One way to tackle Puget Sound pollution: See what RainWise is all about
Story and photos by Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
On this first day of summer, sunny and dry, you might have trouble remembering the record rainfall of just a few weeks ago. Whether we see serious summer rain or not, this is a good time to think about planning for the the inevitably colder and wetter months ahead. One recent evening, a representative from the city/county partnership RainWise came to West Seattle for a walking tour providing exactly that reminder. Participants met at Westwood’s A.T. Milo Park (just west of Southwest Pool) for a roughly 90-minute walk across the neighborhood to look at the gardens of local RainWise participants, and talk about the benefits of the program.
The program, which Seattle Public Utilities started offering in 2010, aims to limit the amount of rainwater that enters the sewer system by subsidizing eligible residents’ installation of rain cisterns or construction of rain gardens to trap the water. This prevents the sewer system from being overloaded during a storm, and dumping out polluted water and sewage from one of its many outfalls – which often directly drain into Puget Sound or the Duwamish River.
Public outreach representative Savannah-Jane Duncan from the King County Wastewater Treatment Division – which is accountable for the sewer system – provided one of the most notorious examples of the direct impact runoff can have. “Rainwater becomes stormwater once it touches a surface and it’s picked up stuff off the ground.” she said. “[A chemical called] 6PPDQ from tire dust is one of these things the water picks up, and it’s been shown to be affecting salmon – there’s been a lot of research on how to decrease this. There are a lot of effects down the food chain [from things impacting the salmon]. Decreasing stormwater pollution has had a positive increase on the orca population.”
For those worried about the cost, convenience, or even the fear of being the first one on their block to commit to the program, the walk showed there was nothing to be afraid of. Much of the walk featured short clusters of houses next to each other that started participating in the program simultaneously (in the 2010s, it was also part of a government-led project to reduce combined-sewer overflows). “Property owners with [RainWise] installations tend to form microcommunities around them.” said tour lead Sarah Thomson of Sustainable Ballard (a major RainWise collaborator). “A lot of leaders come together to share the same contractor to get the projects done around the same time.”
Almost all the properties highlighted during the walk received 99-100% rebates for the work done, she noted. Of those that didn’t, most of it was due to the residents asking for additional landscaping work in addition to the installation.
If you’re interested in the RainWise program, the organizers want to emphasize that they offer free eligibility checks and further consultation via their website here. Much of the process, they said, is geared to be as accessible as possible. The program offers matchmaking with multilingual contractors for qualified participants, and additional grants for those who have income-based need if the project costs more than the rebate. And even if you’re not eligible now, that could change – the organizers said they are looking to expand availability for RainWise coverage further in the future.
P.S. An informal Q&A session about RainWise, including a chance to meet contractors, is coming up at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW), 6:30 pm July 8.
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