CWAA ― Urban Water Sustainability Leadership ConferenceOctober 4, 2011

Lessons Learned from Green Infrastructure (GI) Project Experience in Developing Code

Requirements and Community Engagement

Overview

• Seattle and Seattle’s Green Infrastructure (GI) Program

• GI in the Right-of-Way• Public Involvement to Maximize Success• Strategies for Multiple Benefits

Presented by: Nancy Ahern, Deputy Director, Seattle Public Utilities

Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle’s Green Infrastructure Program

Water Supply

Manage Solid Waste

Urban Drainage and Wastewater

Seattle’s Drainage and Wastewater System

System Drivers:• Combined Sewer Overflow

(CSO) and Stormwater Permit Compliance

• Sediment cleanup• Urban flooding• Water quality• Creek habitat• Climate change

Green Stormwater Infrastructure

• Integrating into Capital and O&M Programs• Analyzed cost/performance of parcel

and ROW based strategies• Used that analysis in planning• Have retrofit 232-acres of Seattle’s

creek watersheds to date

• Incorporation into Code• New development must use GI

• Incorporation into Rate Structure• Rate credits for impervious area

managed

Why Include GI in the Urban Drainage Strategy?

• Citizen interest: • Alternative for right-of-way improvements for

informal areas• Reducing environmental impacts on Seattle’s

receiving water bodies• Providing ratepayers cost-effective solutions

that maximize social and environmental benefits • Helps toward other City goals

– 2030 Challenge– Seattle reLeaf

Natural Drainage SystemsBuilding GI Experience and Knowledge

Project Project Drainage Area

SEA Street #1 2.3 acres

NW 110th Cascade 28 acres

Broadview Green Grid 32 acres

Pinehurst Green Grid 49 acres

High Point 129 acres

1111

SPU CSO System

• 90 permitted CSO outfalls– 37 CSO outfalls do not meet CSO

requirements

• 35 CSO storage facilities (8.1 MG)• 100-200 million gallons CSO

discharged annually• About 200 CSO discharge events

annually• Integration with King County

May 4, 2010 - Meeting No. 1

12

History Sets Context for CSO Control

CSO Control Approaches

CSO Control Relative Cost Range per gallon

• Green Stormwater Infrastructure $2.50 to $22

• System Retrofits $1 to $2

• Infiltration/Inflow $30 to $32

• Flow Transfer site specific

• Wet Weather Storage $12 to $40

• Wet Weather Treatment $8 to $25

CSO Reduction: Leading with Green

Private parcels: RainWise

Alleys: Retrofitted with permeable pavement

Roadways: Retrofitted with roadside rain gardens

Photos Courtesy of T. Tackett (SPU)

CSO Compliance with Anticipated Consent Decree

Big Pipe Photo

Solutions

Grey Green

Presented by: Tracy Tackett, Green Stormwater Infrastructure Program Manager, Seattle Public Utilities

GI in the Right-of-Way

Public Rights-of-Ways and Roadside Rain Gardens

Potential Seattle & King County Joint GI Implementation

Potential Right-of-way Bioretention or Permeable Pavement

Seattle CSO Basins

King County CSO Basins

City Boundary*All KC and SPU uncontrolled basins are under consideration for RainWise

Green is Not Always the Silver Bullet

Public Sensitivities to Roadside Rain Gardens

• Reduction in parking availability• Perceived safety issues• Change in neighborhood

aesthetics• Resistance to any changes• O&M concerns

Raingardens not exactly to scale.

Parking: How big is a Rain Garden?

Policy:Is Participation Voluntary vs. Mandatory?

Sensitivities to GI Challenges with Developers or Other Departments

• Competing needs for space• Change in desired aesthetic• Cost

Citywide Policy

• What is financial feasibility?

• Is parking higher or lower priority than stormwater goals?

• What is our risk tolerance?

Has your agency had any push back for adoption of green practices in the ROW?

Examples?

Discussion Question:

Presented by: Jennifer Price, Program Manager, CH2M HILL

Public Involvement to Maximize Success

• Manage expectations– Show interim conditions – Schedule and adaptation

• Community concerns are specific– Curb and gutter vs.

