A group of 13 people smile at the camera and hold up their hands waving. They are standing or kneeling in the rain garden.

Kent Meridian High School Rocks a Rain Garden

By Emma Foulk and Elizabeth Loudon In 2019, Risa Suho was a senior at Kent Meridian High School and an intern at King County Wastewater Treatment Division’s Clean Water Ambassadors program. After learning about green ways to manage stormwater, she decided to write her first grant proposal. Her school received a $35,000 WaterWorks Grant to…

People planting plants in a rain garden lined with mulch

WaterWorks grants $5 million to community water quality improvement projects for 2022-23

Sixty-eight projects aimed at protecting and improving regional water quality will be launched in the new year, thanks to funding through King County’s WaterWorks Grant Program. The King County Council recently passed an ordinance approving the funding. The projects include a variety of approaches, including restoring stream and riverbanks, installing rain gardens, educating students and teachers,…

Green stormwater infrastructure & CSOs: In-depth media coverage

King County is working to control all our combined sewer overflows (CSOs) through several strategies. One way we are reducing CSOs is through natural drainage solutions, also known as green stormwater infrastructure (GSI), which use plants, trees, and soil to soak up the rain.These solutions help our neighborhoods manage stormwater naturally and on-site, and compliment…

WaterWorks grants funding 69 community projects in 2020

King County’s WaterWorks Grant Program is fulfilling its mission to invest in clean water and community partnerships. The King County Council recently passed an ordinance to approve the funding, moving work forward on projects around the region that will include restoring damaged habitat, building green infrastructure and providing youth education and internship opportunities. Sixty nine…

Wastewater education and outreach programs prepare region for climate change

“So many actions can help water quality in our streams, lakes, and rivers. That’s why the WaterWorks Program funds such a wide variety of projects,” Elizabeth Loudon, WaterWorks program manager, recently explained. “These projects also create multiple benefits. They bring communities together, restore and protect the environment, and help the region prepare for climate change.”…