Clean Water for the Center of the Universe: The Green Bridges Pilot Project
Presentation Abstract
Inspired by Jen Macintire’s research of the 520 Bridge across Lake Washington, Stephen C. Grey & Associates (SGA) is developing new commercial projects with First Western Development Services. “Mike and I saw a video showing baby salmon being put in water runoff from the 520 bridge and instantly dying,” said Grey. “And then they showed them surviving after they were put in water that had been passed through soil a few times." With the two new buildings designed to capture water runoff from the Aurora Bridge and pass it through soil cells, cleaning it before it makes its way to Lake Union, they decided to take a proactive approach by building a bioswale under the bridge across North 34th, adjacent to Lake Union and the mouth of the Fremont Canal, which leads to Puget Sound for further intervention. The bridge’s stormwater runoff at this site impacts a critical migration route for salmon. Chinook, coho, sockeye and steelhead trout all swim from the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound back through the canal and Lake Union to reach their spawning grounds in the upper watershed. Working with Salmon-Safe, the design team of KPFF Engineers and Weber Thompson Architects and Landscape Architects is trying to establish a ground-breaking effort to treat nearly two million gallons of polluted bridge runoff and create a replicable model of private-public partnerships for the future. Several samples of bridge runoff were taken in the winter and spring of 2017 to determine what pollutants were evident in the water and provide a water quality baseline for testing bridge runoff and treatment over the next five (5) years. The water quality analysis was conducted by Richard Horner, PhD. and their comparison to the 520 bridge runoff results demonstrate the contaminants in the Aurora Bridge runoff are 3X that of 520.
Session Title
Panel: So How Do We Pay for This?! Funding Puget Sound and Salish Sea Protection and Recovery
Conference Track
SSE10: Economics, Ecosystem Services, and Human Well-Being
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE10-587
Start Date
4-4-2018 1:30 PM
End Date
4-4-2018 3:00 PM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Program
University Archives
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Urban runoff--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Salmon--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Bioswales--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Geographic Coverage
Puget Sound (Wash.); Salish Sea (B.C. and 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
Clean Water for the Center of the Universe: The Green Bridges Pilot Project
Inspired by Jen Macintire’s research of the 520 Bridge across Lake Washington, Stephen C. Grey & Associates (SGA) is developing new commercial projects with First Western Development Services. “Mike and I saw a video showing baby salmon being put in water runoff from the 520 bridge and instantly dying,” said Grey. “And then they showed them surviving after they were put in water that had been passed through soil a few times." With the two new buildings designed to capture water runoff from the Aurora Bridge and pass it through soil cells, cleaning it before it makes its way to Lake Union, they decided to take a proactive approach by building a bioswale under the bridge across North 34th, adjacent to Lake Union and the mouth of the Fremont Canal, which leads to Puget Sound for further intervention. The bridge’s stormwater runoff at this site impacts a critical migration route for salmon. Chinook, coho, sockeye and steelhead trout all swim from the Pacific Ocean and Puget Sound back through the canal and Lake Union to reach their spawning grounds in the upper watershed. Working with Salmon-Safe, the design team of KPFF Engineers and Weber Thompson Architects and Landscape Architects is trying to establish a ground-breaking effort to treat nearly two million gallons of polluted bridge runoff and create a replicable model of private-public partnerships for the future. Several samples of bridge runoff were taken in the winter and spring of 2017 to determine what pollutants were evident in the water and provide a water quality baseline for testing bridge runoff and treatment over the next five (5) years. The water quality analysis was conducted by Richard Horner, PhD. and their comparison to the 520 bridge runoff results demonstrate the contaminants in the Aurora Bridge runoff are 3X that of 520.
