutants to Puget Sound
As water runs off impervious surfaces it picks up pollutants such as pesticides, animal waste from lawns, oil, grease, heavy metals, dirt and dust. This runoff has emerged as one of the largest sources of pollution in Puget Sound, contributing to restricted shellfish harvesting, un-swimmable waterways, and dwindling fish and orca whale populations.

Towards prevention
If we are to protect critical stream habitat and water quality, we must work to protect and restore the natural water cycle, reducing runoff, and allowing it to infiltrate into the groundwater supply.

Low Impact Development (LID)
LID is a blend of measures that includes: conservation; minimization of impacts; maintaining historic, pre-developed runoff rates; integrated management practices and pollution prevention techniques.  Essentially, LID development minimizes the amount of hardened surfaces on the site and preserves vegetated areas on site in newly developed sites.  In central urban areas, LID techniques includes green roofs or planter boxes that help retain and filter stormwater. Together, these form a holistic approach to site design and stormwater management that better protects the environment, often costs less and improves the quality of life.

Stormwater Permit Appeal
People For Puget Sound is involved in a major law suit to require municipal governments to develop stormwater programs which both meet water quality standards and require new development to be conducted in a manner consistent with low impact development standards.  We have challenged the state’s recently adopted Phase I and II Municipal Stormwater General Permits.   The matter is currently before the state Pollution Control Hearings Board.   We also have been working with local elected officials to advance these programs at the local level.    We also advocated successfully, together with other conservation groups, for the passage of the “Evergreen Cities” bill, HB 2514, which will create incentives for local governments to protect urban forests.

What you can do
    * Add soil amendments to your lawn

    * Install a rooftop rainwater harvesting system

    * Consider re-roofing with a green roof

    * Participate in your local land use planning process at the county and city level to protect forested areas and natural hydrologic processes in watersheds and to require strong stormwate protections in urban areas.

    * Help us work with local governments to require all new development to meet low impact development (LID) standards..

, (206) 382-7007