Showcasing the Aurora Bridge Swales and the Northlake Commons Regional Swale, the panel discussion at InfraDay PNW highlighted efforts within Seattle Public Utilities as well as incentives to encourage public-private partnerships. Representatives from the project team as well as SPU were part of the panel.

The Aurora Bridge Swales in the Fremont neighborhood were constructed in the public right-of-way and on private property by private developers. They clean highway runoff from the overhead public bridge structure. Similar runoff from other bridge structures has been shown to have lethal effects on salmon populations. The public and private benefits of this project will be discussed, and the team will share the breadth of how these projects have allowed real time negotiation of agreements between the municipality and building owners.

The recently opened Northlake Commons Mixed Use Development includes a 2.6-million-gallon regional swale that builds on these successful partnerships. This project diverts roadway runoff to be cleaned on private property and was the first project to receive SPU’s incentive funding for beyond code improvements. Lessons learned will be discussed including design strategies, permitting support and sediment control structures.

Moderator:
Rachael Meyer, Landscape Architecture Principal, Weber Thompson

Panelists:
Mark Grey, Partner, HessCallahanGrey Group, Founder, Clean Lake Union
Kevin Burrell, Strategic Advisor, Seattle Public Utilities
Puja Kashyap, Principal, KPFF