Failed roadside raingardens a lesson for the city
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is continuing its $500,000 project to remove some of the roadside raingardens and restore the planting strips to their original look. One of the bulb-out raingardens …
roadside raingardens
City taking action on roadside raingarden concerns
The Ballard Roadside Raingardens pilot project has been a topic of conversation since they were installed last year. Whether you like them or not, it’s obvious that not all of …
City responds to neighbors about raingardens
Last week we wrote about a meeting held between residents who live along the Ballard Roadside Raingarden pilot project (map of project here) and Seattle Public Utilities. At the meeting, …
City to work with residents on Roadside Raingardens
About six months after Seattle Public Utilities started the Roadside Raingarden Pilot Project in Ballard (.pdf map here), many residents who live next to them are upset. Nearly 75 people …
Drainage issues in roadside raingardens
To help reduce the amount of storm water that flows into the sewers, Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is building roadside raingardens along 28th Ave NW. The future raingardens are still …
Roadside raingardens to be installed soon
Construction of the Roadside Raingardens project in Ballard is scheduled to begin in a few weeks. A total of 77 households will have gardens planted on the city-owned planting strip in front of their property, featuring a variety of plants and trees whose root structure is designed to hold stormwater long enough to absorb into the soil instead of pouring into combined sewer/stormwater pipes.
An example of a roadside raingarden along Linden Ave N in Seattle
Seattle Public Utilities employees were on hand during the final community planning meeting on May 12 to address any last concerns from residents affected by the project.
“It’s a new approach to dealing with sewers,” said SPU project manager Karen York. She said the area has an average of 12 Combined Sewer Overflows per year, when the federal EPA requires an average of one. CSOs happen in older areas of Seattle where sewer and stormwater lines are combined, and during large storms they will sometimes overflow into Puget Sound to prevent sewer backups into people’s homes.
Roadside raingardens coming to Ballard
In order to help reduce the amount of storm water that flows into the combined sewer system, Seattle Public Utilities will be constructing roadside raingardens along some Ballard streets. Example …
Roadside raingarden meeting tonight
Designs for the proposed roadside raingardens are almost complete. Seattle Public Utilities is holding a community meeting tonight to discuss the plans, which will affect an area of Ballard. The …