BREAKING DOWN SILOS IN
SEATTLE’S NEW STORMWATER
MANAGEMENT PLAN
By Kelsey Bridges
MAY 9, 2014
INFRASTRUCTURE
Final Paper
Stormwater management planning is best preformed at a regional level due to
the large, extensive reach of both natural and manmade water systems. Although, a
long term, far reaching management plan is necessary for water management systems,
government actors do not always operate in this manner. Silos segregate all sectors of
government and can lead to inefficiencies or even mismanagement. The problem of
silos is arguably more critical when it comes to infrastructure planning. This field effects
local activities but is often planned at a regional level. Projects involving water
infrastructure or drainage effect individuals locally but are often envisioned on a larger
scale. Due to this span, it becomes even more important to connect to actors across
municipalities. Not only do engineers, planners, private actors, public actors, and
government officials need to communicate locally, but they need to connect with similar
groups in other municipalities. This spring, Seattle’s Mayor, formally announced that the
city would be implementing a green stormwater management approach.1 The goal of
the city now is to integrate all current and future actors in a comprehensive plan
approach.
Seattle, like most U.S. cities, has managed its water system through primarily
conventional methods. It has recently announced that it will be constructing a master
plan that outlines a move to green stormwater infrastructure. However, this is not
Seattle’s first green stormwater initiative. It has been incorporating green stormwater
infrastructure since the 1990s. Its sewer and drainage systems are primarily combined
meaning that when it rains, overflows can occur. This system causes flooding, sewer
back-ups, pollution, and combined sewer overflows. Known as a rainy city, it was in
1
http://mayormcginn.seattle.gov/setting-a-new-goal-for-seattles-stormwater-management/
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need of improving this stormwater infrastructure, and established projects based on
natural drainage systems. In 2004, the city announced a “Restore Our Water’s” Strategy
(ROW), which focused on organizing and focusing interest around improving local
waterways. It recommended updating stormwater code to include green infrastructure
options. Out of this strategy emerged a new Comprehensive Drainage plan that
extended stormwater management to incorporate public safety as well as natural
resource protection.2
This spring, Seattle announced the creation of a green stormwater management
approach that will create a comprehensive plan connecting several of the already
existing green infrastructure promoter groups as well as existing design manuals.
Although, the city has not had a city wide infrastructure plan, it has supported green
infrastructure in its drainage plan which has led to the creation of stormwater design
strategy manuals. These manuals have already been used in some roadway projects.
For example, the Green Factor program assigns a point system to different landscaping
projects that follows green stormwater infrastructure best management practices.3
The city also already has in place a set of green stormwater management
incentives. They have rain barrel and cistern rebates as well as a metering system that
requires fees for non-residential properties based on the amount of impervious surface
on the property. The fees collected from this metering are put toward increasing green
stormwater infrastructure.4 These incentives in addition to the design manuals
frequently come to fruition after a comprehensive plan has been developed. The
2
http://www.nrdc.org/water/stormwater/files/RooftopstoRivers_Seattle.pdf pg 2
http://www.nrdc.org/water/stormwater/files/RooftopstoRivers_Seattle.pdf pg 1
4
http://www.nrdc.org/water/stormwater/files/RooftopstoRivers_Seattle.pdf pg 1
3
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reversal of this process makes it easier to create and implement a plan. The GSI Plan’s
goal is to manage 700million gallons annually by 2025 through an integrated approach
with neighborhood partnering, increasing incentives, using existing GSI manuals,
updated stormwater code, and changing land use code.5
Seattle’s stormwater management plan and already existing incentives and
guidelines are impressive, but what has helped make all of this possible is the support
of green stormwater infrastructure amongst a variety of contributing actors. The city, the
county, private actors, public actors, and the community have all worked separately on
their own GSI promotion and will now begin working toward the success of a city wide
green wastewater infrastructure plan.
