Department of Natural Resources uses digital photography to map impervious surfaces for more accurate stormwater billing.

Stormwater treatment infiltration pond next to Evans Creek. Infiltration systems on sensitive Evans Creek properties will be more closely monitored by the City.

UPDATED, 5/21. Opinion: The council voted (7-0) last night to modify stormwater billing to improve billing accuracy. New digital aerial mapping technology allows stormwater engineers to more accurately identify all impervious surfaces (roads, parking, structures) that contribute to dirty stormwater run-off. According staff, an "opt-out" condition only applies to the city-center (downtown) sub-basin, and is only applicable to properties within that sub-basin that are adjacent to the Sammamish River. No change in treatment requirements will apply from this ordinance.

The SW industrial businesses (R.I.C.E.) earlier had lobbied for "infiltration" and against regional treatment improvements. Staff is working with RICE to develop an assessment for existing infiltration systems, and to develop a process and timeline to modify existing systems (if necessary) to reduce risk to the aquifer. The City is building a SW Regional Treatment Plant to treat dirty stormwater more comprehensively and economically along the industrial district of Evans Creek and SW Redmond. Councilmembers Hank Myers and Pat Vache' lended their support to the R.I.C.E. industries during negotiations.

The Administration made some concessions to pass the modification. With staff approval, industries and landowners living adjacent the river would be allowed to "opt out" from hooking into the new Downtown Regional Stormwater Facility. To qualify for reduced rates, a professional engineer would have to make sizing and cost estimates for properties building a private water treatment facility. Department of Ecology water quality standards must still be met. A business could "opt out" for lower rates if their plan was approved by the Staff. Another concession, driven by Myers, was to allow businesses to appeal their bill by October, 2009. Landowners who "opt out" will be reimbursed for the value of their land lost to an on-site facility. Finally, staff had requested that "gravel" count as an impervious surface. The Administration and council decided not to include gravel as impervious, but to study and decide on the issue by December, 2010.

The new digital photography mapping techniques to identify parcels with impervious surfaces is more accurate than on site visits. 78 letters have been mailed to property owners with NEW stormwater bills. Also, the unit measurement of impervious has been "truncated" which will bring higher revenues to the city. In addition, billing by parcel, rather than property owner will add to revenues. Credits will be given for "rain harvesting".

Public Works Director Bill Campbell and Stormwater Manager Jon Spangler, have been progressive and innovative in meeting city needs for cleaner water, all the while, dancing the political jig for council and property owners. Councilmember Hank Margeson concluded the billing modification was really all about cleaner water for our streams (and aquifer zones). Margeson Chairs the Planning & Public Works Committee.

Link to the Modified Stormwater billing ordinance

draft

Politics hits the Council during Stormwater rate debate.

Filthy stormwater in SE Redmond Industrial District is soaking into Evans Creek aquifer protection zone soils ~200 feet from Evans Creek. The city plans a SE Regional Treatment Plant that must be funded in large part by stormwater fees.

Updated 4/7, OPINION: At their last meeting, City Council evaluated and considered adjusting stormwater fees to better account for "impervious surfaces". Impervious surfaces create polluted stormwater which must be treated and cleaned by the City. If the stormwater is not adequately treated our aquifer could become endangered. Our aquifer is an "underground reservoir" that supplies City drinking water.

The bulk of the conversation was about how to hold SE Redmond industries accountable for their "fair share" of the costs in treating stormwater running off of their polluted impervious surfaces. It's possible Cadman Gravel, Watson Asphalt, AWR, Genie Industries and other SE industries have impervious surfaces for which they are not being adequately billed. In addition, impervious surfaces created by new and "unfound" buildings are being identified throughout the city. Even the gravel parking lot in King County's 60 Acres Park South was "found" would by the Administration's new digitalized aerial photography. The county lot be assessed for stormwater treatment if council okays the Administration's current proposal.

The Marchione Administration is looking into all these scenarios and wants to keep rates fair and accountable using the Best Available Science. Same with Council. However, Council's review is politically charged because of "R.I.C.E.", a long-standing and historically entrenched lobby for the Redmond SE industrial district. A R.I.C.E. lobbyist was sitting "front and center" during the Council meeting; so close to Council that certain members could literally read her lips.

The R.I.C.E. associate has seemingly "wrapped her arms" around several of our older councilmembers. Newly elected Councilmember Hank Myers is heavily obligated and Councilmember Pat Vache' doesn't seem too far behind. Much of R.I.C.E success comes from their financial and networking support for councilmembers during elections. Councilmembers Allen and possibly Margeson appear politically untouched by R.I.C.E. Both have won their seat with broad support from the Neighborhoods. Margeson won support from businesses, too.

The SE industrial influence on city government began years ago with the powerful "industrialists" like Cadman Gravel. Cadman has been around longer than the City itself. They and other SE industries have been a large tax base for Redmond over the years - from day one. My guess is "the good old boy" network has thrived for years and has become a tradition. The coming of Microsoft, rapid population growth, and "need for green" could be impacting political alignments.

The City Administration, led by Stormwater Manager Jon Spangler, announced during the meeting, a new and more accurate method of measuring impervious surfaces. Mr. Spangler is highly regarded by Sammamish/Cedar River Regional Watershed community (WRIA 8). Impervious surfaces are undesirable because they increase stormwater run-off and treatment costs. Generally, the more impervious on your property the higher your rate. Examples of impervious surfaces are roads, parking lots, roofs, and vehicles parked on creek banks. The impervious surface getting the most attention last night was gravel -- yes, gravel. City code defines gravel as impervious. (Our city parks consultant Guy Michealson confirmed this during his evaluation of park trail materials.) The Administration is building an expensive SE Regional Stormwater Treatment Facility. The stormwater revenue generated from "fair share" billing will go towards paying for facility.

Councilmember Pat Vache' wanted to delay most of the new charges until after 2010 owing to the Recession. Did Mr. Vache' forget about his vote to raise neighborhood property taxes 1% taxes starting this year while leaving the businesses untaxed? Councilmember Kimberly Allen wanted to qualify "impervious surfaces" using Best Available Science before moving on. Some wanted citizens and businesses to have a chance to appeal the new charges or to phase them in. Another meeting will he held to review the Administration's proposal.

Pat Vache' and Kimberly Allen are running for re-election to Council this year so I will be highlighting their activities and decisions as they come up.

Updated: Kempin Creek, Part II - the misuse of science in classifying city streams, Part II

2005 Stream Map
City of Redmond Stream Classification Definitions


Updated Opinion, 3/14/09: A couple of weeks ago I gave testimony to the Planning Commission and staff during a Public Hearing. The Hearing was a final step in the public process of approving the revised "Stream Map". The Critical Area Ordinance (CAO) requires cities in Washington map out their "critical areas" (streams, wetlands, flood plains, geological hazards, and aquifer recharge zones).

