Seth Brown, the National Municipal Stormwater Alliance Director (NMSA), will provide an update on stormwater at a national level. Along with how NMSA supports MS4 permittees across the country. This includes how NMSA advocates for science-based policies and provides a unified voice at the national level. https://ms4nmsa.org/

Discover the flexibility of bioretention and how it can turn stormwater challenges into Biophilic community-building assets. Through case studies on Tacoma’s E 40th Street neighborhood project, a regional treatment facility at UW Tacoma, and Silva Cells on Pacific Avenue and S 17th Street, we will discuss variations on bioretention and decision-making factors for those variations. Hear from the Engineer and Project Manager for E 40th Street talk about how a raingarden request evolved into an award-winning community-focused project with bioretention and pervious pavements. Our maintenance and source control experts will also be providing some insight into long-term ownership and monitoring of bioretention and pervious pavement, design considerations, pitfalls, and the importance of adaptation. If you plan to attend the Tour of the Tacoma Projects, this presentation provides an important overview of the projects.

Western Washington faces a significant gap in accessible decant waste disposal options for sediment collected during stormwater infrastructure maintenance, such as street sweeping and catch basin vactoring. The P3 Decant Facility Study is assessing the feasibility of a publicly owned, privately operated facility to serve public agencies and address regional capacity and accessibility challenges. Through research, economic analysis, and collaboration with a Technical Advisory Committee, the study will inform a customizable RFP and contract framework to support future decant facility development. Come share with us what your decant needs are and help shape the future of stormwater waste management.

In this presentation, Gregor Murray, Snohomish County, and Don McQuilliams, City of Bellevue, will discuss managing stormwater assets such as catch basins, detention vaults, and stormwater pipes. Along with all other grey infrastructure systems designed to manage stormwater runoff.

Presentation Summary

• Problem: Aging stormwater systems are hard, costly, and unsafe to inspect
• Solution: Pipe Crawler – safe, efficient, and precise inspections
• Benefits: Faster results · Lower costs · Safer crews · Prevents flooding & repairs
• Impact: Proactive maintenance and stronger community protection

This presentation with the Department of Ecology explores how equity and community impacts intersect with NPDES Municipal Stormwater Permit compliance and Ecology Water Quality Combined funding opportunities. We will highlight how grant programs and municipal stormwater permits incorporate environmental justice principles to ensure that historically underserved communities benefit from infrastructure investments. Attendees will gain insight into strategies for integrating environmental justice considerations into funding applications, project design, permitting processes, and project implementation.

In this session, we will address integration approaches used to connect aquatic life and toxicology with human health considerations, leverage the power of the Department of Commerce’s technical assistance approach and its parallels with the Stormwater Center’s approach, and describe case studies in how stormwater investments led to program expansion, new engagement opportunities, and amplified reach and outcomes.

In this workshop, we will discuss the elements that make up an IDDE and Spill Response program for a municipality. We will go over sources of pollution, where to find them, and what to do about them. We will discuss the differences between illicit discharge and spills, as well as how to respond to these occurrences. The workshop will conclude with a mock spill drill, during which volunteers from the class will prevent the spill from entering the MS4 and clean up the area appropriately.

During this demonstration, participants will learn about the different cleaning options for Permeable Interlocking Concrete Pavement installations and best practices for removing significant moss and debris buildup.

Event Schedule Highlights

• 11:45 AM – Lunch service available, provided by Mutual Materials.
• 12:00 PM – Introductions from the demonstration team (Mutual Materials, Appian Construction, and CMHA experts).
• 12:10 PM – System overview: installation background, performance considerations, and best practices for cleaning.
• 12:15 PM – Demonstration begins: see infiltration rates before and after cleaning, and explore techniques for restoring joint performance.
• 12:30 PM – Power wash demonstration with aggregate installation.
• 12:45 PM – Q&A session with the team.

