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Federal Way committee backs authorization to apply for Ecology stormwater capacity grant
Summary
The Land Use & Transportation Committee moved to forward authorization for Public Works to accept and execute a Department of Ecology stormwater capacity grant covering 2025–2027, an award estimated at about $120,000 for stormwater education, illicit-discharge response and source-control inspections.
Federal Way Land Use & Transportation Committee members voted to forward to the Sept. 16 consent agenda a proposed authorization for Public Works to accept and execute a Department of Ecology stormwater capacity grant for the 2025–2027 biennium.
The grant, described by Kristen Armitage, water quality specialist in the Environmental Services section of Public Works, is intended "to help cities meet their National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System" obligations under a Phase 2 municipal stormwater permit and would be awarded at about $120,000 for the two-year period. "Some of these uses for this grant... are public education outreach," Armitage said, and she described an annual spring salmon outreach that engages all Federal Way fourth graders.
Why it matters: The grant funds activities the city uses to detect and eliminate illicit discharges, perform source-control inspections of private and public stormwater systems, and run community education and stewardship events intended to reduce pollution reaching Steel Lake, North Lake and other receiving waters.
Key details: Armitage listed examples of grant-supported work: public education (including a coho salmon release and classroom outreach), illicit discharge detection and elimination (IDDE) to trace and stop contaminating discharges, and source-control inspections of storm drains and systems. She said the grant is offered every two years and is a reoccurring program. The mayor recommended approval of the authorization.
Budget and administration: Council members asked where the money would be accounted for; staff said the award would be recorded as grant revenue only if and when the grant is awarded and that the funds are budgeted as anticipated grants. The grant revenue is allocated to a combination of the 401 Surface Water fund and the 306 Surface Water CIP fund, staff said. If the grant is not awarded, staff explained the amount is a projection in the budget and is not recognized as revenue until receipt.
Process and next steps: Committee members moved and seconded forwarding the authorization to the Sept. 16, 2025 consent agenda for council approval.
Ending: If approved by the full council and awarded by the Department of Ecology, staff said the funding will support continued stormwater compliance work and public outreach through 2027.
