[Photos] See How WSDOT is Balancing Stormwater Pollution & Habitat

The Washington State Department of Transportation is taking an entirely new direction on this age-old problem.

WSDOT Gives the EPA a Tour on SR-167 of New Stormwater Improvements

The Washington State Department of Transportation gave an important tour to the Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Northwest, and the acting assistant administration of Water Bruno Pigott recently. The tour brought officials to multiple sights showing major improvements to help pollution in the Puget Sound through stormwater. The new SR-167 project uses a new strategy for restoring wildlife habitat, and also for managing heavy stormwater and nearby flooding. In the past the Hylebos Creek normal water flow was changed with urbanization and since then has had bad flooding around the I-5 Fife curve.

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Washington  State Department of Transportation Worked with Many Partners

The Washington State Department of Transportation did not work alone with this project, instead getting important advice from local groups like the Puyallup Tribe and environmental experts. WSDOT dug out and re-aligned Hylebos Creek which should re-establish a natural buffer. That buffer will be filled with 400,000 native plants to help clean the pollutants in stormwater before reaching the main water system. They hope to rebalance the ecological biodiversity and restore the natural balance. The Completion Project also created a larger wetland area which should help relieve natural reservoirs during heavy rain or flooding on I-5.