Four Washington jurisdictions—Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, and Thurston County—are among the first to adopt new stormwater rules. Decisions last year
and earlier in 2009 require new developments to use low-impact-development
practices where feasible, and these are now being reflected in local stormwater
manuals. In particular, the February 2009 decision by the state’s Pollution
Control Hearings Board affects the Phase II permit for the western part of the
state.
Aimed at reducing the amount of runoff and pollutants reaching local
waterways and the Puget Sound, the decisions encourage LID techniques such as
rain gardens and swales as well as water reuse. Some developers say the cost of
development will go up, in part because using LID to handle stormwater is not as
straightforward as other methods and will require more engineering work.
Along with the push to infiltrate stormwater whenever possible, some
jurisdictions are taking other precautions; the city of Olympia, for example,
concerned about groundwater contamination, will require increased treatment of
stormwater before it’s infiltrated.
An article from The Olympian
has details on the new rules. An article in our upcoming
July/August issue will examine the decisions and their implications.