Kirkland residents and businesses are encouraged to review the draft 2019 Stormwater Management Program Plan and submit comments or suggestions by March 18.

The draft 2019 Stormwater Management Program Plan (SWMP) includes plans to educate community members about natural yard care techniques and how to avoid discharging pollution during regular vehicle maintenance. The plan also includes information on tracing and eliminating pollutant discharges and spills to the city’s stormwater drainage system, including detailing the city’s efforts to maintain an extensive network of city-owned stormwater ponds, vaults, rain gardens and ditches that store, treat and transport stormwater prior to discharge to local creeks, wetlands and Lake Washington.

Stormwater pollution is a leading cause of pollution in Kirkland creeks, lakes and wetlands, according to a city press release. This pollution comes from everyday activities such as driving, yard care, pet waste management, car washing and land development. Preventing stormwater pollution involves reducing the amount of pollution people put onto the landscape (source control) and removing contaminants from runoff before it reaches local waters (treatment), the release states.

Kirkland operates under a state-issued permit that allows the city to discharge stormwater from its public drainage system into rivers, lakes, and streams as long as the city implements programs and works with its residents and businesses to reduce pollutants in stormwater, according to the release. The city’s SWMP describes actions the city will take this year and beyond to maintain compliance with the permit and protect local lakes and streams.

The SWMP is available online at www.kirklandwa.gov, search “stormwater utility.”

Comments can be provided by email to Stormwater@kirklandwa.gov or by mail addressed to the City of Kirkland Public Works Department, 123 Fifth Avenue, Kirkland, WA 98033.

For more information about the city’s storm and durface water management programs, visit bit.ly/KirklandSWMP. To learn more about the State Department of Ecology stormwater permit, search “Phase II Western WA Stormwater Permit” at www.ecy.wa.gov.