Not only does the city have a green water infrastructure plan, but King County
also has green infrastructure guidelines. In the overview of stormwater flows on the
main website, the county recognizes stromwater flows are a source of waterway
pollution and can be fixed through reducing impervious surfaces. They also have their
own design manual as well as links to rain barrel information, reduced pollution car
wash tips, and rain garden plant lists.
One of the programs King County promotes that also serves as outreach to the
community is their Neighborhood Drainage Assistance Program (NDAP). This program
focuses around handling local drainage complaints. If a home or business is seeing
damage or inconvenience from flooding, NDAP will assess the problem and address the
issue.6 Although this program is unable to address all complaints in a timely manner, it
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6
http://www.seattle.gov/util/groups/public/@spu/@drainsew/documents/webcontent/01_028902.pdf
http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/stormwater/neighborhood-drainage-assistance.aspx
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serves as a way to connect with the community and educate them on certain GSI
designs and solutions.
In part due to systems such as NDAP and in part due to other programs and
incentives, Seattle has received a lot of public support for GSI. There are also several
incentives set in place for obtaining rain barrels or minimizing stromwater runoff. This
makes residents aware of the flooding situation as well as aware of ways to minimize
flooding and pollution. For example, in 2010, RainWise, an incentive for property
owners who install rain gardens or stormwater cisterns was set in place.7 If a home or
business is located in a targeted CSO area, the can receive reimbursements for
installing a rain garden or swell.
City residents are also an active part of the planning and construction process of
natural drainage systems. The city has made sure to invite the public to city council and
education meetings. This has allowed other actors to contribute to proposed designs.
For example, the emergency transportation departments were concerned with access
for their vehicles. They attended the meetings and the planners and emergency
departments were able to come up with an alternative solution.8 These meetings have
encouraged dialogue within the community as well as recognize safety concerns.
The University of Washington invested in its own stormwater management
program in 2011. Their goals align with the cities stormwater management program.
They want to decrease stormwater runoff, flooding, and pollution through green
stormwater infrastructure. They have put together several public education and
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8
http://www.seattle.gov/util/groups/public/@spu/@drainsew/documents/webcontent/01_028902.pdf
http://www.nrdc.org/water/stormwater/files/RooftopstoRivers_Seattle.pdf pg 2
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outreach campaigns to educate the community.9 This outreach will not only be open to
students, but the greater Seattle city limits. With the University of Washington providing
outreach it will become less necessary for other actors to focus on education and they
can focus their efforts elsewhere. Part of this outreach lead to educating and assisting
other actors in the community, such as the Port of Seattle.
The Port of Seattle of Seattle has also shown support for the citywide plan by
implementing some of the proposed processes within their ports. The Port of Seattle
serves to coordinate international trade, transportation, commercial fishing, and tourism
on the Port of Seattle.10 As a large actor in transportation and water management, the
Port’s values on environmental pollution and flooding align with green stromwater
infrastructure and they presented a stormwater management program (SWMP) this past
spring with assistance from the Washington State Department of Ecology.
The Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) has also stepped up as a
leader in stormwater research and education. They have advertised themselves as
experts in stormwater municipal regulations and pollution. They offer stormwater
workshops as well as spill kits for hazardous spills.11 They are a natural ally to the cities
GSI goals and have resources, such as the spill kits, that other actors do not, making
them an important partner for the city.
The city council supports the plan and is already approaching it from an allencompassing viewpoint. “We can’t just focus on doing less harm,” he said. “It’s really
time to leverage our stormwater investments to help us with other future-looking goals
9
http://www.ehs.washington.edu/epowaterqual/smpseattle.pdf
http://www.portseattle.org/About/Pages/default.aspx
11
http://www.ecoss.org/stormwater.html
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like tree canopy recovery, energy savings, and improving the pedestrian environment of
our city. This is a big step in the right direction.”12 The city is looking to public as well as
the private sectors to work together to achieve these goals.