This presentation focuses on a Bioretention Soil Media (BSM) study that is being conducted for the City of Spokane, Spokane County, and the City of Spokane Valley. The test site is on Gonzaga University’s campus and includes two identical bioretention cells, one constructed with the 60:40 BSM and the other with the High Performance BSM. The goal of the study is to evaluate the treatment performance of the two BSMs without vegetation to determine whether they meet the TAPE treatment performance goals for basic, enhanced/dissolved metals, and phosphorus (HPBSM only). In addition, 6PPD-q samples are being collected to determine the concentration from the contributing parking lot and assess the removal efficiency of each BSM. This presentation will provide an overview of:

1. The study design and construction

2. University partnership

3. Summary of results from the first year of field testing

4. Eastern Washington climatic conditions’ impact on the study

The Technology Assessment Protocol – Ecology (TAPE) program requires the collection of “screening parameters,” which are pollutants that the program is interested in tracking but do not have any treatment requirements or performance goals. In 2018, TAPE expanded the list of screening parameters to include bacteria and a larger suite of nutrients. This presentation will provide a first look at these pollutants, the concentrations we’re seeing in our stormwater runoff, and possible treatment capabilities of TAPE-approved systems.

Presentations are often the front door to our ideas, but too many doors remain closed when accessibility is overlooked. In this one-hour session, you’ll learn how to create PowerPoint and Keynote slides that everyone can access, regardless of ability. We’ll cover the essentials of accessible design, including choosing colors and fonts that enhance readability, adding alt text for images, structuring content with headings and layouts, and ensuring that videos and animations are accessible. Through real examples (good, bad, and ugly), you’ll see how simple design decisions can either build walls or remove barriers. You’ll leave with a clear checklist of best practices, practical tips you can apply immediately, and the confidence to make your next presentation accessible for all audiences.

Learn about different strategies for meeting the NPDES Phase II mapping requirements and important lessons learned from projects with cities of Everett, Anacortes, and Issaquah. Understand the significance of applying mapping requirements for compliance, acting early to meet timelines, and considerations for your stormwater program. Presenters include Jessica Christofferson (Senior Stormwater Planner), Courtney Dale, PE (Civil Engineer), Katrina Tang, EIT (Project Engineer), and Heather Spates (GIS Analyst) from Osborn Consulting. Julie Brandt is a senior surface water engineer celebrating her 25th year with Parametrix. She will be discussing three NPDES mapping topics:

(1) Tree canopy mapping and management policies, and specifically what makes a tree a “stormwater tree?”

(2) How to map and estimate the acres of your jurisdiction served by flow control and water quality facilities without leaving your desk; and

(3) What are the elements of overburdened community scoring, and which are the most meaningful for your communities?

Erin Nelson, Altaterra Consulting, and Heather Haskell, EMA, Inc., analyzed tributary drainage areas to Mukilteo’s stormwater BMPs and outfalls to meet NPDES Permit requirements, support City retrofit goals, and facilitate private facility inspection and maintenance. In this presentation, they will discuss the GIS methodology used, lessons learned, preliminary results, and next steps.

In this session, you will hear creative techniques and strategies for equitable engagement from Karimah Edwards, Owner and Principal at Humming Voices, and Vinita Sidhu, Partner and Principal at Site Workshop. Sharing projects from Seattle to Wenatchee, the presenters will speak to approaches that worked and led to meaningful outcomes for the entire community.

The City of Tacoma believes that everyone should live in a community that is safe and lets us live sustainably and in harmony with our land and water. Come see how a passionate interdisciplinary team blended all flavors of infrastructure and turned a raingarden request into an award-winning, community-focused project. Complex communities deserve forward-thinking solutions, tailored to their needs.

We’ll be learning the basics on how pervious pavement and 4 forms of bioretention work to clean stormwater. We are assuming a lot of people will understand those basics, so we want to talk about how these BMP’s can be implemented in real-world projects, and some of the critical design considerations that make these BMP’s successful. The facilities are rarely plug-and-play.

Attending the Oct. 6 online presentation “Destined for Bioretention” before this in-person tour is highly encouraged.

**Registration is REQUIRED to attend this event**

Cody Ennis, Industrial Inspector for the Department of Ecology, will be sharing insights from the field pertaining to the industrial stormwater general permit. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of how inspections are conducted, what inspectors look for, and how proactive stormwater management can improve both compliance and environmental outcomes.

In 2020, researchers in the Pacific Northwest identified 6PPD-quinone as the long-sought cause of coho salmon deaths during spawning runs. This chemical—formed when 6PPD, a common tire additive, reacts with ozone—is now recognized as the second most toxic substance to aquatic life worldwide. The discovery has sparked a global effort to address its impacts. Federal, State, Tribal, and Local governments, along with researchers and community partners, are working to restrict 6PPD use in tires and advance stormwater control technologies that can reduce or remove 6PPD-quinone before it reaches waterways. Ecology’s 6PPD lead agency planner and stormwater engineer will share Washington State’s legislative directive to accelerate solutions that protect salmon and the ecosystems that depend on them. The session will review emerging Tribal, federal, and state actions to restrict the use of 6PPD in tires and present the latest results from stormwater best management practice research aimed at reducing 6PPD-quinone exposure in sensitive watersheds to protect aquatic life from harm.

