Anacortes council hears draft stormwater master plan; consultants recommend pipe program, habitat priorities and Ecology exemption request

Anacortes city staff and outside consultants on Jan. 27 presented a draft stormwater master plan that updates the city’s 2007 plan, outlines a new pipe repair-and-replacement program, identifies habitat-restoration priorities and explains permit-driven requirements from the Washington Department of Ecology.

Public Works Director Andy Rayam introduced the presentation and invited the consultant team to summarize findings. Terrell Osborne, a lead consultant, told the council, “We have about 20 slides today and a lot of information to cover, so we're gonna try to move as quickly as we can and still have time for all of your questions.” Modeling expert Dave summarized hydraulic work: “The red dots is where we anticipate flooding, and that's water coming out of the system,” he said, describing maps of projected ponding and surcharging under a 25-year, 24-hour design storm.

The nut graf: The draft plan compiles updated mapping, a condition inventory and modeling the city can use to prioritize capital projects and regulatory compliance. It identifies program-level changes — most notably a proposed stormwater pipe repair-and-replacement program — and recommends next steps for permitting, public outreach and budgeting so the city can decide timing and funding.

Key findings and recommendations

- Pipe inventory and inspection: Consultants said the city has logged camera inspections of 237 stormwater pipe segments to date and recommended a systematic, risk‑based pipe repair and replacement program so staff can prioritize pipes that pose the largest failure risk. Terrell Osborne emphasized the goal of giving operations a “plan to how they're going to continue to assess these pipes.”

- Habitat and stream assessments: Biologists and trained staff walked six key creeks; Clyde Creek was highlighted as a top restoration priority because of eroding, unstabilized banks. The team reported the city owns 21 culverts or crossings identified as fish barriers inside city limits and recommended further study for barriers listed as “unknown.”

- Hydraulic modeling and capacity: Consultants rebuilt a citywide hydraulic model using EPA SWMM and city GIS data. The model flags locations at risk of ponding or surcharging in a 25-year, 24-hour event and produced a prioritized list of capacity upgrades that could feed the capital facilities plan.

- Regulatory compliance: Jessica, the consultant on permit work, told the council that the Department of Ecology issued the city a new “MPDS phase 2 permit” that includes requirements the city must meet during the five‑year permit term. She identified several compliance items the city must address, including tree canopy policies, updated MS4 mapping, steps to address PCBs in 11 publicly owned buildings built between 1950 and 1980, street‑sweeping prioritization and increased public involvement with overburdened communities.

- Flow-control exemption for downtown: Consultants recommended the city prepare a submittal to Ecology seeking a flow-control exemption for portions of the downtown where flows discharge to piped systems. The team said the exemption would avoid requiring detention vaults on every redevelopment site downtown, although it noted pipes likely will need upsizing over time if downtown becomes significantly more impervious.

Budget, public outreach and next steps

Consultants reported the stormwater drainage fund budget for 2025 is “just over $3,000,000” and that several of the plan’s near-term projects and program funds were already in the 2025 work plan. They launched a public survey and said roughly two dozen responses had been received by the time of the meeting; staff urged more input to confirm problem areas and ratepayer priorities.

City staff framed the plan as a guidance document that the council would adopt and then implement through the normal budgeting process. Public Works Director Andy Rayam said adopting the plan would not itself authorize capital spending: it would “make the plan effective” while actual project funding decisions would come through budget proposals.

Council discussion

Councilmembers pressed for clarity on how the city would prioritize camera inspections and repairs, and several emphasized street sweeping and public education as high‑value, near‑term actions that can improve water quality at relatively low cost. Councilmember Young said the team’s emphasis on street sweeping and public outreach was important; Mayor Pro Tem Moulton and Councilmember Cleland McGrath praised the plan’s habitat assessments and the inclusion of data that looks to long‑range climate scenarios.

Staff direction and next steps

Consultants and staff said they would: finalize the draft after public comment, prepare the flow-control exemption submittal to Ecology and provide the council with a revised plan for formal adoption and follow‑up work sessions to prioritize projects and timing. Staff also agreed to clarify budget tables and follow up on a few numeric questions raised by council members about 2025 figures.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to excuse Councilmember Walters from the Jan. 27 meeting — moved by Cleland McGrath, second by Fantini; outcome: approved (voice vote: ayes recorded).

- Motion to approve consent agenda items 5(a)–(c) — moved by Young, second by McDougall; outcome: approved (voice vote: ayes recorded).

What’s next

Staff and the consultant team will gather additional public input through the online survey, refine the draft plan and return to the council with an adoption resolution and, at the council’s direction, a schedule for project prioritization and budgeting.

(Article prepared from remarks by Andy Rayam, Public Works Director; Terrell Osborne, consultant; Dave, modeling lead; Jessica, permit specialist; and comments from Mayor Pro Tem Moulton and councilmembers Young, Cleland McGrath, McDougall and Hubick as recorded in the Jan. 27, 2025 Anacortes City Council meeting transcript.)