In fall of 2007, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) offered a Fiscal Year 2008 Stormwater Management Implementation Grants Program (PDF) to local governments for municipal stormwater projects that seek to construct conventional or innovative facilities to meet water quality needs and reduce changes to the natural hydrology. Projects that include the following activities were the highest priority for funding:
- Local stormwater projects that implement low-impact development (LID)
- Identification and removal of stormwater discharges to municipal sewer systems
- Reduce stormwater discharges to municipal storm systems
- Retrofit stormwater projects in urban areas where storm water is a significant source of pollution
The City of Bellingham Public Works Department submitted four proposals to Ecology for funding. Out of 64 projects submitted, the city’s Residential Stormwater Retrofit Program submittal ranked 4th and The Art of Stormwater Managementsubmittal ranked 6th, for a total funding package of $661,367 for the two projects. Both projects were carried out over a 3-year period, with a completion date of June 30, 2011.
