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Public Works Surface Water Management

21650 11th Avenue South
Des Moines WA 98198-6317
(206) 870-6522
Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., weekdays
Public Works Department Staff Directory

Stormwater Management Program (SWMP)
Updated 04/08/2010

This document has been prepared to meet the City of Des Moines’ Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit requirement for written documentation of the City’s Stormwater Management Program (SWMP).  

The City’s SWMP is intended to reduce the discharge of pollutants from the City’s Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) to the maximum extent practicable (MEP), meet Washington State, All Known, Available and Reasonable methods of Treatment (AKART) requirements, and protect water quality.  This goal will be accomplished by the inclusion of all permit SWMP components and implementation schedules into the City’s existing SWMP.

Where the City is already implementing components called for in this permit, the City will continue those actions or activities to the existing extent required, regardless of the schedule called for in this document.

The City will implement an ongoing program for the gathering, tracking, maintaining and using information to evaluate the SWMP development, implementation and permit compliance and to set priorities.  Beginning no later than January 1, 2009, the City will begin to track the cost of development and implementation of each component of the SWMP. 

This document will be updated annually for submittal with the City’s Annual Report to Ecology.

NPDES Phase II permit requirements in black print.  City of Des Moines comments in blue print.

Des Moines Stormwater Management Program

Des Moines 2009 SWM Annual Report

Des Moines 2008 SWM Annual Report

Des Moines 2007 SWM Annual Report

Car Wash Prevention Plan

West Nile Virus

Storm Water Management Program Suggestions

Volunteer Opportunities!

Stream Enhancement:
You can join the group of volunteers that keep our community clean, healthy and green. The City of Des Moines in conjunction with Friends of Des Moines are working together to build a healthy environment for ourselves and generations to come.  You can volunteer to help us keep our Surface Water clean and safe through different activities we have in place such as stream cleanup, streamside planting and adopt a stream.

For more information on to how get involved, contact Laura Hartema at friendsofdesmoinescreek@yahoo.com or Ruth Famurewa at 206-870-6869, email Rfamurewa@desmoineswa.gov

Illicit discharge/illegal dumping
Volunteer to monitor and report any illicit discharge you encounter. This program is design to prevent & eliminate contaminations that wind up in ground and surface water supplies.  Our waterways provide drinking water, recreation, and fish and wildlife habitat.  These uses are being threatened by the harmful effects of stormwater pollution.
What you can do:
If you witness or encounter illicit discharges, dumping or illicit connections simply call the Public Works at 206-870-6869, your name will remain anonymous if you don’t want to be identified.

Catch Basin Stencil Project:
Stenciling Your Neighborhood Catch Basin is a way of getting involved in your community and showing Mother Nature you care about your water.  Do you know that storm water doesn’t go through any treatment before draining into creeks, streams, groundwater or Puget Sound; so stenciling catch basin is an educational way of making people aware that only stormwater, groundwater, or melting snow is allowed in catch basins/storm drains.  For more information on a stencil kit, call Ruth Famurewa at 206-870-7874 or email Rfamurewa@desmoineswa.gov

 
What can you do to improve the water quality and health of our streams?

• Take care of your septic system. Inspect your system every year and pump it out as necessary. Regular maintenance prevents solids from entering into and clogging the drainfield (and prevents very costly repairs). Avoid flushing harmful materials that effect the operation of the system and can contaminate the groundwater. Use water wisely – keep water usage to below the designed daily flow of the system (450 gallons per day for a 3-bedroom home). Online information is available at http://www.metrokc.gov/health. Contact your local sewer district to find out about hooking up to a sanitary system.
• Take care of your pets. Keep pets out of the streams and clean up after pets and discharge wastes in an appropriate container.
• Inspect your car for oil leaks. The street storm system discharge into our creeks and the Puget Sound.
• Preserve plants and trees adjacent to streams, lakes and wetlands. These plants provide shade to cool the temperature as well as habitat and refuge for fish and other aquatic life.
• Reduce pesticide use and if used, read the product label carefully for how it is to be applied.
• Reduce lawn fertilizers. Fertilizers removes dissolved oxygen for our streams.
• Wash your car at a car wash facility or location where runoff will drain to a grassy area and not the storm collection system.
• Save hazardous wastes and paints for the semi-annual collection event at the Des Moines Marina. Please do not rinse or clean paint brushes in or around the storm system. For information about the hazardous waste collection program contact Community Development at (206) 870-6576. Information regarding upcoming collection schedules call the Hazards Line at (206) 296-4692 or visit the King County Hazardous Waste website for more information.
• Become a “stream watcher” and immediately report any spills or pollutants to the City Public Works Department.
• Become a volunteer for helping with streamside planting projects, storm drain stenciling or stream cleanup events. There are many volunteer programs available to help the Puget Sound (watershed). To learn more how you can help our area streams, contact Dennis Clark, Watershed Public Outreach Coordinator, (206)296-1909, dennis.clark@kingcounty.gov or visit the watershed website. You may also contact the City of Des Moines, Loren Reinhold, (206)870-6524 for information on activities within Des Moines. 

Taking Care of Fish Habitat -- Locally
In 1999, chinook salmon and bull trout were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). This federal law protects not only the species itself, but also the habitat the species needs to survive and prosper. The numbers of salmon in our region have declined dramatically over the last 100 years. Scientists agree that the cause of their decline is multi-fold. High rates of fishing, the overuse of hatcheries to compensate for diminished numbers, hydropower dams, and degraded and lost habitat have all significantly contributed to the decline of the species.

Des Moines and other jurisdictions are actively involved on planning the protection and restoration of salmon habitat in the Green/Duwamish and Central Puget Sound Watershed (including Vashon/Maury Island). These areas are collectively referred to as Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 9. Additional information on WRIA9 and the salmon recovery effort as well as volunteer opportunities is available at WRIA 9 website.

City Pipe Program
Those street ditches can be filled! In a joint venture with the home owners, Public Works crews will provide the heavy equipment and labor to install pipes, catch basins and backfill material (gravel) to fill in the ditches if the owner pays for the materials. For those interested, a cost estimate can be obtained from Leon Serechan at 870-6567. He would be happy to make a site visit and suggest improvements that are needed for your particular site (some restrictions apply).

Upcoming Projects>>