Seattle's Urban Water

The issue of stormwater runoff is a major threat to the water supply of Seattle, Washington. Continual rain and great expanses of impervious surfaces cause contamination and pollution to riddle the waters of the Puget Sound. Millions of people rely on Puget Sound for its natural resources, transportation, and recreation. In developing a design solution for the waterfront areas of downtown Seattle, sustainable stormwater management practices are investigated. Specifically, the relationship between the natural environment, and how it is able to be incorporated into an urban city. Additionally, through sustainable design practices, a solution is established to develop interaction and education among individuals of Seattle. In order to establish and maintain the integrity of Seattle, the negative impacts in regards to the current stormwater runoff policies and how they contribute to the contamination of Puget Sound, must be defined. From this point the implementation of sustainable stormwater practices can be put in place to promote a standard for a new era of urban waterfront and stormwater design. Contributions of this act will ensure the quality of Puget Sound and the consequences urban runoff illustrates in the future of Seattle. In finding and researching successful sustainable stormwater practices from around the world, I will be able to develop a design solution addressing the stormwater issue in the City of Seattle. At this point I will implement a working and functional design, as well as a set of city standards for Seattle to apply to new construction and design concepts in the future