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Coming soon to the city near you . . .
cleaner river water!
Your City of Redmond stormwater utility is embarking on a
large-scale effort to greatly improve the quality of the water
flowing from city streets into the Sammamish River. Lake
Sammamish, and our streams. Over the next few years, the
underground infrastructure that carries and cleans stormwater
runoff in Redmond will see a major overhaul.
Urban Stormwater Runoff
Before development Redmond was covered with trees, grasses
and wetlands that absorbed water when it rained. As our City
grows and new areas are covered with streets, parking lots, and
buildings, managing the rain flowing off of these surfaces
becomes more challenging. Underground pipes designed to collect
and convey this rain runoff (stormwater) to the river will help
protect our homes and businesses from flooding. Before the water
gets to the pipes, it rinses pollutants from our streets and
parking lots and carries them into our fish-bearing streams
where they can be harmful to the environment and wildlife.
Changing Requirements
To provide better protection for the environment and comply with
federal and state laws, the City recently adopted a permit for
discharge of stormwater into the river. Conditions of this
permit require the City to enhance efforts to clean the
stormwater before it gets to the groundwater, river, lake, and
streams. These requirements have become more challenging with each
passing year. Also, the cost of constructing and maintaining these
facilities is rising rapidly. As such, the City is taking
forward-thinking steps to build facilities that will treat this
stormwater for years to come.
Regional Facilities (City Center)
Since 2005, the City Council has supported a plan that will
transform the stormwater infrastructure in downtown Redmond in
just a few years. This transformation may help to spur
redevelopment in our downtown core by addressing the stormwater
impacts associated with that development up front. Developers
will contribute to the cost of these facilities, and working
together will make larger improvements to water quality than
they could alone. In the relatively short span of five years,
the main projects completed or scheduled to be constructed are:
- 2007. McRedmond Water Quality Facility (WQF). This
underground facility is located in the parking lot of Luke
McRedmond Landing Park.
- 2008. Leary Stormwater Treatment Wetland (STW). This
project uses natural vegetation processes to remove pollutants
from stormwater.
- 2010. Bear Creek Water Quality Facility (WQF).
This project is located next to the Bear Creek trail behind Safeway
and will filter stormwater.
- 2011. The Redmond Way Storm Trunk is currently
under design. The new trunk, actually to be located within the
Burlington Northern Railroad Right-of-Way, will carry stormwater to
treatment and then to the river so expensive ponds and vaults need
not be built in downtown.
- 2012. Redmond Way Water Quality Facility. This
underground system will provide treatment for all the flows
collected by the Redmond Way Storm Trunk.
- 2015. 85th Street WQF. This underground
facility, built on the City campus, will treat water from the north
downtown area.
The regional facilities charges specific to this neighborhood
are described at
Regional Facilities Plan: Neighborhood Capital Facilities
Charges.
Regional Facilities (Overlake)
The City is working on a plan to determine the size and
location for
future regional stormwater facilities in Overlake.
Developers will
contribute to the cost of these facilities.
Regional Facilities (Citywide)
The City prepared a Citywide
Regional Stormwater
Facilities Plan that provides information about how the City
is meeting regulatory needs and working to improve stormwater
across the City. A
Regional Stormwater Facilities Map has been prepared to show
locations of the currently proposed regional facilities
citywide. The Washington State Department of Ecology has
reviewed the City's plan, and has issued the following
WA
State Department of Ecology's Letter of Support.
Financing for stormwater capital improvement projects like these
regional facilities is provided through monthly stormwater fees
paid by all residents and businesses, and also by capital
facilities charges paid by developers. The City's Stormwater
Capital Improvement Program is described on the website at
www.redmond.gov/insidecityhall/publicworks/stormwater/cipstormwater.asp.
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