Presentation Abstract
The City of Mukilteo is experiencing high peak stream flows, ravine instability, and decreased water quality associated with development. To address these issues, the City and its project partners, City of Everett; Snohomish County Conservation District, Snohomish County Airport, the Mukilteo School District and the Department of Ecology, have developed a Stormwater Strategy Plan to prioritize and implement regional, watershed-based stormwater strategies and support the City’s stormwater comprehensive plan. Ecology’s Puget Sound Characterization (Stanley et al 2011), which establishes a framework to evaluate watershed processes, was the basis for this analysis. As part of the characterization work, Ecology and WDFW developed equations to characterize water flow processes, water quality, and habitat based on physical attributes of the landscape. Results were normalized to score watershed processes at a regional scale. This project divided the study area into project analysis units (PAUs), normalized Ecology’s results at a local scale, and used finer resolution data to evaluate watershed processes. Secondary scores, such as freshwater habitat and sediment delivery, which reflect unique City goals, were also incorporated. Each PAU had a unique score consisting of an importance score, representing the importance of key processes before development, and an intactness score, representing how intact each process is under existing conditions. The scores were used to develop a suite of relatively broad, yet distinct, stormwater management strategies designed to improve impaired processes. Specific recommendations for each PAU were then developed based on known limitations and problems, opportunities identified by others, and feasibility. The results were also used to prioritize PAUs; those with higher importance and intactness scores were given a higher priority for implementation of stormwater strategies than PAUs with lower importance and intactness scores.
Session Title
Session S-07G: Integrating Landscape Scale Assessments Into Local Planning II
Conference Track
Planning Assessment & Communication
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 3:30 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
Location
Room 6E
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Runoff--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Mukilteo; Water quality management--Washington (State)--Mukilteo; Sustainable development--Washington (State)--Mukilteo; City planning--Washington (State)--Mukilteo
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Mukilteo (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Mukilteo Watershed-Based Stormwater Strategies Plan
Room 6E
The City of Mukilteo is experiencing high peak stream flows, ravine instability, and decreased water quality associated with development. To address these issues, the City and its project partners, City of Everett; Snohomish County Conservation District, Snohomish County Airport, the Mukilteo School District and the Department of Ecology, have developed a Stormwater Strategy Plan to prioritize and implement regional, watershed-based stormwater strategies and support the City’s stormwater comprehensive plan. Ecology’s Puget Sound Characterization (Stanley et al 2011), which establishes a framework to evaluate watershed processes, was the basis for this analysis. As part of the characterization work, Ecology and WDFW developed equations to characterize water flow processes, water quality, and habitat based on physical attributes of the landscape. Results were normalized to score watershed processes at a regional scale. This project divided the study area into project analysis units (PAUs), normalized Ecology’s results at a local scale, and used finer resolution data to evaluate watershed processes. Secondary scores, such as freshwater habitat and sediment delivery, which reflect unique City goals, were also incorporated. Each PAU had a unique score consisting of an importance score, representing the importance of key processes before development, and an intactness score, representing how intact each process is under existing conditions. The scores were used to develop a suite of relatively broad, yet distinct, stormwater management strategies designed to improve impaired processes. Specific recommendations for each PAU were then developed based on known limitations and problems, opportunities identified by others, and feasibility. The results were also used to prioritize PAUs; those with higher importance and intactness scores were given a higher priority for implementation of stormwater strategies than PAUs with lower importance and intactness scores.
