Spokane wins EPA PISCES award for innovative stormwater project (WA)
(Spokane – June 28, 2011)
-- Today, the
City of Spokane will receive the prestigious PISCES Award from the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for successfully demonstrating
innovative stormwater control strategies on West Broadway Avenue in
Spokane, Washington.
Polluted stormwater now is considered the
leading cause of urban water pollution and the largest source of
pollution in the Spokane River.
Stormwater is rain and snow melt that runs off
surfaces such as rooftops, paved streets, highways, and parking
lots. As water runs off these surfaces, it can pick up pollution
such as: oil, fertilizers, pesticides, soil, trash, and animal
waste. From here, the water might flow directly into a local
stream, lake, or the Spokane River. Or, it may go into a storm
drain and continue through storm pipes until it is released
untreated into
the river.
The City built 28 urban storm garden boxes and
installed 386 square yards of porous surfaces that absorb water and
allow rain to go directly through the concrete into the soil below.
The project replaces traditional curb and gutter systems along one
block of West Broadway Avenue from Elm to Oak streets. Storm
gardens function as street side depressions containing planted
native vegetation and are designed to capture runoff from
impervious surfaces like roofs, streets and parking lots, allowing
runoff to naturally be absorbed into the ground, filtering out the
pollutants. Pervious surfaces such as porous pavement, porous
asphalt, and porous pavers also allow the rain to go directly
through these hard surfaces into the soil below. The project was
part of the City’s Spokane Urban Runoff Greenways Ecosystem,
or SURGE project.
“The Broadway Avenue SURGE project
demonstrates a low cost way to capture, treat and infiltrate
stormwater runoff as close to where it falls as possible,”
said Spokane Mayor Mary Verner. “The storm gardens have
enhanced the beauty of Broadway Avenue and improved water quality
by reducing the contaminants going to the Spokane
River.”
Director Mike Bussell of EPA’s Office of
Water and Watersheds, will present the PISCES Award during a
celebration at 3:15 p.m., Tuesday, June 28, 2011, at 1804 W.
Broadway Avenue in Spokane. PISCES or “Performance and
Innovation in the State Revolving Fund Creating Environmental
Success” Awards were created in 2005 to recognize the
extraordinary successes of the Clean Water State Revolving Fund
(CWSRF) programs. Washington’s Department of Ecology
(Ecology) administers the CWSRF program to finance projects that
support the Clean Water Act by protecting environmental health and
water quality.
“The PISCES Awards highlight successfully designed projects that further the goal of clean and safe water with exceptional planning, management, and financing.” said EPA’s Bussell. “This project has shown us when city agencies work in partnership with local businesses and residents, the result can be a more effective and less expensive way to deal with stormwater in Eastern Washington.”
Ecology provided the project with $599,000 in
American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (federal stimulus) funds to
be administered through the Revolving Fund program. Half of this
amount was 20-year low-interest loan, and half did not have to be
paid back (forgivable principle).
The SURGE project demonstrates that these
innovative “green” solutions can capture and infiltrate
up to 30,000 gallons of rain water from the single city
block.
On hand at the celebration will be Governor
Gregoire’s Eastern Washington Representative Steve Becker;
Spokane Mayor Mary Verner and council members Steve Corker and
Nancy McLaughlin; Director Mike Bussell of EPA’s Office of
Water and Watersheds; Ecology Eastern Regional Director, Grant
Pfeifer.
Media Contacts:
- Ann Deasy, City of Spokane Public Information Coordinator, 509-625-6318, mobile: 509-638-5109, [email protected]
- Tony Brown, EPA Public Affairs, 206-553-1203, mobile: 206-409-4887, [email protected]
- Jani Gilbert, Dept. of Ecology, Communications, 509-329-3495, mobile: 509-990-9177, [email protected].
For more information:
SURGE project: www.spokanewastewater.org/surge.aspx
Ecology’s Web site: https://www.ecy.wa.gov/
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