Each of the above actors supports Seattle’s Green Stormwater management
plan individually, but what is also critical is that they have also worked together,
breaking down silos. The city has made sure to open up their meetings to the public and
the University of Washington has assisted with community outreach as well. The Office
of Sustainability and Environment has worked with Seattle Public Utilities in order to
create a comprehensive plan that addresses both groups’ goals. Community
development agencies have supported the roadside and neighborhood GSI designs that
promote traffic calming measures, street beautification, and improved tree canopies.
Seattle has also built partnerships financially. Traditionally, capital improvements
projects have been funded through the sale of revenue bonds. In 2003, the Seattle
Drainage and Wastewater Fund adopted a policy that would allow increasing
contributions from Seattle Public Utility, who runs all of the city’s sewage and drainage
systems.13 This creates more funding for green infrastructure as well as a relationship
between the city of Seattle and the Seattle Public Utility who are working toward the
same goals in relation to stormwater management.
The partnership created through the city stormwater plan will become
increasingly necessary as GSI is implemented throughout the city. There is limited
additional funding for these projects even with the Seattle Public Utility’s $35 million, 4
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13
http://mayormcginn.seattle.gov/setting-a-new-goal-for-seattles-stormwater-management/
http://www.nrdc.org/water/stormwater/files/RooftopstoRivers_Seattle.pdf pg 4
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year capital improvements budget.14 Funding from all of the above actors, public and
private, will be necessary in order to reach the cities 700 million gallon reductions.
Although, the above mentioned groups have made a lot of improvements in handling
GSI within their own organizations, city and stormwater officials do not think there is
enough coordinated efforts between actors which has limited their ability to implement
GSI in some areas. With the recent adoption of the city stormwater plan, “a
transportation department, for example, will be more inclined to incorporate it when
doing road construction, or the parks department might include a green roof or rain
garden when designing park improvements.”15 The new plan makes different agencies
accountable for reaching specific GSI goals.
Infrastructure planning, as with all planning, works best when groups work
together to achieve the same goals. Seattle has several actors that have made strides
in GSI without an overarching city plan. The next step will be uniting these actors and
delegating tasks in order to reach the goals set forth in the stormwater management
plan. As the plan moves into fruition, it will be interesting to see how the city organizes
itself in order to reach its goals.
14
15
http://daily.sightline.org/2013/04/02/seattles-green-stormwater-goals/
http://daily.sightline.org/2013/04/02/seattles-green-stormwater-goals/
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Works Cited
"Green Stormwater Infrastructure." (n.d.): n. pag. Seattle.gov, Jan. 2014. Web.
<http://www.seattle.gov/util/groups/public/@spu/@drainsew/documents/webcont
ent/01_028902.pdf>.
Langston, Jennifer. "Seattle’s Green Stormwater Goals." Sightline Daily. N.p., Apr.
2013. Web. 08 May 2014. <http://daily.sightline.org/2013/04/02/seattles-greenstormwater-goals/>.
"Seattle, Washington: A Case Study of How Green Infrastructure Is Helping Manage
Urban Stormwater Challenges." Rooftops to Rivers, 2010. Web.
<http://www.nrdc.org/water/stormwater/files/RooftopstoRivers_Seattle.pdf>.
"Stormwater Program." :: Environmental Coalition of South Seattle ::. N.p., n.d. Web. 08
May 2014. <http://www.ecoss.org/stormwater.html>.
"Stormwater Services." Neighborhood Drainage Assistance Program (NDAP). King
County, n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.
<http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/waterandland/stormwater/neighborhood
-drainage-assistance.aspx>.
Thomas, April. "Mayor McGinn » Setting a New Goal for Seattle's Stormwater
Management." Seattle.gov, Mar. 2014. Web. 08 May 2014.
<http://mayormcginn.seattle.gov/setting-a-new-goal-for-seattles-stormwatermanagement/>.
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"UW Seattle Stormwater Management Program." University of Washington, Mar. 2011.
Web. <http://www.ehs.washington.edu/epowaterqual/smpseattle.pdf>.
"Where a Sustainable World Is Headed." Port of Seattle, n.d. Web. 08 May 2014.
<http://www.portseattle.org/About/Pages/default.aspx>.
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