The Stream map is a city guideline to help developers, landowners, citizens, and "qualified consultants" rank our streams according to their value and function. Value is mostly defined by the presence or absence of fish species. A Class I "Shorelines of the State" streams (Sammamish River, Bear & Evans Creek) have the highest value owing to their size and presence of Federally endangered Chinook and other salmon. Class II streams, like Kempen Creek in NE Redmond provide habitat for "salmonid" ( salmon, steelhead, bull trout) and fish. Class III streams as in Perrigo Creek of Hartman Wetlands, have no fish nor potential for fish. Streams are buffered from land use development according to their classification (and usually size) with Class III getting the least amount of buffer

So what does all this have to do with Kempin Creek - the subject of an earlier post? Kempin Creek is unusual because it crosses county-city jurisdictions. In the county, qualified fish and wildlife biology consultants determined during a land use proposal that Kempin Creek harbored salmonid fish and should have buffers equal in size to Redmond's Class II stream rating. However, during the CAO Stream map revisions, city staff downgraded Kempin Creek to Class III when it flowed downstream from the county into Redmond.

But then something weird happens. Several hundred feet further downstream this Class III segment of Kempin Creek is classified a Class II stream again! Question. How can salmonid fish swim up Kempin Creek from Bear Creek, then swim to where they are not supposed to be (the Class III segment) only to re-enter fish bearing waters of Kempin Creek of King County?!

Below is a chart of Kempin Creek's city classification from it's source in King County downstream to Bear Creek.

Creek- County Class22222- City Class333333333333- Class22222 Class1111Bear Creek
upstream in county (fish-2)...... at Redmond border (no fish-3)- then (fish-2 again) further downstream to Bear Creek class 1111 (fish-1).


Note the Class 3 segment containing no fish, yet salomonid are upstream.! How does the the city's best science explain that!

The map is a guideline and I wouldn't make a big deal of this were it not for the city's misuse of "Best Available Science" (BAS). According to the Critical Area Ordinance, "Best Available Science" (BAS) is to be used during land use projects when classifying streams and other critical areas. City stream classification changes are triggered when a "qualified consultant" is hired by a developer for a project. In this case, the developer was CAMWEST. The BAS for Kempin Creek proved the developer's consultant misclassified the creek. A King County qualified biologist proved salmonid were present upstream in the King County segment. Thus, by best science, salmonid have to be present downstream -- all the way to Bear Creek. But for some bureaucratic reason the city's lesser "Washington Trout" mapping data pre-empted the Best Available Science provided by the county. Most importantly, re-classification of the stream mapping guide is is etched by land-use development triggers, not by cartography. As a result, the city presents an embarrassing, illogical mapping of Kempin Creek and a flagrant disregard for Best Available Science.

Some good news: Wise Planning Commissioners recommended that hydrology surrounding Redmond Creeks near the county be monitored. Another Planning Commissioner (KP) recommended stream temperatures be monitored as a city indicator of water quality and fish health.

Fishing Tip: if you're looking for a good fishing hole might try the city's Class III "no fish" segment of Kempin Creek. Your won't find staff fishing there! But, check with WDFW first to see if Kempin is fishable.

Redmond Code: 20D.140.20.-010 - Redmond's Class III streams connected to tributaries are streams without fish and without any potential to support fish or salmonids. They connect to downstream salmonid-bearing Class II and Class I streams. While these streams don’t contain fish themselves, they can be critical “headwater streams,” providing cold, clean water to the salmon-bearing streams into which they flow, further downstream.
Kempin Creek - the stream with a split personality, Part 1

CC: R. Odle, Planning Director, C. Beam, Environmental planner, PlanningCommission@redmond.gov

What's going wrong with Redmond's Commissions? What's right?

2/6, UPDATED OPINION: Commissioners are mostly Redmond residents who volunteer their time to participate with staff, elected officials and citizens in decision-making and city planning. They are appointed by the Mayor with the blessing of the Council and sworn in. Their terms vary and vacancies are hard to anticipate so it's best to put early word into the Mayor's office. Commissioners are some of my most favorite citizen volunteers. I love them dearly. Read this story about long-time commission Chairs Martin Snodgrass and his spouse, Lori.

But, this 'sermon' is about city problems with the management of Commissions by our one-year old Administration. According to the Parks & Trails commission website Chair Sue Stewart of Parks and Trails has been a commissioner for almost 6 years. Ms. Stewart likes to make oral presentations at council meetings and I could swear remembering her quoting a much longer Parks commission term than 6 years. Peter MacDonald, Vice Chair of Parks and Trails and friend and political ally of the Mayor and according to their website has been a commissioner for about five years. Peter would be an excellent citizen to get to know if you want to be a Parks & Trails Commissioner or Youth Advocate. A Youth Advocate position is open. Council blessing of the non-resident commissioner appointee is soon.

Unfortunately, it's too late to apply for the Parks & Trails vacancy. The Commission went outside their normal selection standards (see comments - non-residents are allowed) and got permission from the Mayor to appoint a citizen not residing in Redmond. The Parks Director justified it by claiming the nominee lived near a trail the city was interested in acquiring. I don't think non-resident commissioners are good policy. Redmond has plenty of tax-paying citizens who would probably love the opportunity to give input on our many splendored parks. I don't believe parks commissioners should enter the commission with a special interest, especially, when they live outside the city.

A serious problem for the Parks & Trail Commission in 2008 has been the loss of the "public record" for the last six months of their regular meetings. The commission is required to tape their regular meetings for the public record. Weeks ago, I asked the Parks Secretary for two meeting tapes. I found NOTHING taped on their digital recorder or analog recorder for the last six meetings. The council Ombudsman-of-the-month's answer was "we all learned from the experience." No public Ombudsman report was given. No commitment to fix the problem was promised. To this day, I haven't received an apology or even acknowledgment from the Parks Director or Parks Commission Chair or the Mayor. Loss of 6 months public record is serious.

I knew I did something good for the city during this discovery, as follows: 1) I actively participated in the governing process by attempting to listen to meeting tapes and catch up on P&T meetings for the Eastern Park Corridor Program and Downtown Park, 2) I spent 3 hours of my personal time trying to help the city trouble-shoot and quantify the lose of public record. 3) I reported the problem through proper channels -- didn't jump to my blog. What resulted? Not one genuine thank you from the city nor promise the recorder would be fixed.

In my five years of active participation and reporting on the city, I've found a dysfunctional governing pattern -- The city's approach to a citizen reporting errors and omissions is to brush them under the carpet rather than give them even hushed appreciation. Such apathy and disregard for constructive citizen participation results in mediocrity and public dis-engagement within our government.

