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Salmon in the Classroom to End

Posted: December 25, 2010

An important component of environmental education at Carkeek Park, and other locations, is being terminated due to budget cuts at the State Department of Fish and Wildlife. As reported in the Seattle Times, the budget changes voted in the recent special session of the state legislature removed funding for the program.

You may have seen the bus loads of school children at Carkeek Park each spring, learning how the salmon fry from their shcool fit into the larger environment and cycle of life. Unless some other source of funding is identified this program will end soon.

Low Income Housing Proposed

by Dale Johnson

Posted: December 23, 2010

Housing for the homeless and low income people is a challenge in any economic environment, and maybe more so during our Great Recession. The North Seattle Herald has an article about the proposed low income housing at the parcel where Cyndy’s House of Pancakes is located. Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) is the organization sponsoring the development. Read about it here.

Bus chicks and nerds

by jjensen

Posted: December 22, 2010

OK, forget the headline. It wasn’t really my idea. It came from this story (from the News-Tribune in Ballard) about living car-free in Seattle. I found the interview with Seattle’s self-named “bike chick” interesting and helpful. Living car free is not easy in Seattle. I did it for years as a young person in Chicago, but then Chicago has a large and integrated transit and train system that makes living car free easier. It’s encouraging to know people can do it here, and they even enjoy it. Perhaps some of the car-free residents of Broadview and Bitterlake can share their stories here. When Aurora service is upgraded to “Rapid Bus” more people may choose this lifestyle.

Click here for the story.

Carkeek Park: views after the Dec.12th rainstorm

by Sue Jensen

Updated: December 21, 2010

After the rains subsided last Sunday, I toured the neighborhood and visited Carkeek Park to see how the record rainfall (2.17” in 24 hours) affected our beloved park and salmon-bearing creek. The creek, which normally runs clear with gentle ripples and small pools, was swollen and fast. The waters were gray with the sediment of our urban stormwater and, as I found out later, mixed with unknown quantities of untreated sewage which ran across a trail near the tributary, Venema Creek. Portions of the park around Venema Creek tributary, to the north of Carkeek remain closed. Make no mistake: this was a small scale disaster impacting the park ecology, it’s salmon-run and the water quality and ecology of Puget Sound. I wanted to share these photos and observations as a regular park user and landscape architect trained in low impact development strategies. I would welcome additional observations and follow up reports by the Carkeek Park staff and specialists in urban ecology and stream hydrology.

1. Views from the stone bridge into the wetland area near the outfall at the beach. A wetland is a low lying area which can absorb, filter and clean stormwater. It appears this storm event may have overwhelmed its capacity.

2. Views of the swollen creek from the bridge near the meadow. The velocity and force of the water flow erodes stream banks and moves the gravel beds, washing away most of the salmon eggs which had been deposited during the previous month.

3. View looking east to the creek from the weir, just before the creek passes into a culvert under the BNRR tracks, to the beach outfall. Normal winter water flow is just between the six foot wide cut in the center of the weir, but on my visit, water gushed over the entire weir and up the banks.

4. From the pedestrian overpass crossing the railroad tracks, one could clearly see a brownish gray colored flow from Carkeek into Puget Sound (not quite as clear in these photos.)

5. As we continued our tour around Carkeek Park that morning, we saw first-hand the impacts of clogged catch basins on the park. A catch basin along the lower meadow parking area clogged with leaves caused flooding of the meadow. Another clogged catch basin created a dangerous driving situation on the loop road from the upper meadow.

6. A bright spot in my tour: two wonderful park volunteers, Lex Voorhoeve and Loren McElvain, brought their shovels and rakes and wadded into the flooded park roadway to unclog a catch basin creating another deep puddle across the access road. In the video link below, you’ll hear the sounds of their success, and the reason for their dedication: Our city budgets have slashed maintenance funds, and more than ever, volunteers need to step in to help maintain our parks and trails!

