King County gets early lead on Puget Sound recovery efforts

Council adopts plans for supporting the Puget Sound Partnership

Read the legislation

With time of the essence in efforts to successfully restore the health of Puget Sound, the Metropolitan King County Council today unanimously approved a plan for supporting the recovery work of the Puget Sound Partnership.

“Science tells us we have a limited window of time in which to reverse the damage accruing in Puget Sound, so it’s important to get to work now,” said Councilmember Larry Phillips, chair of the Council’s Regional Water Quality Committee and sponsor of the legislation. “The Puget Sound Partnership will ultimately lead the coordinated statewide recovery effort, but while they are getting up and running there are actions King County can take that will tie in to the Partnership’s work.”

In July 2007, Phillips sponsored legislation directing the Executive to prepare a plan to help position the county for an early start in the Puget Sound Partnership’s restoration work. The Council action today approves that plan, which includes a work program and water quality monitoring programs and scientific studies.

The County’s work plan focuses on five areas for immediate action that have been identified by the Governor. These areas include:

• Identifying and addressing areas with immediate septic problems.
• Protecting Puget Sound habitat.
• Implementing priority projects to restore damaged forests, rivers, shorelines, and marine waters.
• Accelerating control and cleanup of toxic pollution.
• Significantly reducing polluted stormwater runoff.

Key actions included in King County’s work plan are to:

• Develop a strategy for increased funding for Public Health Seattle King County’s sewer system monitoring program.
• Provide landowners with options and alternative funding for septic repairs.
• Identify opportunities for enhanced habitat protection on King County road projects.
• Conduct a combined sewer treatment technology pilot study.
• Research formation of Marine Reserve Areas.
• Seek federal Drug Enforcement Agency waivers to collect unused pharmaceuticals.
• Clean up contaminated sediments at Denny and Duwamish Combined Sewer Overflow sites.
• Secure grant funding for a stormwater retrofit analysis pilot.

The Puget Sound Partnership is a community-based effort of citizens, governments, tribes, scientists and businesses working together to restore and protect Puget Sound. The Governor and Washington State Legislature charged the partnership with creating an Action Agenda that prioritizes cleanup and improvement projects; coordinating federal, state, local, tribal and private resources; and ensuring that stateholders all work cooperatively. The Partnership is currently conducting a community and stakeholder engagement process to develop its Action Agenda, which is due at the end of 2008.