Hot off the presses, Sightline just released a new backgrounder on stormwater. Curbing Stormwater Pollutionis an easy-to-read guide to the challenges presented by toxic runoff, and the opportunities available to Washington officials to help clean up our waterways.
Included in Curbing Stormwater Pollution:
- What we’re up against: Ten bathtubs full of water pour off one average-size house during a storm. Seattle alone has hundreds of miles of storm-drain pipes and thousands of storm drains and catch basins. Sometimes the stormwater system simply backs up, flooding streets and basements.
- Stormwater’s costly and toxic cocktail: In all, about 14 million pounds of dangerous pollutants wash into Puget Sound each year. The toxic cocktail is a threat to our drinking water and marine wildlife alike.
- Putting a LID on stormwater: Natural drainage systems are slowly cropping up around the region—part of a movement called “low-impact development” or LID. The logic of LID is to try to replicate nature’s way of managing rainfall. Its both less expensive and more effective at cleaning stormwater than conventional gutter- and storm-drain systems.
Thea Levkovitz
Dear Lisa and Eric,As you know stormwater is a major contributor to ongoing pollution into the Duwamish River Superfund Site – Seattle’s only River. The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition would be happy to take you on a boat tour of the River to talk about Stormwater, Environmental Justice and the Vision for the future of the Duwamish River.Thea LevkovitzCoalition CoordinatorDuwamish River Cleanup Coalitioin