Tacoma Weekly - Heck, Kilmer Cut Ribbon On New Storm Water Treatment Plant

News Article

By Derek Shuck

For years residents of Tacoma have fought to establish the city as a green-friendly environment. Moving away from the identifier of the "Tacoma aroma" is a priority for Tacomans, and part of this includes cleaning up the city's primary natural wonder, the Puget Sound. One of the steps to do this is the establishment of a state of the art storm water treatment facility at Point Defiance Park. On Tuesday, May 31, Congressmen Denny Heck and Derek Kilmer visited the facility to cut the ribbon and announce recently introduced legislation that would help protect the sound from dangerous toxic runoff.

"It's a key part of our region, the water, the salmon, our shellfish. It's important to us economically and it's important to us culturally. This is a touchstone of who we are as people, but we also know it's a body of water that's very sick. And one of the reasons for that is storm water runoff," Kilmer said.

The facility sits to the right of the entrance of the park, and is just one step in a continuous effort to nurture the health of the Sound. The facility funnels storm water from about a two-mile radius, filters it, and introduces the now clean water into the Sound. The facility features several large pools where the water collects so the public can view the process as it's happening.

"I wish there were a silver bullet. I wish there were a great big cannon we could fire with a giant appropriation that would fix it everywhere, but the reality is it's going to come in bits and pieces in a decentralized effort with collaborative partnerships from the city, from the Puget Sound Partnership and the federal government and the Department of Ecology and this a magnificent example of what we're going to do to reverse the decline of that body of water," Heck said.

The facility uses natural and engineered systems to promote the uptake and filtration of storm water at its source to protect habitats and reduce flood risks. Currently, when storm water runoff moves through the drainage systems of larger municipalities it collects a wide range of toxic substances -- from motor oil to septic waste -- and it carries it straight into the local watershed.

"That body of water is sick, and the storm water that runs into it on an untreated basis is literally a pathogen," Heck said. "Storm water is a pathogen that will sooner or later kill that great body of water."

Kilmer and Heck's legislation would not just help the Sound, but other vital bodies of water across the country and also establish rewards for green adopters in the future.

The Green Storm Water Investment act directs some federal support toward investments in projects like the new storm water treatment plant, while the Green Storm Water Expenditure Tax Credit Act would give a tax credit to businesses and homeowners investing in green solutions. Tacoma Deputy Mayor Ryan Mello was at the event, and commended Kilmer and Heck for their dedication to cleaning up the Puget Sound.

"[Heck and Kilmer] are not just about ribbon cuttings and public events, although these are very important to raising awareness of how sick Puget Sound is. I've been in many rooms with them where they're committed to learning best practices and understanding why Puget Sound is so sick, bringing the partners together to solve problems," Mello said. "In Tacoma we really value these kinds of projects and really value transforming our community so we can live in this great place, have a great strong economy and recovering Puget Sound at the same time."

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