PC130073

Other volunteer opportunities at Carkeek Park: Join the Friends of Carkeek Park, which meet most Saturday mornings to maintain and repair trails and other tasks. Training to become a Salmon Steward, coordinated by E3, Education for sustainable communities is held in mid fall in the park. See this link:

http://www.e3washington.org/events/item.html?id=302

Rent-a-Christmas Tree, Save the Salmon

by Sue Jensen

Posted: December 18, 2010

Just heard on King 5 TV news this morning:

Today only, 10 – 2 pm, people can rent a 5′ tall native conifer for a Christmas Tree, through the Adopt-a-Stream Foundation! The trees can be picked up at McCollumn Park in south Snohomish County today only. There’s a $20.00 fee, including a $10 deposit when trees are returned in good shape in the spring. The organization plans to plant the returned trees in the spring along local streams to promote healthy salmon habitat.

For more information see this article:

http://www.snoho.com/stories/12_December/121510_rentatree.html

This is a great idea! If you can’t do it this year, we should try to adopt a similar program for Seattle and Carkeek Park in years ahead.

Sewage flows into lake and Broadview homes

by jjensen

Updated: December 17, 2010

I found this story on King 5 news after the storm. It details the 1.6 million gallons of raw sewage let into Lake Washington from Medina. It also features the experience of Broadview neighbor Robin Laskowski, whose basement (near Carkeek Park) was flooded with raw sewage. Three of Robin’s neighbors also had sewage in their homes, and as the blog make’s clear other people in the neighborhood had their homes damaged by sewage overflows.
Here’s the video.

Respond to the Storm

by April Sotura

Updated: December 12, 2010

Broadview Neighbors,

Today’s storm had a significant impact on Broadview. Many neighbors were on the streets braving the drenching rains. They were cleaning ditches, helping neighbors whose homes had flooded, out talking to emergency crews, some were borrowing sump pumps, and shop vacs, and everyone was and is deeply concerned about the storm and sewage overflows and the evidence of failing infrastructure.

At 105th and 2nd Avenue a manhole spilled over for at least four hours. Neighbors were out setting up property with sand bags in effort to divert the fast flow of water at least two homes were flooded and perhaps more. This was not just storm water, there was raw sewage coming out of this man hole running down the streets and into homes.

At 115th and 2nd Avenue the manhole was spilling over with raw sewage for at least three hours. At this point we do not know if there were any homes were flooded. But we do know that the sewage is on our streets, in our yards and in our streams.

At 130 and 12th Avenue a bolted manhole spilled over spewing rats and fecal matter. We do not know how long this manhole was spilling. The emergency crew said that the Most of 12th Avenue was backed up. According the neighbors some folks have been flooded with storm water and/or sewage water coming up storm drains and showers and bathtubs. For some of them this is not the first time.

We still need to know how other neighbors fared today, so if you have time it would be good time to check in with your near neighbors and see how they are doing.

We have a long history of problems with sewage and storm water overflows. Since 2007, the City of Seattle has taken an in depth look at these chronic problems They have done a long study and have proposed solutions, but they are slowing coming Obviously from today’s account, the City is not moving fast enough to find solutions. To move the City along toward providing solutions to our area will require that we all keep showing them how deeply we are concerned about these problems in our neighborhood, our homes and our properties. Make no mistake, raw sewage pouring through our homes, our streets, our streams, our parks, and our waterways into Puget Sound is not acceptable.

In 2007 many claims were rejected outright. This is not fair. Raw sewage in basements, and running down streets is not something that should be dismissed. Make phone calls, submit video images, call City officials. As you speak to the City officials be persistent and polite and keep calling until you get someone to talk with you. Ask for names, write them down. Ask for email communications so you can document their response.

Here are some suggestions:

1) Call the SPU’s Emergency Response 206 376 1800. If you see culverts backed-up, manholes bubbling, or if your home has been flooded by storm overflow or sewage back up.

2) Tell your story! Take pictures and document. Write down the progression of the events as you know it. What kind of problem and how did you find a solution to get the water out of your home. Be as specific as possible. How high did the water come up, where it entered, how long was the water in the home or on the property. Keep a copy of both photos and your written account. Post to this blog!