unimproved– Importance of street character– Duration of residence matters

• Don’t rely on community meetings alone

Lessons Learned from the Ballard Community

Getting to Informed Consent on GI Projects

• Engage vs. inform• Early and often in process

– Meaningful engagement for residents in siting and design

• Transparent decision processes

• Find common ground• Inform about O&M levels of

service

30

Revised Public Involvement Processfor GI Projects

• Introduce CSO problem and solutions by leading with RainWise

• Use design visualization to demonstrate why GI is a good solution

• Identify all potential stakeholders• Maintain consistent

communications• Engage stakeholders in multiple

benefits

FeasibilityAnalysis

FeasibilityAnalysis

Internal Site Visits

Internal Site Visits

Identify Stakeholders and Policies

Identify Stakeholders and Policies

Update Basin Specific

Outreach Plan

Update Basin Specific

Outreach Plan

Field/Site Specific

Feasibility

Field/Site Specific

Feasibility

Modeling and BMP

Sizing

Modeling and BMP

Sizing

Interactive Workshop• Project purpose

and need• Criteria for selection

Interactive Workshop• Project purpose

and need• Criteria for selection

FinalizeCommunications

Plan

FinalizeCommunications

Plan

Concept Analysis

And Scenario Building

Concept Analysis

And Scenario Building

Initial Communications• Community Briefings• Stakeholder Interviews• Personalized mailing• CSO Community Council

Initial Communications• Community Briefings• Stakeholder Interviews• Personalized mailing• CSO Community Council

GI Project Timeline

2-3 months

Project Initiation Preliminary Evaluation of Alternatives

3-4 months

RainWise MarketingRainWise Marketing

Proj

ect M

anag

emen

t Pu

blic

Com

mun

icat

ions

DesignDesign

Electronic or MailCommunication

Electronic or MailCommunication

ReviseScenarios

ReviseScenarios

5% Site Plan2-3 Scenarios5% Site Plan2-3 Scenarios

Status UpdatesStatus

Updates

Interactive Workshop

• Selected streets• Design input

Interactive Workshop

• Selected streets• Design input

Electronic or MailCommunication

Electronic or MailCommunication

CSO Community Council MeetingCSO Community Council Meeting

Proj

ect M

anag

emen

t Pu

blic

Com

mun

icat

ions

CouncilBriefingCouncilBriefing

SelectOption

Project Approval

Revisit Technical Feasibility as Needed

6 months minimum 1+ years

GI Project TimelineDetailed Evaluation of Alternatives Design

One-on-one Outreach to

address concerns

One-on-one Outreach to

address concerns

On-Site Walks-and-Talks

On-Site Walks-and-Talks

CSO Community Council MeetingCSO Community Council Meeting

Interactive Workshop

• Design input

Interactive Workshop

• Design input

Communications Plan Update

Communications Plan Update

What strategies or approaches have you used to gain acceptance of a Green Infrastructure project?

Discussion Question:

Presented by: Peg Staeheli, Principal, SvR Design Company

Strategies for Multiple Benefits

The quest: How to get more benefit from our public

infrastructure investments

Permitting Maintenance

Finance

Taxes/Bonds

Local / State/ Federal

Private

Planning

Policy

Government

Development Pattern

Public/Private

Delivery

Public Crews

Private Contract

Volunteers

Local

State

Federal

Departmental Partners in

Process

Construction

Traditional

Alternative

Involve

Collaborate

Communicate

Multi-Benefit Solutions- Looking at the Systems

Stormwater Goals via Stormwater

Code

CSO Reduction

Bioretention/ Rain Garden

Permeable Pavement

Rainwater Harvesting/ Detention Cistern

Trees

Greenroofs

GI for CSO Reduction and More

Some Examples: How GI Gets You More

• Significant reduction in total stormwater volume

• Increased awareness about stormwater and impacts

• Increased green space (increased walkability, increased habitat)

Yale Street Private Development

Bell Street ParkFrom SEAstreet to People Place Bringing it all

Together

THREE MOVES: reclaim. elevate. mix.

www.depave.org

water section: down garden

Winslow Way, Bainbridge Island, WA

Winslow Way, Bainbridge IslandStrategies for the Multifunctional Street

• Ensuring walkable space• Using Bioretention in several forms with enhanced landscape• Permeable pavement – strategic use• Manufactured systems when space is tight• Retaining mature tree canopy• Additional Trees

GI into Northgate Area Comprehensive Planning

“transforming the center’s underutilized, auto-oriented office/retail area into a higher intensity mix of office, retail, and housing …

emphasis has been placed on creating new public plazas and parks, and on restoring degraded environmental features.”

Northgate Mall, Seattle WA 2007- 2011

Seattle Public Utilities partnered with the Seattle Department of Planning & Development

Result: Client Assistance Memo – CAM515 extending the strategy beyond a single project

High Point Seattle

High Point- SPU’s Successful GI Implementation 2001-2011

How does your agency involve other departments (from Planning through Inspection) in your planning and implementation for Green Infrastructure?

Discussion Question:

Thank YouThank You