Wettest winter on record. Where does that water go?

It’s official; we’ve had the wettest winter on record. And for our region, it’s got to be really wet to break the record. According to Seattle Weather blog, we’ve had over 42 inches of rain in Seattle since October. Normal is just 26 inches.

Where does all of that water go? When it hits the ground it picks up bacteria from pet waste, nutrients from fertilizers, copper from pesticides, oil from vehicle leaks and other pollutants that become deadly to salmon and Orcas when they trickle into Puget Sound. Stormwater pollution is considered the biggest water pollution problem in the Puget Sound region.

It’s just water, right? What we can’t see are toxics like fossil fuels, plastics, pesticides, metals and bacteria. The Nature Conservancy in Washington did a video that explains how stormwater is affecting our environment, economy and human health. In the video, scientists show us how stormwater is impacting our salmon runs. Nature can filter pollutants from our waterways; watch the video to find out more about green infrastructure and how it can help urban areas work better for people and the planet.

King 5 recently ran a story on King County’s stormwater plan. Every year, King County updates its plan to manage stormwater runoff, drainage issues and water pollution problems.

What you can do today:

• Wash your car at a carwash.
• Scoop up your pets poop and put it in the trash.
• Check your car for leaks and get them fixed.
• Don’t use pesticides or use non chemical ways to deal with weeds and bugs.
• Limit fertilizers use, or use only slow release, organic fertilizers on your lawn.

If you need even more inspiration, check out our stormwater etiquette video series. Our most recent video shows you how to clean up spills, because spills happen.