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Salmon & Buildings Report
Salmon & Buildings Report
Wild salmon numbers in the Seattle region declined by 50-75% from the mid-1980s to the early 1990s.
Since then, the local salmon population continues to hover at dangerously low levels.
Factors contributing to salmon decline
Many factors have been examined to account for this decrease in salmon population, including elements of the built environment.
While building location and development patterns have received attention as contributing factors, comparatively little research exists on the cumulative effects of buildings over their life cycle (for example: materials sourcing and manufacture, construction, operation, and demolition).
In order to address this information gap, the Bullitt Foundation, Seattle Public Utilities and Seattle City Light funded the creation of a report, “Charting Common Ground for Salmon and Buildings,” authored by the Center for Maximum Potential Building Systems, a nonprofit organization focused on sustainable solutions for the built environment.
Report details and highlights
This report examines the following key areas:
- • Site issues (independent of building location)
- • Environmental impacts of building materials (both "upstream" and "downstream")
Building operations impacts
- • Some of the highlights of the report relate to:
- • Salmon-friendly hydropower
- • Sand and gravel mining
- • Forest and agrifiber products
- • Persistent, bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs)
Disclaimers
While every effort has been made to thoroughly research the topics presented in this report to ensure technical accuracy, the authors are not salmon biologists nor Seattle City staff. As such, any discrepancies relative to fact or policy-related issues should be considered errors. Please notify the authors of any errors found.
The City of Seattle, Seattle Public Utilities, and Seattle City Light, while co-funders of this research project, are not the authors of this report and its recommendations, and take no responsibility for the data or recommendations contained herein.
More information
Contact Lucia Athens, Seattle Public Utilities Sustainable Building
Program at lucia.athens@seattle.gov
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