Poor maintenace of underground stormwater vaults lowers stream water quality

OPINION: As you drive or walk by new construction sites you may notice large concrete boxes or "vaults" like the one pictured at the right. Vaults are used to manage pollutants and erosion from stormwater running off of roofs, driveways, and lawns. Many new vault installations can be found in North Redmond, especially around 116th Street NE. This particular one is quite large and was built by Camwest Development, Inc. adjacent the Perrigo Woods Trail between Lookout Ridge and Hartman Wetlands.

These concrete vaults "try" to function like the open "retention" ponds you see around the neighborhoods to filter stormwater and clean it but treatment is not as effective. Unfortunately, vaults are underground and higher maintenance than open ponds. Contaminated sediment builds up in these "underground ponds" and they must be periodically vacuumed out by large trucks.
The vaults are expensive for developers to install but without them some lands could never be fully developed. The main problem with these concrete vaults is they are below the surface, usually can't be seen and are often forgotten by homeowners and homeowner associations. After contaminated stormwater is collected in the underground "ponds" and partially treated it is discharged into a stream. When homeowners neglect to vacuum their vaults thick sediment contaminated with copper, phosphates, fecal bacteria, and other toxins can build up. After heavy rains, stormwater stirs up this dirty vault soil and discharges it into the streams.
Did you know Redmond currently has "marginal stream water quality"? Read the state report here. Regular maintenance of our stormwater facilities (vaults, detention ponds, storm drains) would help a lot to keep the streams, creeks and Sammamish River clean. Pictured here is a new stormwater retention pond on NE 116th Street.
Redmond has a serious shortage of stormwater inspectors. According to a city engineer in the Department of Natural Resources, Redmond has only ONE full time inspector to cover commercial and multi-family systems , "just barely". The city doesn't have one inspector for the proliferating, private, residential developments! Maintenance standards are in place but it's up to each owner or homeowner association to report problems or ask for inspections. Inspections are NOT proactive.
According to the same city engineer, Redmond is "not adding an inspector position to the proposed budget". Rather, "we are proposing to hire a field technician to help with inspections and monitor water quality." The question arises, how much contamination can our streams take from the growing numbers of hidden vaults and frequent flooding before we finally stop reacting to a problems helter-sketer? In the meantime, we entrust our neighborhood surface water quality to ONE, hopeful part-time technician!
We need proactive residential inspections and code enforcement before our streams deteriorate any further. Gigantic new regional stormwater facilities planned for our downtown will soon impact our stream water quality even further. The Redmond Department of Natural Resources and our councilmembers aren't at fault. Perhaps, Mayor Marchione can work his magic with a timely budget transfer or other maneuver to fund needed inspectors and code officers? As we all know, "a cleaner, greener environment" is a key budget priority for the city this year.
{See a short clip of open retention ponds in the Glenshire construction site "here". A wetland was once here. This large Glenshire development is in the North Redmond neighborhood adjacent what will be 172nd Avenue. Stormwater run-off is absorbed or eventually travels into nearby creeks. The "clean-out" is probably a sewer manhole}
CC: Mayor Marchione