Stormwater Runoff

Coho Salmon Eggs Put to the Stormwater Test

WSU toxicologist Jen McIntyre checks the condition of an embryo that was exposed to urban stormwater runoff. More pictures from the study can be found by clicking on the photo.
WSU toxicologist Jen McIntyre checks the condition of an embryo that was exposed to urban stormwater runoff. More pictures from the study can be found by clicking on the photo.

Peering through a microscope at the Suquamish Tribe’s Grovers Creek Hatchery, biologist Tiffany Linbo uses two pairs of tweezers to gently peel the protective layer off an 18-day-old fertilized coho salmon egg.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) biologist needs to do it without piercing the yolk sac so Washington State University (WSU) toxicologist Jen McIntyre can take a closer look at the embryo’s health and development, such as heartbeat, blood flow and eye size.

Linbo and McIntyre are looking at eggs that have been exposed to urban stormwater runoff collected from roadways in Seattle; they want to know if the embryos show signs of developmental toxicity. (more…)

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Tulalip Tribes engineer wetlands to treat stormwater

TULALIP – Stormwater runoff from the parking lots and playfield at Tulalip Elementary runs directly into Tulalip Bay. Traveling through conventional drains and pipes, at times seeping over the sidewalk onto Totem Beach Road, the water potentially picks up and carries pollutants.

At the nearby Boys and Girls Club, the lack of drainage results in a parking lot pond when it rains.

As an alternative to conventional stormwater detention methods, the Tulalip Tribes are turning to low impact development (LID) to improve water quality and fix several drainage problems. The tribes’ Natural Resources Department is engineering wetlands to absorb stormwater and filter out pollutants before it drains into the bay. (more…)

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Tulalip Tribes to build wetland as stormwater filter

The Daily Herald of Everett reported on a Tulalip Tribes project to build a wetland to filter stormwater runoff into Tulalip Bay:

Tulalip Bay is one of north Snohomish County’s picturesque gems, but the Tulalip tribal government says it is suffering from pollution caused by development.

The bay sits at the bottom of land mass that is nearly funnel-shaped, with higher ground on three sides. The geography allows storm water and other polluted liquids to easily drain right into the bay, where Tulalip Indians have fished for generations. (more…)

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