Come and join Don McQuilliams, City of Bellevue, and Rebecca Dugopolski, Herrera, to learn more about how to support an upcoming Grant of Regional or Statewide Significance (GROSS) project focused on developing regional tools to support Stormwater Management for Existing Development (SMED) implementation. This interactive presentation will review the basic permit requirements for Phase I and Phase II jurisdictions and brainstorm ideas for planning, reporting, and mapping tools that would assist with developing a list of projects to meet Ecology’s requirements and ensure consistent Annual Report submittals. We will also explore how these tools can facilitate regional collaboration and communicate the collective benefit of our stormwater work.

The Puyallup River Watershed Council (PRWC) is a nonprofit organization in Pierce County whose mission is to restore, protect, and enhance the environmental, economic, and cultural health of the Puyallup-White River watershed (WRIA 10), from Mount Rainier to Commencement Bay. The Council partners with Pierce County Public Works to run a Small Grants Program every spring, which provides up to $2500 to nonprofit organizations, schools, teachers, businesses, and individuals wishing to enhance water quality and habitats in the Puyallup-White River Watershed, totaling more than $22000 each year. In this talk, PRWC President Robby Wright shares insights on how to engage the community in watershed health through a small grants program.

For more information about the Small Grants Program, visit https://www.piercecountywa.gov/1872/Small-Grants-Program.

This guided bus tour will showcase three unique sites in Seattle that highlight different approaches to stormwater management:

Boeing Development Center – Explore how one of Washington’s largest industrial facilities manages stormwater on a complex site, balancing innovation with strict regulatory requirements.

TAPE Testing Facility – Visit the Technology Assessment Protocol – Ecology (TAPE) testing site, where stormwater treatment technologies are evaluated for effectiveness before being approved for widespread use.

Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station – Learn how this large-scale facility helps protect the Duwamish River by treating stormwater and combined sewer overflows during heavy rain events.

Together, these stops provide participants with a firsthand look at the industrial, technological, and municipal strategies being implemented to protect local waterways from stormwater pollution.

There are concerns in Western Washington that UIC wells may introduce contaminants into drinking water aquifers. Two incidents will be reported with an analysis of how UICs in industrial/commercial areas may create risks, including some inconsistencies between regulations, leading to confusion about safe implementation.

Based on discussions with Permittees and Ecology, there is confusion regarding the requirements that apply to UIC wells and how to implement them. In response, the City of West Richland applied for and received a GROSS to develop UIC Guidance Materials to assist permittees with developing and implementing their Stormwater Management Program (SWMP) more efficiently and support compliance with the MS4 Permits and UIC Rule. This presentation will provide an overview of the following:

• The project plan and proposed work, which is expected to include rewriting the UIC chapter of the Stormwater Management Manuals for Eastern (SWMMEW) and Western Washington, as well as developing examples, case studies, lessons learned, and templates

• How the soon-to-be-released statewide survey and technical advisory committee (TAC) will assist with identifying priority topics for the project

• How you can get involved on the TAC and/or stay informed about project updates

This is the first public sharing of a Stormwater Basics online course developed by several jurisdictions and the Washington Stormwater Center. Presenters will run through the course, introducing participants to the UI (User Interface) and material, and end by answering questions about the course’s creation.

Join WSU Puyallup REC PhD student Nathan Ivy as he shares his research on stormwater and its link with 6PPDQ toxicity to juvenile coho salmon.

Join us for a discussion on how the Port of Vancouver utilizes the Grattix Box as a treatment method for its stormwater runoff.

This September, Clark County engaged more than 50 volunteer artists to paint a 4000 square-foot Mural. Project lead Eric Lambert will discuss how the project met a variety of goals and included some unanticipated benefits.

What are the best practices for developing a memorable conference presentation? How do you engage and not overwhelm your audience? What strategies are effective for drilling down to a crystal-clear message? This training specifically addresses effective slide design and will transform your approach to PowerPoint.