Redmond sponsors 9 Commissions. None are paid. Of the commissions I'm most familiar with, the entire Planning Commission is dedicated and professional, giving much of their time in meetings every week. Presently, they are looking to expeditiously fill one position. They are my favorite commission because I learn the most from them. They conduct Public Hearings, make Land Use decisions, and set land use policy.

The only problem I have with the Planning Commission is staff - NOT the commissioners! Last week staff interfered and discouraged my public testimony, at times. The Principal Planners gave me help when I didn't want it and didn't give me help when I needed it. During the Stream Map Hearing, to prepare, I asked as week in advance for known Stream Maps from three planners and an engineer. We used these maps during a tour with Kathy Lambert. Twenty minutes before the Hearing a Principal Planner told me flatly that they "didn't get them all". I'm guessing the Mayor was taking a stand on "the Rock of public records."

The map they gave me was so large it couldn't be projected on an overhead. Despite this, a second Principal Planner barged onto the podium, unannounced, interrupting my testimony while he was trying to position the large map! He interrupted me just when I was starting to talk about some observations of the lay of the land near our aquifer. For me, his abrupt, unasked for "help" confirmed the city may still have quality issues with our aquifer. My testimony was unscientific and anecdotal and I had rights to be fully heard. The principal planner's subtle interference was uncalled for. Some of these planners are paid over $95,000 for services rendered to taxpayers.

My last beef with staff at the Planning Commission Hearing was their lack of professional courtesy. I wanted to familiarize myself with the overhead projector before the meeting but a second Principal Planner brushed me aside saying they were too busy now and to come back. Three staff proceeded to huddle around the projector, blocking me off, until the Hearing started. Once I got to the podium various staff were all over me in front of the camera - interrupting, correcting me and fixing the projector, adjusting the microphone, putting unwanted maps on the projector, and mostly trying to give me the help I needed before my testimony. This behavior is a sorry example of poor service to a rare citizen with guts and time enough to approach the podium...... It would have been one thing if said staff were interns, associates, or even senior planners. But two highly paid Principal Planners were "helping me". I've seen other citizens fumbling at the start of their talk, also. It would not take much to fix this and so encourage citizen participation.

Not to forget, the Arts Commission is one of my favorites, too. They are looking for two new commissioners and one Youth Advocate. They hold three public meetings on RCTV. The Planning Commission is on RCTV most every Wednesday night at 7PM. The Parks & Trails Commission NEVER conducts their meetings on RCTV. Their website is incomplete and innacurate. What does this tell you? All said and done, I absolutely adore, admire and appreciate the commissions and every hour of volunteer work our commissioners give to our city. I love going to their meetings or listening to them. I think staff should do a better job servicing, acknowledging, recognizing, and empowering our invaluable human resources of caring citizens - espectially sworn volunteers.

Apply and sign-up for a commissioner or youth advocate position here.

Apply and sign-up for the nonprofit Water Tenders Youth Advocate position at the web site.
Water Tenders is a small group of passionate citizens compelled to sustain and protect local Bear Creek Basin habitats in Redmond. My daughter is a youth advocate.

CC: Mayor John Marchione ; Redmond City Council; City Clerk, OMBUDSMAN
RAC@redmond.gov, planningcommission@redmond.gov, parksandtrailscommission@redmond.gov

_________________________________________________________________________
Comments are encouraged below or by emailing me at REDMONDBLOG@GMAIL.COM for posting on this page.

Editorial - the Magic of Mayor Marchione

The pace of change and events in Redmond has increased exponentially since John Marchione was elected Mayor, joined the Sound Transit Board and began his work. Enhanced transparency of government operations and a well oiled council machine move city actions and events faster than can be reported. To be frank, it's impossible to keep up as a 1-man nonprofit neighborhood reporter.

Mayor John Marchione is off to a fast start. Just off the top of my head, I can think of many positive actions and events of the first seven months of the John Marchione Administration. Of course, there are bumps along the road and a mayor's work is never done, but Mr. Marchione is generally doing a fantastic job. Here are my thoughts about Mr. Mayor's progress:

1. Improvement and transparency of Open Meeting policies, Public Records Requests, Council Committee activities, participation of commissions in Council Meetings, and increased public participation by staff members previously unseen. Council meetings are efficient, productive and documented online for the public.

2 Reaching out to citizens to engage our neighborhoods by: promoting Neighborhood Block Watch potluck gatherings and looking into "Neighborhood Associations", keeping a watchful eye on the Redmond Neighborhood Blog, enhancing Derby Days with extra support from Microsoft, Geni Industries, and small businesses, providing a Neighborhood Land Use map on the city website, and yes, team building with fire and police during the First-ever Dodgeball tournament at Redmond High School!

2. Making the Budget process more palatable and participatory for the neighborhoods by prioritizing citizen needs. Providing document links to the online Consent Agenda to expose budget decisions.

3. Improving traffic and pedestrian safety by problem solving controversial road projects like the Bear Creek Parkway Extension, Redmond-Woodinville widening idea, 166th Ave rechannelization and RJH stop light project and on. At a recent Conference of Mayors Mayor Marchione demonstrated leadership for bicycle commuting. John is an influential member of the well connected Sound Transit Board.

4. Proving to be as "green" -if not more so - as previous administrations by: Bringing out the best of our already top-notch Natural Resources staff to upgrade our stormwater management systems with state of the art regional plans for Overlake, Downtown, and SE Redmond urban centers. Funding reforestation programs with the Cascade Conservancy to remove riparian invasives, recruit youth for stream restoration, hire a geologist and "aquifer team" to sustain the quality and affordability of our drinking water. Work with inter-local governments, like county councilmember Kathy Lambert to improve our Evans and Bear Creek shorelines and safeguard our aquifer; and converse with Rep. Ross Hunter to assist Cole and Allen secure SR 520 widening species protections and flood mitigation.

5. Swift and open acknowledgment of serious needs for affordable housing. John invited Art Sullivan, Manager of ARCH eastside affordable housing, to present solutions to council. Funding was quickly approved to help service-workers, teachers & young adults of Redmond families afford a place to live in Redmond and reduce fuel consumption.

6. Parks are expanding. A string of 5 rural parks along historic Bear Creek East of Avondale will be developed and connected by a trails. Environmental education and heritage centers will occupy the park's historic buildings.

7. I have never seen staff happier or more empowered. John wasn't afraid to identify and cull the few "bad apples" early in his administration. City Hall staff was downtrodden by stalled salary and benefit negotiations under the prior administration for over a year. John and council swiftly dealt with the problem and re-energized the staff.

