Completion of construction on a parking lot at the Port Angeles City Hall is being lifted up as an example of a unique technology that paves the way toward improved environmental health and enhanced storm water management.  A PA City news release says the project is setting a new standard for future development on the Olympic Peninsula with consideration for on-site management. The project, largely paid for by a State Department of Ecology $1.43 million grant, provides significant improvements for storm water management and contributes to cleaner downstream waterways. It’s called a “Low Impact Development” project. It emphasizes the use of green infrastructure like permeable pavements, bioretention swales, and rain gardens to slow, filter, and infiltrate stormwater on site. By showcasing LID techniques, this project provides a model for how LID can be implemented to meet National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permitting requirements associated with new and re-development projects.

City Engineer Jonathan Boehme says “This unique project demonstrates how a parking lot can be built in a sustainable way that improves water quality in our urban streets.”  Public Works Director Mike Healy, “For years to come, the runoff from this rather large parking facility will be treated for contaminants prior to entering the receiving waters of Peabody Creek, thus improving the creek’s water quality and health.