South Thornton Creek Natural Drainage System (NDS) Project
A natural drainage system project a few years after installation.
Project Description
Improving Our Communities with Natural Drainage Systems
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will construct natural drainage systems (NDS) at 4 sites in the south Thornton Creek basin. NDS consist of shallow depressions in the public right-of-way, or “planter strip,” filled with deep-rooted plants and spongy soils that temporarily hold and clean polluted stormwater from streets and sidewalks before the stormwater enters our waterways.
Natural drainage systems can offer multiple benefits to local neighborhoods and ecosystems, including:
- Greener, more attractive neighborhoods
- Lower risk of flooding
- Creation of habitat along streets
- Healthier creek ecosystems
- Calmer traffic patterns
- More street trees
The Project FAQ contains more information.
Location
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) will construct natural drainage systems (NDS) at 4 sites in the south Thornton Creek basin. Selected sites can be viewed on one of the maps below.
Combination site map: view high level map with 4 sites shown (Northgate site: 23, Victory sites: 113 & 138, Wedgewood site: 139, and Meadowbrook site: 208)
What's Happening Now?
We completed our technical analysis and selected sites to move into the design phase. We selected sites based on a variety of factors that included community input, recurring drainage and flooding issues, existing soil conditions, and availability of off-street parking. The project FAQ has a complete list of factors weighed.
Throughout 2020, we will:
- Design the natural drainage systems and pathway improvements
- Continue to engage with residents, businesses, and community organizations around individual sites
Community Benefits
This project will improve water quality in Thornton Creek, as well as improve stormwater drainage, slow traffic, and beautify streets.
The project will also help the City of Seattle achieve its goal of managing 700 million gallons of stormwater runoff using green infrastructure.
Community Engagement
If you're interested in learning more and finding out about upcoming community engagement events, please sign up to receive project email updates.
Schedule
2017 - 2018
- Early project planning and site selection
- Outreach to residents about potential sites
2019 - 2020
- Onboard design consultant
- Design development for selected sites
- Design phase outreach throughout 2020
2021
- Anticipated construction
2022
- Project closeout
Background
Natural drainage systems slow stormwater and filter out pollutants before they can harm our creeks and other waterways. Keeping pollutants out of our water is important for fish, aquatic life, and people.
Building a natural drainage system in Thornton Creek basin is part of the Plan to Protect Seattle's Waterways. SPU used to call these "roadside rain gardens" but now calls them "natural drainage systems" or "NDS".
Why Thornton Creek? Thornton Creek is a salmon-bearing urban creek with degraded water quality. Stormwater picks up pollutants from streets—including oil, heavy metals, and fertilizers—and flows into the creek through ditches or pipes. This project will remove pollutants from the stormwater before it reaches the creek and reduce the quantity of stormwater going into the creek.