8. Mr. Mayor has put the exterior art "crystals" back on the city hall building RCTV. This, small act is a loud symbol of city pride and transparency. John has revitalized the Arts Commission with new goals to attract tourists and commuters with nationally renknowned art, like the coming Digital Arts Festival!

9. John's accomplished all this and he's only into 1/8 of his first term! I've reported on Mr. Mayor for over a year, including councilwork, 5 months of his mayoral candidacy and 7 months in office. And, he's been more active than I can report!

10. The reason for John's success? He doesn't let his ego get in the way of a good idea. He is willing and open to bend or change course when he sees a good thing. He listens, respects and values citizen and staff opinions and ideas, and responds! John is not afraid to put his ego aside and to achieve the best, consensual decision for the city. John will make you chuckle. John understands the numbers. And, he is bright.

As with all my opinion stories, your comments are welcome and encouraged by posting them below or emailing. For this Opinion, I will publish Letters submitted by citizens.

As I said, I just can't keep up with the pace of the Administration and our council! My neighborhood reporting is falling behind. Volunteer Kay Taraposli ("kid's topics") and Richard Morris ("parks & trails") and others gave me more work than I could review. Thus, I'm looking for funding to keep this non profit weblog, or a non-political version, running. If you can help with funding please email me at redmondblog@gmail.com. Thank you! Bob Yoder

FINAL Updated Opinion; Do SE Redmond industries have a valid alternative to the city's regional plan for managing filthy industrial stormwater?

FINAL UPDATES: "And the answer is..." - it appears the industries & city will achieve a workable variation to the city regional stormwater plan to allow infiltration, if necessary. County Councilmember Kathy Lambert will tour parts of the Evans Creek county shoreline with me and other city officials on 7/16. Kathy is also a Redmond resident.

UPDATED, 7/14 - King County Environmental Health Manager Fay reassured me that fecal coliform bacteria issues should probably not be a big concern in SE Redmond city septic systems. Many thanks to county councilmember Kathy Lambert for her assistance in this matter. Dave Garland of Ecology reported inconsequential fecal bacteria in Evans Creek, at this time.

Two unintended consequences arose today during my meeting with staff:
1) The inaccurate city-county "zoning jurisdictional city web map" caused undue strain and waste of staff and citizen time during this fact-finding process. 2) Presently, no planner is assigned to the SE Redmond industrial district to review permit applications on site for either conforming or nonconforming uses. Photos are not required by permit to monitor "creeping" of uses onto the Evans Creek tree-lined banks in SE Redmond. (Yet, photos by homeowners are required in residential tree removal permitting. In addition, unannounced on-site residential tree inspections were made by planners and the code enforcement officer, during Ives Administration....my home and my neighbor's for my tree permit).

Councilman Hank Margeson, Chair Public Works Committee reported at a recent council meeting I was concerned about the integrity and safety of the county septic systems in SE Redmond. This is innacurate and a misunderstanding; and probably attributed to the outdated & confusing jurisdictional map on the city website. I've since edited my article to clarify my concern is about city septic systems. Mr. Jon Spangler, DNR, was aware of my intentions and concern about aging city septic in SE Redmond at: Cadman Gravel 'Olympian PreCast,' Skanska, Rainier Welding and most likely Genie Industries. I may be requesting public records to identify & confirm the location of these septic systems (and the newer sewer lines partially servicing 192nd Ave. Ne ) city industrial. In talking to city Dept. of Nat. Resources, East Redmond Properties, LLC (Watson Asphalt Co.) appears hooked up to the sewer line on 192nd Ave NE, though the department was unsure if All Wood Recycling, Inc. (AWR) was hooked up to sewer...hmmm.
UPDATED, 6/26 - after a 30 minute conversation with Jon Spangler of the Department of Natural Resources today I learned the SE Redmond city septic systems are safely operating and probably good for at least another five years.

During the June 17 council meeting, Public Works presented a proposal that could move forward plans for a critical new regional city stormwater facility for SE Redmond. Staff's Regional city Stormwater Facilities plan for SE Redmond can be found HERE with map in its entirety. Excerpts from the proposal are below. You may find these snippets astounding or laugh nervously; I'm ecstatic the Marchione Administration is proposing a regional stormwater system for SE Redmond. The facility would service over 300 acres in the vicinity of Union Hill and 192th Ave. NE adjacent Evans Creek. Find a helpful satellite terrain map HERE of Evans Creek running through a section of city, SE Redmond industrial park.

Below are excerpts from the staff report:


"Stormwater infrastructure in the area is primarily characterized as uncontrolled flow of stormwater from paved surfaces into sandy gravel areas where the water seeps into the ground to enter groundwater flowing towards the City’s municipal drinking water wells." !

"With minimal stormwater infrastructure, this contaminated stormwater can flow into the City’s groundwater (drinking water supply) and into Evan’s Creek, jeopardizing water quality for both of those resources." !

"In response to the need to end the practice of infiltrating potentially contaminated stormwater in this area, and in response to three currently proposed projects (Costco, extension of 188th Ave NE, and Union Hill Road Phase 3) City staff have worked to identify and size potential regional stormwater facilities to meet the current and future needs in this watershed."

This is something! In review of the archived tape of the 6/17/08 Council meeting, it sounds like most of SE Redmond's untreated stormwater currently flows slowly towards Wellhead #5. According to the Public Works director, Wellhead 5 is our most productive well and very important to our supply for affordable drinking water.

"R.I.C.E" -- "Redmond Industries for a Clean Environment" lobbied Council last Tuesday to water-down the proposal to allow existing infiltration practices (against new municipal code) and to not implement the 50 year flood capacity of the facility. SE Redmond city businesses lies in a 100 year floodplain above a shallow aquifer but fortunately, city sewer has been installed in the last 2 years at most city businesses along Evans Creek, according to DNR.

Council may make a decision on the RICE proposal in their their July 1 meeting. Tune into RCTV Channel 21 Tuesday, 7:30 to follow it. According to city Jon Spangler of the Depart. of Nat. Resources, within the last two years SE Redmond city businesses have partially converted to city sewer. In past decades the city businesses relied exclusively on city septic tanks and septic drain fields to treat wastewater. The drain fields are decades old and are buried near the shallow aquifer.

Think about the benefits of sewer and regional stormwater when you look at the photo of this filthy city stormwater pond. This detention pond is the only one I'm aware of in SE Redmond. It's located adjacent Evans Creek on 42nd Street on city property. According Jon Spangler of Redmond Department of Natural Resources the surface water, ground water, and Evans creek is free of significant fecal coliform bacteria; and all existing city septic fields are maintained and not failing. Now that's reassuring!!

