Title
Regional Stormwater Roadway Retrofit Study
Recommended Action
Briefing Only
Report
Issue:
Receive a briefing from the Thurston Regional Planning Council on the Stormwater Roadway Retrofit Study and geospatial stormwater management prioritization tool.
Staff Contact:
Kym Foley, Senior Environmental Planner, Public Works Water Resources, 360.570.3957
Presenters:
Paul Brewster, Senior Planner, Thurston Regional Planning Council
Kym Foley, Senior Environmental Planner
Background and Analysis:
The Thurston Regional Planning Council is collaborating with stormwater staff from the Cities of Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Thurston County to develop a county-wide stormwater management planning and prioritization tool. The final product will synthesize geospatial data into a comprehensive but user-friendly mapping platform that analyzes pollutant loading from roadways, land use and feasibility considerations, and ecological priority of receiving waters.
The goal of this project is to better prepare local jurisdictions in the South Puget Sound region for planning and prioritizing impactful, cost-effective roadway and regional stormwater treatment projects. The prioritization framework resulting from this project will use existing data that can be updated over time to help regional stormwater staff identify roadway pollution hotspots, ensure projects are integrated with local salmon and ecosystem recovery priorities, and develop future treatment projects to minimize the amount of harmful toxins that enter the waters of Puget Sound in the near and long term. In addition, the project will allow jurisdictions to reflect on how retrofits are handled in existing permitting and development processes, and identify potential areas for improvement that will better achieve a range of community and environmental benefits. Stormwater runoff does not adhere to local jurisdictional boundaries, therefore taking a watershed-based regional approach allows for broader collabo...
Click here for full text