Gov. Gregoire approves Recovery Act funds for clean water projects in Spokane, Olympia, Ballard

For Immediate Release: November 24, 2009

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire and the state Department of Ecology today gave the green light to clean water projects in Spokane, Olympia and Ballard, worth a total of $5.6 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding.

Project proponents estimate the projects will support approximately 75 construction jobs.

The funding will pay for low-impact development projects that provide enhanced stormwater treatment. Such projects mimic nature to capture or slow stormwater runoff so it can naturally infiltrate back into the ground. The goal is to prevent polluted runoff from getting into downstream waters and drinking water. The projects also reduce flooding and sewer/stormwater overflows, and improve water quality for threatened and endangered salmon.

�Getting more jobs is a great bonus, but so is getting the clean water these projects provide for our state and for our salmon,� said Gregoire.

Polluted stormwater is the leading cause of urban water pollution. Water that goes into storm drains is not treated and is essentially the headwaters of our lakes, rivers, streams and Puget Sound.

The projects at a glance:

Spokane will receive $382,000 for its West Broadway SURGE (Spokane Urban Runoff Greenway Experiment) Project. The funding will help the city construct 37 planters between the curb and sidewalk to intercept stormwater runoff on both sides of Broadway Street. The project will filter the stormwater runoff through mulch, top soil and a gravel-enhanced base, cleaning the water before is allowed to soak into the ground. The project protects the city�s underground aquifer, the primary source of its drinking water, and reduces nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from stormwater runoff that gets into the Spokane River. Half of the $382,000 is a low-interest 20-year loan and half is a forgivable principal loan, or money that does not need to be repaid.

Olympia receives $3.67 million for enhanced treatment of stormwater runoff at Yauger Park. The project will help manage water that flows from the park�s stormwater retention site into Percival Creek and eventually into Budd Inlet in South Puget Sound. The project will increase stormwater storage at the park, reducing erosion from flooding. The project includes low impact development, a water quality treatment wetland, retention ponds, a 5,000 square foot rain garden, and swales. The city will also create a new parking lot using porous pavement. Half of the $3.67 million is a low-interest 20-year loan and half is forgivable principal loan, or money that does not need to be repaid.

Seattle Public Utilities� Ballard Green Streets project gets $1.54 million. The utility will install 10 blocks of swales to naturally detain and infiltrate stormwater. This �Green Streets� project will control runoff from 2.6 acres of hard surfaces, reducing sewer/storm overflows. The swales will help reduce stormwater pollution in the Lake Washington Ship Canal, which serves as a key migration corridor for threatened Chinook salmon and steelhead, coho salmon, and regionally significant sockeye salmon. The swales will also free up capacity in the combined sewer/storm system, reducing pollution overflows. Half of the $1.54 million is a low-interest 20-year loan and half is forgivable principal loan, or money that does not need to be repaid.

Economic Recovery Act at a glance:

On June 11, the federal Environmental Protection Agency approved the list of prioritized infrastructure projects slated to receive $65.4 million of financial assistance in the form of federal stimulus funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act).

Projects eligible for the Recovery Act funds are publicly owned water pollution control facilities and associated activities that are ready to proceed to construction. The funds will arrive in the form of low-interest loans and additional subsidies through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund. Ecology will administer the funding.

The funding will help local governments pay for water pollution control infrastructure including the upgrade and expansion of wastewater, reclaimed water and stormwater facilities, and green infrastructure projects that improve water or energy efficiency, or other environmentally innovative activities.

For a complete list of the projects, see State Revolving Fund FY 2010 Final Intended Use Plan posted on Ecology�s Web site at: www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wq/funding/StimFunding/FedStimFundsSRF.html

Washington state is administering the Recovery Act investments with an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability. Gov. Gregoire created a Web site, www.recovery.wa.gov, enabling every Washingtonian to see where tax dollars are going and hold government accountable for the results. On the federal level, President Obama has appointed Vice President Biden, a proven and aggressive inspector general, to oversee the recovery efforts of all the states and to root out waste and fraud. This combined oversight will ensure taxpayer dollars aren�t wasted.

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