Western WA Requires Low-Impact Development Techniques

In a landmark ruling, a state appeals board ordered use of low-impact building techniques to reduce stormwater runoff, which is considered the biggest pollution threat to the health of Puget Sound. The quasi-judicial Pollution Control Hearings Board handed down the ruling, which will be implemented by the state Ecology Department.

In established cities such as Seattle, the impact is likely to be felt mostly in redevelopment projects. In the fast-growing countryside, it's likely to mean larger-scale LID projects that might, for instance, eliminate curbs and gutters and create street-side green spaces instead. The ruling affects only the largest local governments in Western Washington: Seattle, Tacoma, and King, Snohomish, Pierce and Clark counties. Another case pending before the board could extend the logic to numerous smaller local governments.

Source: Seattlepi.com, August 9, 2008

Stormwater Video Webcasts Monday

The California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) is making available two of its pre-conference workshops on Monday, September 22 from 8:30-5:00 PDT as video webcasts at no charge to stormwater quality professionals across the country. The workshops being offered are:
I - Planning Practices and Tools to Address Emerging Water Quality Issues
III - Assessing and Managing Trash in Stormwater

These workshops are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Webcast registration closes at 3:00 PM Pacific Time today. Please register as soon as possible at https://www.casqa.org/casqastore/entitiy/tabid/169/c-13-webcast-registrations.aspx.

Sinking With the Fishes

From Daily Grist, 10 Sep 2008
Over 700 freshwater fish species in North America, nearly 40 percent of the total, are considered vulnerable to extinction or worse, according to a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey. The study, published in the journal Fisheries, is the most comprehensive assessment of North American freshwater fish species since 1989, but the results show little reason for celebration. Of the assessed species, only 11 percent were better off than in 1989, while the list of imperiled species nearly doubled since then and suspected extinctions grew by over 50 percent to a total of 61. Researchers said that pollution, drought, invasive species, the effects of development, and demand for water all contributed to the decline and that climate change may have also played a role. "Fish are indicators of how good the water quality is," said Howard Jelks of the USGS. "As long as you're losing fish, you're also likely losing crayfish, mussels, and other things of that nature. They're kind of the canary in the coal mine."