Take a quick look at the Department of Ecology's "Citizen Guide to Monitoring Streams - fecal coliform bacteria". Does this answer some of your concerns? Click this link to read my last story on "Evans Creek - what went wrong?" As with any opinion story, I am always open to hearing and sharing your opinion in the comments section below.

And not to forget, the City of Redmond "2007 Water Quality Report" has city contact information. This 2007 report was printed & delivered this summer of '08. The city's new slogan is: "Safe Drinking water is our highest priority". It sure looks like they are working hard towards that end. Thank you, Department of Natural Resources & Council for your efforts!

cc: city council, mayor, city clerk, WDOE.

Our drinking water quality then...and now

After Citizen Nao Harding read my earlier story about aging SE Redmond city septic systems, she submitted the following newspaper article printed 75 years ago in the East Side Journal. The Journal reporter is almost as entertaining as the county nurse! Nao is a co-founder of the
Redmond Historical Society.

Nao says:

"Frank Buckley's garage was at the northeast corner of 164th Av &
Redmond Wy. Buckley's was combo gas station, auto repair garage, bar [yep,
beer for the road]. This intersection was the hub of the traffic wheel
planned by Mayor Brown to bring all roads to Redmond, and thus, the busiest
stretch of road in town."

"That testing showed the water to be excellent, despite gas
and oil spilled, splashed and dripped at the site, makes one wonder if, back in
the day, our aquifer was so pure and deep that it could drink anything without
indigestion, or if perhaps the County nurse did her testing at the bar. "

--Contributed by Nao Hardy
Co-founder and past President of the Redmond Historical Society
Compiler and Editor of "Redmond Reflections, settlers to software"
To order Nao's "Redmond Reflections" soft cover, call 425-885-2919

OPINION: Four Mayors and a Clerk - The duties of our City Clerk

City Clerk Doris Schaible's retirement party on 3/22/1995: Selwyn "Bud" Young ('68-'79; d '99), Christine Himes ('80-'83), Doreen Marchione, ('84-'91), City Clerk Doris Schaible, Rosemarie Ives ('92-'07)

That's quite a picture of retired City Clerk Doris Schaible (in green) with Redmond's four most recently retired Mayors. Doris Schaible was our City Clerk for 25 1/2 years and she worked with everyone of these Mayors.  

Did you know that the City Clerk is the oldest of public servants in local government, along with tax collectors?  A case in point is our first mayor, Frederick A. Reil, 1913 -1918. He was Redmond's first postmaster and town clerk before running for mayor, unopposed. (1)

My personal experience with the Office of City Clerk began about four years ago. A large group of Education Hill neighbors were trying to appeal the Camwest, Inc. Perrigo Heights plat Steep Slope and Landmark Tree Exception. We needed ordinances and code information and we discovered the Clerk's office was a big help.  Today, I like to copy the Clerk on important emails to help my correspondence get circulated to the right people and "for the record".  When I want a public record for some information on, say, SE Redmond septic tanks and our aquifer - I submit my written request to the City Clerk.  cityclerk@redmond.gov.    

Our city clerk is the "hub of government" and direct link between "us" and city government. Probably no one knows more about what's going on in the city then the City Clerk. At a 2008 council meeting, Mayor John Marchione likened the Office of City Clerk as "a rock to stand on".  (I'm not sure what this means).  Since then, public records request service has improved dramatically.  Over time the Clerk's knowledge of the city's recorded history builds. The Clerk is highly respected and a certain amount a power comes with that knowledge.

According to various sources, (3) a City Clerk needs to be highly diplomatic, apolitical, unflappable, patient, versatile, and alert. I might add careful and assertive. One understands why a city clerk has these traits when reading their job description, as found on the city website, as follows:

1. supports the Mayor and City Council, oversees the Hearing Examiner function,
2. coordinates City elections and monitors state legislative actions.
3. responsible for coordinating and distributing agendas and information in support of City Council meetings.
4. is the official Public Records Officer of the City and maintains official City records including minutes, ordinances, resolutions, contracts, deeds and titles.
5. In conjunction with the Police Department, the Clerk's Office oversees and responds to public records requests.

This old website description barely describes the duties of the Office of the City Clerk. In  2010, Mayor John Marchione added additional work load to the City Clerk's job.  The Office of the Clerk (3 FTE's) is now responsible for updating the Council portion of the City Web site.  The Clerk is also Program Manager for the new City Hall  Volunteer Front Desk Program.  As the Administration has grown, so have the number of meetings needing a Record by the Clerk.  The record at meetings is taken by notes, recordings, email, and video.

When City Clerk Malissa Files was promoted by Mr. Mayor to Finance Manager, Michelle McGehee was promoted to City Clerk.  I think Michelle was hired by Mayor Rosemarie Ives.  

Our new City Clerk, Michelle McGehee, is a "Certified Municipal Clerk". She is extremely well qualified, friendly, and committed. Michelle moved from Alaska to take the job.  Michelle, or her deputy clerk Liz, can be reached at 425-556-2190 and by EMAIL: CityClerk@redmond.gov.

Michelle's job has definitely grown from the clerking days of Doris Schaible! (2) In 1969, the population of Redmond was 9,213. There were 60 employees. 1 Parks employee. 5 firefighters. 10 police. 1 traffic light (Redmond Way & 164 Ave. NE).  Today, the population is over 50,000 by night and 90,000 by day. 

References:

(1) "Redmond Reflections...from settlers to software", Naomi Hardy, 2006; (2) Doris Schaible, Community Relations, Redmond Historical Society. Photo courtesy of Doris Schaible; (3) Wikipedia - (click title page).

Posted:  June, 2008.  Updated:  5/28/2010

By Bob Yoder
Photo donated by Doris Schaible

High stormwater utility rates under review by council

Two weeks ago past councilman Richard Grubb spoke to council during an "Items from the Audiance talk" about the high costs of stormwater management in Redmond. He was concerned that stormwater fees have increased from $3.00/month in 1988 to $16.56 today.

Granted, stormwater treatment helps to remove sediments and pollutants from run-off before it gets into Bear creek and the Sammamish River. In addition, the city uses stormwater fees & grants to pay for stream and wetland restoration projects for new developments and along Bear & Evans Creek and the Sammamish River. Expensive retention ponds have recently be intalled along the Evans Creek industrial basin. In additon, I think fees have been applied to permit approvals and preservation of Keller Farm wetlands. Keller Farm wetlands are vital to aquifer recharge. Our aquifer supplies 40% of our drinking water. Meandering our waterways to control floods and preserve fish habitat is also funded through stormwater fees & grants.
It is clear, the city really does care about flood mitigation, safety of our drinking water, protection of endangered salmon, and the "swimmability" of Lake Sammamish and the slough. But, as Councilman Hank Margeson stated at the last council meeting -- a 452% stormwater rate increase over 20 years is something to look at. Mr. Margeson is Chair of the Planning and Public Works Committee. It meets the 2nd Thursday of the month at 4:30 pm in the room off of city hall chambers. Hank's committee has responsibility for looking at stormwater treatment issues.

