Storm drainage

Recurring local flooding, development, growth and laws concerning complex water quality issues have created the necessity for the city to form a public utility to provide ongoing management, maintenance and repair of the storm drainage system. A portion of your utility bill is dedicated to funding the storm drainage utility to adequately manage this task.

Services provided by this utility include water quality enhancement, storage, inspection, enforcement, maintenance and operation of the existing storm drainage system. A full service civil engineering section provides management and plans improvements.In December 2004, the current storm drainage system included 135 miles of pipe, 24 miles of ditches, and 6,508 catch basins and manholes. We have 64regional storage facilities and five storm water pump stations.

The majority of our storm water is a result street, driveways, curbs, parking lots and structures that do not allow rainwater to soak into the soil. Stormwater runoff can also result from soil that is so saturated with water that no further infiltration can occur.

Rainwater picks up contamination from the air, off structures and from road surfaces. This mixture contains chemicals, oils, sand, dirt and other debris. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) states that stormwater is the biggest source for pollution of lakes, rivers, and streams in our country.

Our staff can be contacted at 253-931-3048 Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For holiday or after-hours calls of an emergency nature, please call 911. We welcome any comments, questions or concerns you may have about stormwater runoff, treatment or maintenance activities.

Storm drains are designed to carry only uncontaminated rainwater to the nearest natural body of water. Disposing of oils, detergents and other materials into the storm drain is the same as dumping them directly into a stream, wetland, lake or Puget Sound.

To report dumping of material into storm drains, you may call 253-931-3048.