Urban Stormwater, the Hidden Threat to Clean Water Supplies.
We now live near Seattle and visit it frequently. The City of Seattle and adjacent counties have led the nation in capturing and cleaning stormwater to protect its historic harbor waterfront for more than three decades with dramatic results.
But even Seattle has not done enough as starving Orcas and salmon spawning in the thousands of creeks throughout its watershed flowing from the nearby Cascades have demonstrated.
One of the essential factors to restoring the health of these vital habitats is the capture of stormwater from all urban transportation corridors. These massive earthworks and concrete lanes and structures funnel deadly stormwater directly into neighboring wetlands, rivers, lakes and ocean coastlines right in front of our eyes as we drive by, but hidden because we lack full understanding of the problem.
Dead Orcas and drastic loss of salmon populations along the Pacific Northwest have raised awareness of the issue throughout the Pacific NW, but still not enough to make a much of a difference.
Where there are highways, streets and parking lots EVERYWHERE, there is stormwater poisoning all water habitats downstream to the ocean.
We all see it, but do not understand it.
Thanks for getting attention to this danger for water supplies serving us all.
George Watland (not verified)
March 8, 2022 - 10:41am
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