Lower Duwamish ‘Green Grants’ promote community-based environmental stewardship

Grants intend to help reduce runoff, protect water quality by funding small-scale habitat restoration, rain gardens, outreach projects and more

“Protecting water quality starts with each of us,” said Wastewater Treatment Division Director Pam Elardo. “Our utility invests millions of dollars to control combined sewer overflows and clean up contaminated sediments, and we depend on the community to help us protect those investments.”

The Lower Duwamish Waterway “Green Grants” Program is administered by King County’s Department of Natural Resources and Parks and the WRIA 9 Watershed Ecosystem Forum, which also oversees salmon recovery in the Green/Duwamish River. The grants program was developed to help residents and small businesses implement small-scale projects to improve water quality and support the success of King County’s combined sewer overflow (CSO) projects through controlling new and ongoing sources of pollution that could harm the environment or recontaminate cleaned up areas in the waterway.

While focused on improving water quality, the grants are also intended to create partnerships with local businesses and residents while enhancing small-scale environmental and economic opportunities in the community.

The total available grant funding is $150,000 with a minimum award of $5,000 and a maximum award of $25,000. Grant applications are due by Sept. 23, 2011.

Projects can include on-the-ground water improvement projects or educational programs. Examples of projects include:

• Outreach to local businesses and community to promote water quality goals.
• Rain gardens, bioswales and filter strips.
• Enhancing shoreline habitat through plantings of native vegetation and softening shoreline armouring.
• Stormwater controls and best management practices that prevent contaminated stormwater from entering the river.

Non-profit organizations, schools, residents, and businesses in the Lower Duwamish communities are invited to apply.
For more information about Lower Duwamish “Green Grants” and to download an application, visit http://www.govlink.org/watersheds/9/funding/SmallGrants.aspx (scroll down to “Duwamish Water Quality Improvement Fund”).

People can also contact Karen Bergeron, WRIA 9 Habitat Project Coordinator, in the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks’ Water and Land Resources Division at 206-296-8383 or email Karen.bergeron@kingcounty.gov.

Note to editors and reporters: Visit the WTD Newsroom, a portal to information for the news media about the Wastewater Treatment Division, King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks: http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/wtd/Newsroom.aspx

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People enjoy clean water and a healthy environment because of King County's wastewater treatment program. The county’s Wastewater Treatment Division protects public health, the environment and the economy by serving 17 cities, 17 local sewer districts and more than 1.5 million residents in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Formerly called Metro, the regional clean-water agency now operated by King County has been preventing water pollution for nearly 50 years.

Related information

Lower Duwamish Green Grants

King County Wastewater Treatment