Landmark regulations on curbing polluted stormwater runoff has been extended to smaller cities and counties.  Last fall the Washington Pollution Control Hearings Board ruled that Seattle and other large governmental juridictions had to take steps to minimize polluted runoff into our waterways.  The larger governments are not required to enforce low-impact building methods "where feasible".  Robert McClure writes about the ruling in an article in the PI.

He says, "steps to minimize the polluted runoff focus on minimizing concrete and other hard surfaces that cause rain to flow away, carrying pollutants such as oil and copper residue from cars' brakes. Examples include vegetated roofs, special pavement that allows water to soak through, and 'rain gardens' that slurp up runoff."

The 85 smaller cities and counties do not have to take as hard a line as Seattle, Tacoma and King, Pierce, Snohomish and Clark counties.  The new ruling calls for "reasonable and flexible time frames" which is likely to allow meaning three to five years before full compliance.

McClure points out that industry officials have said that "more developers would use those methods if many governments didn't make it such a hassle to do so".  Anything new can throw municipal authorities.  With that in mind, the Hearing Board said that the Department of Ecology has to rewrite the rules to:

• Identify barriers to requiring low-impact building.
• Come up with ways to overcome those barriers.
• Take other actions Ecology requires under "reasonable and flexible time frames."

Sounds like a very good ruling.  One of the things that local governments may also want to do is to research what the city of Bellevue has already done in the area of smart design.  Beginning way back in 1974, Bellevue began to coordinate the design of a citywide park system and a stormwater management program.  An organization called Green Infrastructure has a tribute to what Bellevue has been able to accomplish and the savings it has brought. 

Bellevue has a long-standing policy of building green infrastructure (parks, playgrounds, trails, etc.) in place of the vast networks of expensive underground storm sewers that most municipalities build.  "Two city agencies, the Storm and Surface Water Utility and the Parks and Recreation Department, use the same land to accomplish multiple objectives. . . . Many of these open space assets are also elements of the stormwater system. As a result of this partnership, both agencies have reduced their costs while achieving their diverse objectives."