Besides protections of our natural resources and environment stormwater fees will be used to help pay for the new $40 million Regional Treatment facility planned for the Downtown. In 2007 our residential stormwater rate increased by $6.58 to $16.56/single family home just to pay for the Regional facility. Did you notice this on your utility bill last year? According to Mr. Spangler in a 7/25/07 King County meeting, stormwater fees are about 2x those of Seattle.

The city's rational for this 40% increase is "everyone benefits" from the regional stormwater system since about 90% of all treated residential stormwater eventially drains into the Sammamish River. Councilman Pat Vache had concerns about maintenence of private facilities . Maintenance of commercial facilities is "code enforced" and paid by rate fees, according to J. Roetemyer, stormwater engineer. Public Works Director Campbell wasn't clear about maintenance by Homeowners Associations' facilities being "code enforced".

According to Mr. Jon Spangler, city Stormwater Manager, the complete facility will be built by 2011 -12 and have the capacity to ultimately treat 500 acres of future downtown development. Presently, 32.5 acres are developed and will be serviced regionally.

Drivers be aware - a major regional trunk-line on Redmond Way will be built by 2009. You can find the regional stormwater facility MAP "here".

I wrote a story on this in 8/30/07. You can find it on this blog's search engine by searching "spangler regional".

A rebuttal to the Ives Administration on my final "Redmond Reporter" column on water supply

In February, 2007 I was asked by John Huether, Editor of the "Redmond Reporter," to write a column about Redmond events connected in some way to Council and Administration's work. I wrote 11 "Citizen Watch" columns. I will periodically post my columns on the Neighborhood Blog for those who missed them or to make a point. In this case, I am highlighting parts of my "water supply" column that Kim Van Eckstrom, Redmond's Chief Communications Officer objected to as "inaccurate." This was my last column accepted by the Redmond Reporter since Van Eckstrom's complaints to the new Editor, Bill Christianson. Some have asked me to rebut the Administration...which I do at the end of the column.

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OPINION / "We face a water supply challenge" by Bob Yoder, 'Redmond Reporter', 7/11/07

Walking Perrigo Woods trail last week, I noticed construction materials dumped next to the “Perrigo Springs memorial willow and historic marker”. The city is looking for the contractor responsible for this oversight. (1) As if enough wasn’t enough for Redmond’s historic spring, CAMWEST DEVELOPMENT is building a steep-slope sewer pipe to service the 24-home Perrigo Heights project. The pipe will run within yards of the spring.

Perrigo Springs was Redmond’s only water supply until 1927 and it served as a major source of supply until 1962 – hard to believe. To visit Perrigo Springs from Avondale, drive to the end of 180th Ave. NE. Or, hike down the trail from NE 100th St.

Redmond’s two present sources of drinking water are: 1) the ground and 2) from the Reed Mountain watershed (5,331 ft), east of Carnation. About 40% of our drinking water is stored in an underground “aquifer” and drawn from five city wells. Redmond’s aquifer is only 5-20 feet below the surface so keeping hazardous waste off the ground is critical. After citizens reported a waste site on the Evans Creek bank aquifer last year, the city initiated a “ground water monitoring program” and “online” hazardous waste reporting. (2)

The remaining 60% of our water supply is piped from the Tolt River reservoir, fed by the Reed Mountain watershed. Recently, the city has recently combined Tolt Reservoir water with well water for projects, like Perrigo Heights.

The Avondale well (#4) (3) has been challenged, in part, by a loss of pervious land paved over by multiple, housing developments. Pervious land is required for recharging our aquifer with rain water. The city is working with AegisLiving to preserve historic Keller Farm wetlands vital to aquifer recharge. Aegis is proposing to set aside 119 acres of wetlands they bought from historic Keller Farm (pumpkins!) adjacent Avondale Road, Aegis plans to build a retirement community on the parcel’s remaining 6 acres.

According to the Redmond website, city water customers have doubled in the last 10 years. (4)More alarming, King County population is expected to increase 300,000 by 2025 –the equivalent of Tacoma and Bellevue combined! By 2020 existing water supplies will not be enough to reach forecasted demands (2001 Pug. Sd. Reg. Outlook).

With 12,000-plus moving into Redmond within 10 years, what is the city doing to keep up with demand? Redmond has partnered with the regional Cascade Water Alliance to build a new $55M supply system. Councilman John Marchione is on the Board.

The Alliance plan: Lake Tapps in Tacoma will store mountain water originating from eastern Mt. Ranier’s Emmons glacier and the White River. Emmons glacier is huge but started retreating in 2003. University of Washington scientists forecast a 59% loss of snow pack by 2050 due to global warming. Much is at stake! Conservation is critical.

Bellevue saved 20% by implementing a “water conservation program”. Visit http:// savingwater.org for excellent conservation tips, rebates, and free devices. Tell city officials to initiate a “water conservation program”. (5) The Alliance alone won’t solve our next generation’s water needs.
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Rebuttal

(1) Bill Campbell, Acting Director of Public Works told me they were trying to get in touch with the contractor.
(2) My statement is correct is found on Redmond's website link under "Activities" 2007: http://redmond.gov/insidecityhall/publicworks/environment/grhistory.asp
(3) Edit. At the time I wrote this article, the city had taken off the No. ID's from their Wellhead Protection Zone map. The city is numbering their Wellheads on site but still not on the Wellhead Protection Zone Map. Wells no longer appear to be named after streets ie. "Avondale well" but that could change. I learned tonight that #5 (by Target) is the most productive and important well and most subject to stormwater run-off and infiltration from SE Redmond industrial area. Council has allowed these industrial businesses to continue to discharge stormwater by infiltration. (7/08). DNR will be installing a 300 acre regional stormwater system in the area, soon! This has been promulgated by the new Costco warehouse. 6/17/08
(4) My statement is correct and used to be referenced on Redmond's website link under "Wellhead Protection Ordinance Updates". http://redmond.gov/insidecityhall/publicworks/environment/grhistory.asp
*Van Eckstrom DELETED from the site: "The City of Redmond has grown and doubled the number of its customers in the past 10 years - making care of its precious and limited water supplies all that much more important". I have a hard copy of the original web page.
(5) Mayor Ives told me after a council meeting they've had a conservation program for 16 years. My answer is: 1) my column is an OPINION column and I didn't think we had much of a program. 2) as it turns out we didn't have a program plan in writing. ..rather a rebate offering and occasional Public Service Announcements on RCTV and FOCUS magazine.
October, 2007 the city initiated a Water Conservation Efficiency Program, linked below: http://redmond.gov/insidecityhall/citycouncil/20071016pdfs/IIIA1.pdf Case closed!