3) If there have been damages to your home and property take many photos of all the items damaged, rugs, furniture, personal items, etc

4) If there were damages to your home that you feel the City is responsible for then it is important that you contact the claims department right away. Ask that they send out someone out to assess damage right way. Expect support!

5) Seattle Public Utilities http://www.seattle.gov/util/Services/Drainage_&_Sewer/Emergency

6) Claims phone number

Risk Management
Bruce Hori, Director
(206) 386-0073
http://www.seattle.gov/riskmanagement

Storm Water Damage

by Dale Johnson

Updated: December 13, 2010

We are getting reports of sewage overflows into people’s houses, and other storm water damage. If you are affected please take photos as documentation for a claim. We are gathering information on problems. We’d like to hear from you.

Here is a photo from Carkeek Park.

Here is photo from 2nd NW and NW 115th

Here is a video from Carkeek Park

Broadview December 12th Rain Storm

by Susan George

Updated: January 31, 2011

If your area is flooding please take pictures. It is important to document problems.

NEWS: Seattle Prepares for Heavy Rain, Flooding

by Susan George

Posted: December 11, 2010

For Immediate Release:

Dec 10, 2010

Contact:

Ingrid Goodwin, (206) 233-3864
Pager: (206) 997-5972

Seattle Prepares for Heavy Rain, Flooding

Extra City Drainage Crews Placed on Alert in Anticipation of Severe Winter Storm

SEATTLE — With torrential rain in the forecast for the next several days, Seattle Public Utilties (SPU) is putting its field crews on alert and urging the public to prepare for urban flooding.

Based on National Weather Service reports, Seattle could be in for one to three inches of rain between late Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, with another storm coming on Monday. The heaviest rain is expected to occur south of the ship canal.

To report flooding or blocked drains or heavy ponding in the street, please call (206) 386-1800.

In preparation for the storm, SPU has assigned extra field operations workers to report to work Saturday and Sunday, and has staged flood control equipment at various locations around the city. The Utility is also delivering about 500 pre-packed sandbags to the Meadowbrook and Delridge Community Center (250 at each), today.

SPU is reminding the public to play it safe by staying out of low-lying areas during times of heavy rains. If your basement is prone to flooding, please stay out of the basement until the risk of flooding has passed.

The public’s help is also requested in keeping Seattle’s 78,000 street drains — the city’s first line of defense against storms — free of debris. Cleaning a blocked street drain is simple: using a rake, just scrape the debris from the drain and place it in your yard waste cart.

If you don’t have a rake or other drain-cleaning implements, consider joining SPU’s new Adopt-a-drain program. Contact the program at (206) 684-7647 or email adoptadrain@seattle.gov. Program participants will be provided with free gloves, bags, brooms, rakes and safety vests, as well as help with leaf disposal.

Other tips for keeping yourself and your property safe during wet weather include:

Don’t put grass clippings, leaves or other debris into drains, ditches, creeks, culverts, gutters or ravines (it’s against the law). If you live at the base of a hill or on a cliff, ensure that drainage and retaining walls are in good shape. Preventative planting can also help reduce the chance of a mud slide or flooding.
Maintain gutters and downspouts. Twice a year, clean your gutters and the drainage downspouts attached to your roof. Direct flows from downspouts away from your home, without discharging flows to adjacent properties.
Review your insurance coverage regularly with your agent to identify needs and gaps. Make sure you have the appropriate policies for flood or endorsements for losses like back-up of sewers and drains, which are not covered in a standard homeowner’s policy.
Store heirlooms and priceless family photographs on upper floors where they will be safer from flood waters. Items stored in basement areas should be shelved, and furniture should be on casters or shims away from floor drains.

For a wealth of information on preparing for bad weather, visit www.takewinterbystorm.org.

Learn more about Seattle Public Utilities, at: http://www.seattle.gov/util.

In addition to providing a reliable water supply to more than 1.3 million customers in the Seattle metropolitan area, SPU provides essential sewer, drainage, solid waste and engineering services that safeguard public health, maintain the City’s infrastructure and protect, conserve and enhance the region’s environmental resources.