Kirkland residents are invited to provide comments by March 15 on the 2013 Stormwater Management Program.
This program identifies the city’s strategies to engage and educate the public about storm water management, prevent spills and dumping into the storm water system, and requires development projects to control and treat runoff.
Storm water has been identified as a significant pollutant source, and these efforts are designed to improve the quality of water in lakes and streams. The draft document is available online at www.kirklandwa.gov (search: 2013 Draft Stormwater Plan) at the Kirkland City Hall reference desk, or by calling (425) 587-3800.
Comments can be provided via e-mail to jgaus@kirklandwa.gov or via mail addressed to the City of Kirkland Public Works Department, 123 Fifth Avenue, Kirkland, WA 98033.
This program is part of the city’s compliance with the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) municipal storm water permit that was issued by Washington State Department of Ecology in 2007.
As part of its cleanup strategy for Puget Sound, Ecology has used its NPDES permitting authority to issue storm water discharge permits to over 100 municipalities in Western Washington. Kirkland developed the storm water management program to meet permit requirements.
Storm water pollution results from everyday activities such as driving, land development and even yard care. Cleaning up storm water will involve both reducing the amount of pollution that we put onto the landscape (source control), and removing contaminants from runoff before it reaches local waters (treatment).
For more information about the city’s Storm and Surface Water Management Programs, search “surface water” at www.kirklandwa.gov or contact Jenny Gaus, Kirkland Public Works Department, at 425-587-3850 or jgaus@kirklandwa.gov. To learn more about the State Department of Ecology storm water permit, search “Phase II Western WA Stormwater Permit” at www.ecy.wa.gov.