Clean water solutions inspired by people and nature

In an urban environment like Seattle, every storm washes pollution from rooftops, roads, and other hard surfaces into local waterways. What can we do?

By examining how forests of the Northwest manage runoff from heavy rain, we’re learning how to design and build effective and environmentally-friendly systems within a city’s landscape that benefit human, marine, and aquatic health.

Research in the last few decades suggests that mimicking nature is an intuitive, effective way to minimize overflows of our wastewater system and prevent toxins from getting into our creeks, rivers, lakes, and Puget Sound.

We call these methods Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI).

King County Wastewater Treatment Division and Seattle Public Utilities are working together to bring GSI to our neighborhoods and manage rainwater runoff naturally. Our goal is to process 700 million gallons (enough water to fill over one thousand Olympic-sized swimming pools) of runoff every year with these eco-friendly methods.