Water Quality Channel Protects Thornton Creek Environment

The grand opening of the Thornton Place Water Quality Channel is tomorrow from 1 to 4 PM. Be sure to stop by and enjoy the live music, tasty food and treats from Thornton Place Restaurants, kids’ activities and educational experiences with the Homewaters Project. There will also be tours of the Water Quality Channel, Thornton Place homes and plaza and EraLiving’s Aljoya. Learn more here.

Here are some interesting facts about the Water Quality Channel:

• Some 67,000 people live within the borders of the Thornton Creek Watershed. Rain and stormwater that flows into the creek carries pollution from our cars, pets and the chemicals we use. The Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel helps clean stormwater from roads, buildings and parking lots before it reaches the Creek on the east side of 5th Avenue NE.
• While traditional drainage systems carry urban runoff with pollutants into our creeks, lakes, and Puget Sound — the natural drainage system used in the Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel cleans stormwater by diverting it from the pipe to a series of surface swale biofiltration ponds that use special soils and native plants to capture, slowly filter, biologically degrade and process pollutants. The pipe remains in place to accommodate excess storm flows.
• Much of the channel is made up of ponds and swales that clean and slow the stormwater. The biofiltration swales use living systems made up of water, soil and plants to capture and remove pollutants. The swales have wide, flat bottoms and lots of plants to maximize the time water spends in the swale, slowing the flow so the sediments settle out. Many pollutants adhere to the sediments as the cleaner water moves on.
• The plants in the bottom of the swale are specially selected because the swale is very wet most of the time, but very dry some of the time. The plants are chosen to maximize the filtration of pollution from the water and to thrive in our climate — providing habitat for songbirds and other wildlife. A buffer of vegetation on the hills around the channel allows rainfall on the site to filter slowly into the swales and ponds.
• The Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel is designed to help clean 91 percent of the stormwater from an area of approximately 660 acres — the equivalent area of about 500 football fields.
• The Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel project was honored with a 2009 “Outstanding Project” Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers.
• In addition to its key function as a water quality project, the site provides a 2.7 acre park-like open space for urban wildlife and community access. The overall project cost was $14.8 million.