Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Stormwater topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
City outlines updated surface-water plan, calls for watershed-scale modeling and integrated stormwater approach
Summary
Public works staff told council the city’s Comprehensive Surface Water Management Plan will be updated to reflect new MS4 permit requirements, revised precipitation data and watershed‑scale modeling; staff recommended integrated green/gray approaches and a phased modeling and capital plan.
Deputy Public Works Director Erin Luxstein and Water Resources Manager Troy Ericson briefed the council on the Comprehensive Surface Water Management Plan update, a multi-year project that staff said is needed because the existing plan dates to the late 1990s and new regulatory and climate information requires watershed-scale planning.
Luxstein told council the plan describes surface- and groundwater resources, identifies state and federal requirements (including the city’s MS4 permit) and will guide capital improvements, engineering standards and long-term asset management. She emphasized the plan itself is guidance and does not automatically change permitting, engineering standards or stormwater fees without separate council action.
Ericson described an integrated stormwater management approach that prioritizes preserving natural site assets, incorporating low-impact design features (rain gardens, tree trenches, bioretention), and using engineered systems or gray infrastructure only as needed. He presented modeling work for Cascade Creek and portions of Kings Run that show how distributed green infrastructure plus targeted conveyance upgrades can reduce frequent nuisance flooding while also delivering water-quality and recreation co-benefits. Staff noted that the 100‑year rainfall standard used for sizing regional ponds has increased in recent analyses, requiring larger or different solutions than previously planned.
Staff recommended continuing to build drainage-district models, evaluate high-risk subcatchments, rank candidate projects using an Envision-style scoring system (to weigh social, environmental and infrastructure benefits) and then use those ranked projects to inform capital budgeting and any future stormwater rate study. Council members asked about likely impacts on development costs and whether the city could use flood‑control sales‑tax funds for certain projects; staff said funding sources and impacts will be assessed during the capital-plan phase and emphasized that better modeling can reduce avoidable downstream costs.
Staff said they will deliver the draft plan to council in August and then return with recommendations for modeling contracts, project lists and a capital‑planning timeline.
