The City of Tumwater has received a state grant to address pollutants in its stormwater system.
The Tumwater Public Works Committee endorsed a grant agreement with the Washington State Department of Ecology to develop a plan that would help reduce the discharge of excess nutrients from the city’s stormwater system to Deschutes River and Budd Inlet. The committee made the decision on Thursday, April 3.
The grant, which is for $170,000 and requires a $30,000 match from the city, heads to the city council for further review.
The city was awarded the grant as runoff draining to Percival Creek, Black Lake and Black Lake Ditch — bodies of water that are all partially within the city’s boundaries — contribute to excess nutrients in Budd Inlet.
Patrick Soderberg, of the Water Resources Department, told the committee that in the development of the plan, they will map the city’s conveyance system to determine which streets contribute runoff and evaluate the amount of runoff those areas generate.
The plan will also evaluate the city’s current maintenance program and recommend additional efforts to further reduce excess nutrients on the city’s stormwater infrastructure.
The city intends to hire Herrera Environmental Consultants to develop the plan. City staff recommended the firm after conducting a request for proposals. The committee accepted staff’s recommendation and is advising the city council to hire the firm for $190,561.
Soderberg said the city has a good working relationship with the firm, which is also working on similar plans for Bellingham.
He added that once complete, the plan would also help them apply for more grants to implement actions needed to address the issues they identified.
The grant agreement and the firm’s contract will be forwarded to the city council’s agenda for its April 15 meeting.
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BobJacobs
It's good to see the Department of Ecology actually doing something positive for a change, unlike their regulatory functions.
Bob Jacobs
Wednesday, April 9 Report this
Southsoundguy
Grants for plans to apply for more grants for more plans…what a racket.
Tuesday, April 15 Report this