Stormwater Management

Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group is proud to announce the launch of Salmon Friendly, a new stormwater program serving residents in the Woodinville area. The aim of Salmon Friendly is an effort to protect the endangered Chinook that call our creeks and streams home by installing green solutions that capture pollution from rainwater runoff, such as rain gardens, cisterns, and native landscapes, in people’s yards.

Salmon Friendly is open to homeowners living in the Cold Creek, Lake Leota, Cottage Lake, and Bear Creek watersheds in eastern Woodinville and unincorporated areas of King County. Site consultations are provided free of charge and $5,500 in funding will be given to selected projects. Don’t miss your opportunity to improve your home and community at little or no cost to you! Project funding is currently available this year only - so contact us today!

Visit https://www.midsoundfisheries.org/salmon-friendly/ to learn more or contact chris@midsoundfisheries.org to sign up for a free site visit today.

Mid Sound Fisheries Enhancement Group is a woman-led nonprofit working with community members to protect and restore salmon habitat in the Central Puget Sound region.

Help raise awareness with your business or neighborhood about stormwater pollution by marking your storm drains!

Where does the water in storm drains go?

Storm drains collect stormwater runoff from surfaces such as roads, parking lots, yards, and rooftops and empty directly into our creeks, wetlands, and the Sammamish River. Stormwater runoff collects pollutants from these surfaces along the way and is not treated before it enters our local surface waters.

Where do the pollutants come from?

Pollutants can come from car fluids and debris from roads, industrial activities, pet waste, dirt and leaves, trash and litter, chemicals, spills, and many more sources. The only thing that should be entering storm drains is clean stormwater/rainwater.

Why mark storm drains?

By marking storm drains we can better educate ourselves and our neighbors about the direct connection between storm drains and the water quality of our local creeks, wetlands, the Sammamish River, and the Puget Sound watershed. We hope to remind people that our daily actions and how we treat storm drains directly affects local water quality.

For more information or to schedule a storm drain marking project, contact Leah Mikulsky at leahm@ci.woodinville.wa.us or 425-984-2302. Available while supplies last.

Low Impact Development (LID) is a stormwater management and development approach that allows stormwater to absorb into the ground rather than flow quickly over impermeable surfaces such as roads, parking lots, roofs, and driveways.

This approach is important in maintaining natural drainage processes, protecting water quality, and reducing localized flooding.

Common LID Techniques

Permeable pavement

Permeable paving can be used for patios, walkways, or driveways. It allows rain water to filter into the ground where it falls.

Rain gardens

Rain gardens are shallow depressions that collect rainwater. The use of high organic soils, mulch, and native plants allows stormwater from roofs, yards, and driveways to soak into the ground and evaporate instead of flowing into local streams and creeks.

Bioretention and Bioswales

Bioswales are vegetated channels that provide filtration and infiltration while slowly transporting stormwater.

Helpful Links

12,000 Rain Gardens

Urban Runoff: Low Impact Development

What Stormwater Improvement Actions Do You Want to See Around Our City?

Use the "Ideas" tab to submit an idea for a small-scale stormwater improvement project in the City of Woodinville. The King Conservation District funds projects within partner cities to improve natural resource conditions. Woodinville wants feedback in identifying small-scale projects that qualify for this funding.

What Types of Projects are Eligible?

Eligible projects must either have a direct improvement of natural resources, provide education and outreach, be a pilot or demonstration project, or provide capacity building to enhance the ability to deliver natural resource management actions on the ground.

Ideas could be:

• Stormwater educational programming in schools
• Riparian planting or stream restoration
• Rain garden demonstration
• Storm drain art
• Water quality programs or Stream Teams
• Dog waste pickup campaigns or incentive programs

Nature Vision, a nonprofit environmental education organization based out of the Brightwater Center, has partnered with local jurisdictions to develop Ecological Impacts and Water Quality learning packets for students K-12.

These packets explore different stormwater topics including how stormwater flows through different landscapes, how pollutants impact stormwater, and how stewardship is important to minimize the negative impacts on our local waters.