The Administration's claims were enough to 'frighten' the new Editor into cancelling my column. The fact the Primary election was around the corner had everything to do with it.

The Urgency of protecting our fragile water supply

The Groundwater Monitoring Improvement Agreement (PDF) was quietly and quickly -- almost surreptitiously-- approved during the "Consent Agenda" of Council's 10/2 meeting. Council never openly discussed the agreement nor were study sessions held on this urgent matter. About a month ago Council listened to a powerpoint Wellhead Protection Program Update from our city geologist about the "state of our *wellheads". When he showed how two drops of a contaminate could pollute ALL the water in Redmond pool he had my attention. So far, the city has removed contaminated soil equivalent to three City Halls.

This $331,000 ground water monitoring enhancement agreement was is so important and urgent that time constraints were given by staff's. Staff advised that passage was needed right away to complete 90% of the project by March 2008.

The project involves hiring GeoEngineers consultants to drill a network of 26 monitoring wells in our critical, shallow aquifer recharge area to:

• track the movement of groundwater
• track contaminant plumes
• monitor clean-up efforts
• evaluate the effectiveness of the hazardous materials management processes
• enable the City to make better policy decision regarding pollution prevention and groundwater protection.

The mission of this project is a wake-up call! Our underground drinking water supply is extremely fragile and vulnerable to ongoing contamination. In my final Redmond Reporter Citizen Watch column I brought attention to the vulnerability of our well water and the importance of the Cascade Water Alliance and conservation. Fortunately, Councilman John Marchione sits of the Cascade Water Alliance Board so the City has regional voice in planning our water supply for future generations. While interviewing Councilman Jim Robinson for Mayor, Jim told me unequivocally, nothing was wrong with our aquifer. I asked him again. Yes, no problem. ....hmmm....does citizen awareness and openness fit in someplace here?

My Citizen Watch water supply article and other columns I wrote for the community were well received, but the Administration didn't like my shedding light into their corners of government. So, the Administration's community- initiative-public-relations manager issued Advisory action to remove my column. (Since then Redmond Reporter "Letters to the Editor" have been reduced to a trickle -- and this, during a Mayoral election!

NOTE, an aquifer atrocity: A couple of years ago, I and a neighbor, Richard Morris, discovered septic and grease contaminants on Evans Creek bank in SE industrial Redmond. A year later we blew the whistle on a business that required 11 *regulatory agencies to "swoop down" and enforce emergency hazardous waste controls. It was ugly.

The Administration's PR staff (of 8) insisted that all groundwater monitoring controls were in place prior to our discovery of this natural resource atrocity. No doubt our "citizen watch" waved enough red flags to move the City forward in their July 17 update of our Wellhead Protection Program.

After the July 17 Council meeting, Mayor Ives told me my Reporter water supply column was "very good". She had only one concern and that was my urging citizens to ask city officials for a water conservation program. It was my opinion we needed a bonafide program. So far, all I've found in our water conservation program are: free Cascade Water shower heads, RCTV reader board plugs, and FOCUS ad. After my column, the city placed an ad and write-up in FOCUS , ramped up RCTV plugs and the Reporter posted several PSA's. Staff now tells me a new, quantitative water conservation program will be reviewed by Council soon. You'll hear about it here.

** Five shallow wells located east of the Sammamish River supply Redmond with 3.5 to 5 million gallons of water/day or about 40% of Redmond's drinking water. According to the City report of 10/2/07 C.3 "these five wells...are highly susceptible to contamination..."

* regulatory agencies at SE Redmond hazardous waste site were: - EPA, DNR county/city, County Health Dept.,Puget Sound Clean Air, Fire Marshal, Code Enforcement, Wellhead Protection Officer, Department of Ecology.

8/30/07, Redmond's $40 million Regional Stormwater Treatment facility

8/30/07. Have you seen all the digging activity along the Sammamish River south of City Hall lately? It's not just about "IMPROVEMENT FOR FISH AND PEOPLE" . Some of that work ($1.7 million) in the vicinity of Lukc McRedmond Park is the first step toward building Redmond's ambitious regional downtown stormwater treatment system.

Jon Spangler, Redmond Division Manager of Stormwater Management gave a presentation in July to the King County Water Quality Committee about Redmond's $40 million regional stormwater treatment plan for downtown Redmond. Click on the following link to find the video archive:

Regional Water Quality Program, 7/25 - Redmond Stormwater (Real One media suggested)

The Regional treatment plan is a huge, proactive undertaking designed to service over 500 acres of downtown development anticipated in the next 40-50 years. It involves building 6 large "outfall" treatment facilities rather than hundreds of smaller vaults. Large trunk lines the length of Redmond Way and on 85th Street will be dug with pipes installed. Planned road re-designs will probably be coordinated with the storm pipe installation. All six facilities will be built in five years. Click here for the stormwater facility map

The $40 million cost will be paid by 1) raising residential and commercial stormwater fees by 40% and 2) raising the capital connection fees from $900 to $4000. According to Spangler, the city is well funded and Redmond already has one of the highest stormwater rates. Our rates are about double Seattle's rates.

If you look carefully at your 2007 utility bill you will probably find an additional $6.58/month charge. It goes towards the new regional stormwater system. It appears Education Hill, North Redmond, Grass Lawn and other neighborhoods are now paying higher stormwater rates to help fund the DT regional system.

Spangler states that about 90% of Redmond stormwater drains into the Sammamish and everyone benefits from a healthy downtown.

For the downtown property developers the regional plan is a deal.

• $800,000/year savings is anticipated over the old site by site stormwater design. Spangler claims the regional plan is about 60% the cost.
  
• The regional system doesn't consume landowner's buildable land.
  
• Maintenance costs will be reduced since catch basins won't need to be cleaned 1 month every other year along Redmond Way; and no catch basins to vacuum at night when it's dangerous to workers.

All wastewater treatment will take place "at the end of the pipe" into the Sammamish River OR Bear Creek. End-of-pipe treatment is least desirable of all treatments, though Spangler says Ecology feels they have more control over overall water quality.

