The Goal Why 700 Million Gallons? As we replace forests and natural areas with buildings, streets, and yards, we still need to manage the runoff from rain, storms, and snowmelt. We can accomplish this by taking cues from nature itself, using green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) to clean runoff before it arrives in our wastewater system and waterways. Our goal is to use GSI to manage 700 million gallons of polluted water each year by 2025. Keep reading to find out how you can partner with us towards this goal! Together, we can improve the health of our communities CLEAN WATER Clean water is vital for all life, from the people living here to the marine life in the Sound. Widespread use of GSI helps keep our lakes, rivers, and oceans clean. It improves water quality in Puget Sound and can help the ecosystem and conditions for wildlife like salmon and orcas. HEALTHY HABITATS Nature in urban areas improves our mental health and provides habitat for birds and pollinators. The natural beauty of green stormwater infrastructure provides psychological benefits for humans and important habitat for wildlife in our increasingly paved-over and built-up cities. THE IMPORTANCE OF TREES Trees, especially evergreens, are powerhouses at slowing and reducing runoff during big storms. The leaves and needles of trees slow the rain and allow some water to evaporate back into the atmosphere. Tree roots loosen the soil and help rain soak into the ground, and increased tree and vegetative cover reduce urban heat islands. RAIN GARDENS 14 million pounds of toxins enter Puget Sound each year. Rain gardens are high-performing landscapes that can help reduce these toxins and provide natural beauty in the urban landscape. Rain gardens are a smart and proven way of using beautiful landscaping to protect local waterways, safeguard unique natural habitats, and improve homes and neighborhoods. They also serve to limit flooding and save millions of dollars in avoided stormwater management costs. EQUITY & GREEN JOBS Green infrastructure makes great strides toward building a healthier world, and opportunities are growing! Job training in the design, construction, and maintenance of green infrastructure provides access and opportunities for living-wage employment. PROGRESS How are we doing? Seattle is making great strides toward our goal to naturally manage 700 million gallons of stormwater annually by 2025. We are currently managing 742 million gallons annually! Green stormwater infrastructure helps make our roads, rooftops and other hard surfaces work more like the forests and natural areas we have lost over time. Learn more about the progress made in the 2023 year-end accomplishment highlights. Progress through 2024 Q4 KEY PLAYERS & PARTNERS Partnerships for Greater Impact Green Infrastructure Partnership A cross-sector group that delivers green solutions to stormwater pollution with education, technical assistance, and incentive programs. LEARN MORE City Habitats Coalition Over 100 partners collaborate on policy and funding opportunities to build a movement around nature-based solutions, implement on-the-ground projects to address stormwater pollution, and much more. LEARN MORE Seattle 2030 District Partnership A high-performance building district in downtown Seattle that aims to reduce environmental impacts of building construction and operations. LEARN MORE 12,000 Rain Gardens Promotes green infrastructure solutions and resources that communities can adopt to actively help environmental problems stemming from polluted stormwater runoff. LEARN MORE The Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange A national practitioner network that supports communities that want to implement stormwater infrastructure programs with peer learning, innovation and implementation. LEARN MORE Encouraging Community Partnerships Joining Forces to Create a Green Wall King County, Just Health Action, and Duwamish River Clean Up Coalition community volunteers helped build the largest freestanding “green wall” in the Seattle area— a 136-foot-long and 12-foot-high vegetated trellis at CDL Recycle in Georgetown. View case study Encouraging Community Partnerships Seattle Housing Authority Partners with RainWise In partnership with Seattle Housing Authority, RainWise installed 10 cisterns at Willis House that manage 27,000 gallons of rainwater from over 7,600 square feet of roof area. View case study Encouraging Community Partnerships WaterWorks Grant Provides Funding for Community Garden in Kent At Hillside Church in Kent, World Relief Seattle and several other organizations partnered to empower immigrants, refugees and the local community to create the Paradise Parking Plots Community Garden. View case study Advancing Public-Private Investments Seattle Public Utilities Partners with Vulcan to Reduce Pollution Innovative public-private collaboration between Vulcan Inc. and SPU to reduce the amount of pollution flowing into Lake Union. View case study GSI Around You Hundreds of GSI projects have been built in Seattle over the past two decades. Click on this map to see each project organized by type, goal, and who built it. Click on a dot to see more information about the project. You can learn more about current City of Seattle projects here and completed projects here. Learn about current King County projects here.
