Projects receiving assistance with design, surveying, engagement and more
Six jurisdictions in the region are receiving technical assistance on stormwater park projects they are currently working on. Funding for the technical assistance is provided through a National Estuary Program grant awarded to PSRC by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Stormwater parks enhance communities by treating stormwater and providing recreational opportunities.
Kirkland, Kitsap County, Lynnwood, Marysville, Puyallup, and Woodinville are receiving assistance provided by AHBL, a firm hired by PSRC to assist with preliminary design, community engagement, surveying, hydrologic analysis, renderings for public meetings, development of alternatives, cost estimation, and other planning and design work needed to develop a stormwater park.
To assist jurisdictions with their engagement efforts for these projects, PSRC provided agencies with the recently-published Equitable Engagement Guide, which provides agencies with considerations for and information on engaging communities in the development of plans and projects .
In the selection of sites to receive the technical assistance, PSRC gave priority to proposed stormwater park projects that could help fill park gaps, a need identified in the Regional Open Space Conservation Plan.
One of the proposed stormwater parks is being planned by Kitsap County. Silverdale Stormwater Park is a County-owned 0.8-acre site located within the Silverdale Regional Growth Center at the corner of Bucklin Hill Road and Tracyton Boulevard. The project would provide a park in the most diverse area of unincorporated Kitsap County.
The park would provide treatment for an approximate 73-acre urban basin and would discharge to an existing conveyance system and outfall to the Clear Creek estuary and Dyes Inlet. Clear Creek supports multiple salmonid species including threatened chinook salmon and winter steelhead.
Park features may include pedestrian paths that connect to adjacent sidewalks, environmental education opportunities, covered shelters, and open landscaped green space.
The grant was originally for four projects, but the EPA provided additional funding for two additional projects.
More guidance from PSRC on planning for stormwater parks will be available this fall, incorporating lessons learned from these six projects as well as from previous stormwater park projects built throughout the region.