The 2009 "Safeway-Bear Creek" outfall underground facility ($7M) will direct discharge into Bear Creek without detention. WILL EXTRA PRECAUTIONS & TREATMENTS OCCUR HERE? The remaining 5 facilities are expected to be built by 2011 or 2012 and all 5 will direct discharge into the Sammamish River without detention, as follows:

• 2007. Luke McRedmond underground facility ($1.7M) -- under construction w/ habitat upgrades
  
• 2009. The 8oth Street Trunk underground facility ($7.6M)
  
• 2011. Redmond Way Storm Trunk ($22M) -- start in 2009
  
• 2010. Redmond Way Trunk ($4.5M) -- wetland treatment
  
• 2008. Leary Way ($5.8M) -- natural vegetation for treatment

The 6 facilities will monitor flows and treat the run-off water by using: 1) a swirl concentrator to remove the large debris and 2) media filters to remove contaminants. Spangler isn't sure if he will use bio-filters on the end. Just how effective will this "1-2 swirl/media punch" be to keep the Sammamish fish and our recreation healthy? We need to keep an eye on this. Spangler described a "water-oil separator" that would be used at a downtown branch. He indicated treatment wetlands and sand filters may be used.

WILL REDMOND'S ADOPTED 2005 DEPT. OF ECOLOGY TREATMENT STANDARDS GUARANTEE THE FISHABLE, SWIMMABLE, RECREATIONAL WATERS WE NOW ENJOY? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A county representative asked Spangler about the impacts of Microsoft's growth on our stormwater run-off. Mr. Spangler plans to build a separate regional stormwater system for the Overlake Urban area to service Microsoft & environs. Treated stormwater will be discharged into Bellevue's Kelsey Creek system.

Without a regional Overlake stormwater system, the "Block C" development of Microsoft would require 14 vaults each 700,000 cu. ft. in size! That's 3x the volume of City Hall. (Our wellhead protection officer also claimed removal of 3x the volume of City Hall in contaminated by hazardous waste. ) Our super-sized City Hall is drawing lots of attention these days. Thus, Overlake Urban Center will probably install a regional system -- the good news is Microsoft will apparently pay for most of it.

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FACTOIDS:

1) did you know stormwater was not regulated for effective treatment until after 1987? Expensive stormwater treatment retrofits are required on redevelopments prior to 1987.

2) the largest contributor to fecal coliform in Seattle is non-waterfowl birds and rodents.

3) 25% of all land-use in Seattle are roads, highways & road shoulders! Some of the worst pollutants come from roadway stormwater. This does not include parking lots.

4) The Sammamish River reaches a low of 17 feet in summer and high of 28 feet in winter, thus gravity flow of downtown stormwater a challenge. DT Redmond is 35-40 feet above sea level. Gravity flow of our stormwater is not 'strong'.

5) Redmond's downtown aquifer is sometimes 5-7 feet below the surface in the winter making installation of infrastructure challenging.

6) It's estimated that 15 acres of our downtown will be developed each year. With 520 acres of developable land it will take about 40-50 years to develop our "downtown".

7) Redmond's stormwater treatment standards are higher than Bellevue's so Bellevue becomes the limiting factor to overall water quality. They need to get up to speed!

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City Stormwater site: http://redmond.gov/insidecityhall/publicworks/stormwater/regionalfacilities.asp

3/10/07 - How safe is our drinking water?

This story was broadly read by the Ives administration after it was published. Shortly after it's publication the City hired a geologist to manage the Wellhead Protection Program; A City FOCUS magazine Public Relations campaign was launched. 1/16/2006

Did you know that almost 40% of our drinking water lies up to 5-20 feet below the surface of the ground? Everyone east of the Sammamish River drinks from our underground "well" water. It's stored in an a large, natural "aquifer" -- formed by an ancient glacial river 10,000 years ago.
The city is doing a pretty good job keeping our ground well water clean but some concerns remain outstanding, as follows:

The city owns and operates 5 wells - 2 near Anderson Park, 1 near Target & Home Depot, 1 at City Hall, and the last one along Avondale Rd. These wells have "wellhead protection zones" classified Zone 1--4 with 1 being most protected.

Multiple housing developments on top of these well protection zones could threaten our water quantity & quality over time.

>>Perrigo Heights - Camwest just proposed building 24 houses on their parcel near Hartman Park. Perrigo Heights sits on a Zone 2 Protection Zone for the Avondale well.
>>Shaunessey Heights - next to Redmond Elementary is proposed for 62 homes. The project will sit on top of a Zone 1 & Zone 2 well protection zone for the Anderson Park well.
>>Avondale Crest - 9 houses were recently approved; the project sits on a Zone 2/1 well protection zone for the Avondale well. Treated stormwater drains into Bear Creek.
>>Tyler Creek - 92 houses are under construction and this project sits on top of a Zone 2 well protection zone for the Avondale well. Treated stormwater drains into Bear Creek.
>>City Hall - was built on a Zone 1 well protection zone adjacent to the city hall well!
>>Mosaic Meadows - is constructing 13 houses on top of a Zone 2 well protection zone for the Avondale well. Stormwater drains into Bear Creek.
>>Redmond Ridge - Zone 2 Wellhead Protection for Avondale well.
>>"Union Hill Industrial" - Zone 1 Wellhead Protection for Avondale well. - recently improved with 2 water treatment detention ponds. Hazardous waste site was discovered by the City and Department of Ecology last year. Untreated stormwater drains into Evan Creek (at this time).
an on....

All these developments meet minimum city construction standards. However, significant impervious surfaces increase with each development. Impervious surfaces reduce the amount of filtrated surface water available to recharge our aquifers with clean water.

Detention ponds are now being replaced by "wet vaults" for stormwater run-off treatment. Wet vaults do NOT remove all the phosphates, nitrates, and heavy metals that run-off of roofs and lawns. Some of these toxic chemicals eventually may soak into our aquifer and wells.

At Perrigo Heights plat a wet vault will be installed next to Perrigo Creek. Toxic chemicals will spill directly into Perrigo Creek and soak into the Hartman Wetlands. The wetlands will eutrify from a mitigated water supply and stormwater toxins.

Each development by itself probably won't have a significant impact to our well water quality. However, as development continues & aggregates our quality & quantity of potable (drinking)water is likely to decline.

60% of our potable water is piped in from the Tolt Reservoir. It costs more than well water.

The Cascade Water Alliance has secured a $55M bond to supply eastern King County water needs. (350,000 are expected to move into King County withing 20 years.) Drinking water will be piped in from the White River (fed by Emmons Glacier on Mt. Ranier) and Cedar River near Tacoma and stored in Lake Tapps. The Mayor of Kirkland first told me of this alliance. He said it was really a big deal. Council member John Marchione attends the Cascade Water Alliance meetings as a Board member for Redmond. The mayor of Bellevue is Chair. Mr. Marchione addresses Redmond's role in the alliance on his campaign webpage. The White River - Lake Tapps pipe in 20 years out.

CASCADE WATER ALLIANCE WEBSITE: www.cascadewater.org/
CITY WELLHEAD PROTECTION MAIN PAGE : www.redmond.gov/groundwater.