Ecology, working with a Steering Committee of Eastern Washington Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permittees, completed a 2019 update of the Stormwater Management Manual for Eastern Washington. RKI helped incorporate the latest advances in design, construction, and maintenance techniques for conventional and Low Impact Development stormwater BMPs into the manual and provided team facilitation and public outreach, helping to gather and incorporate necessary inputs for successful use of the manual.

The Delridge Multimodal Improvements Project, a 4-mile corridor within Delridge Way SW from the West Seattle Bridge to Roxbury Street SW, will install 26 enhanced RapidRide Stations, improve bike and pedestrian connections to transit, and provide greenway connections. Serving as Drainage Design Lead, RKI is responsible for code compliance, hydrologic/hydraulic analysis, basis of design and design coordination for final design of stormwater management facilities.

King County Wastewater Treatment Division (WTD) proposes to install Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSI) facilities to the maximum extent practicable to reduce the gray infrastructure demands needed for full Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) control at the University Regulator Station Overflow. RKI is serving as the Interagency Permitting Lead, responsible for planning and obtaining SDOT Street Improvement Permits and other required construction permits.

Kitsap County Public Works (KCPW) developed a stormwater retrofit plan for East Bremerton and East Port Orchard to identify, prioritize and construct stormwater retrofit projects that address water quality and drainage problems. Both Green Stormwater Solutions and conventional stormwater techniques are used. The end result is a suite of management planning tools, including a prioritized list of projects and conceptual designs to support KCPW’s Capital Facility Plan and assist with obtaining grant funding for final design and construction of priority projects.

As part of its Plan to Protect Seattle’s Waterways, SPU committed to constructing green and/or gray infrastructure that will bring the Vine basin into compliance with Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) regulatory requirements by the end of 2025. Serving as GSI Lead, RKI helped SPU develop and evaluate GSI options and select the preferred option to be advanced to final design and construction.

This project installed and will monitor permeable pavement for durability, water quality (influent and effluent), and infiltration rates. RKI assisted the City of Spokane with research on successful monitoring practices and lessons learned by other jurisdictions and provided design review and recommendations for final design, construction, monitoring, operation and maintenance.

RKI is providing permit support, development review, engineering standards updates, and stormwater management planning for the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (STIA) under the Port of Seattle’s Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Environmental Review and Permitting Services contract. Recent tasks include development of the STIA LID Guideline for compliance with the Airport’s NPDES Individual Permit and Federal Aviation Administration requirements for commercial airport operations, planning for regional infiltration facilities, and assistance with Port policies and strategic goals.

King County Wastewater Treatment Division is updating their Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Long-term Control Plan (LTCP). As GSI Lead, RKI was responsible for basin planning to integrate GSI techniques, such as roadway bioretention, permeable pavement, and green alleys, with conventional gray storage facilities to develop alternatives for reducing stormwater contributions to the combined system and reducing the required size of gray storage facilities to meet the regulatory control standard.

The County Council requested a report from Road Services Division staff describing the location and condition of the County’s drainage trunk system within major road rights-of-way in unincorporated areas, the estimated accuracy of the resultant database, an analysis of the data to assess risks and impacts, and a prioritized program for maintenance. As Project Manager, RKI oversaw the condition and risk assessment of several thousand regional drainage assets and authored a strategic business plan to direct near- and long-term maintenance, repair, and renewal priorities.

In response to Ecology’s reissuance of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit, the City was required to update their Stormwater Management Manual (SWMM) to make Low Impact Development (LID) the preferred and commonly used approach to new and redevelopment. RKI provided on-call engineering services to assist with implementing the updated SWMM and provided development review support.

RKI provided on-call services to assist with implementation of the City’s 2016 update of their engineering standards, including new requirements for Low Impact Development (LID), and provided technical support for compliance with the western Washington Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.

RKI updated the City’s Storm and Surface Water Engineering Standards to comply with National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit requirements, including new requirements for Low Impact Development (LID), and provided training for municipal staff and design professionals on how to use the new standards in the preparation and permit review of stormwater site plans.

SPU estimates a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) control volume of approximately 6 million gallons is needed to meet NDPES CSO control regulations for two uncontrolled basins in the Ballard neighborhood. While at a previous firm, Robin served as Project Manager and Lead Engineer through Options Analysis and final construction design of 17 blocks of residential roadway GSI for CSO control. Following construction in 2016, RKI was retained to develop the project-specific standard operating procedures and operation and maintenance manual. This project won the inaugural 2017 Pacific Northwest Clean Water Association Innovative Stormwater Project award.

The West Duwamish Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) Control Project will control CSOs for King County’s West Michigan and Terminal-115 basins to the Washington State regulatory requirement of one-event per year on a rolling 20-year average. As Design Team Manager, RKI led the GSI alternatives analysis to identify and compare various combinations of grey and green technologies to achieve the control strategy and help protect the Duwamish River and Puget Sound.

RKI led the 2016 update of the County’s codes and engineering standards to meet requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit, including review and update of the County’s roadway, stormwater, subdivision, and landscape codes; update of the County’s Stormwater Design Manual; and development of outreach materials to educate designers on how to comply with the updated codes and standards.

Following on our work with Kitsap County Department of Community Development to update the County’s codes, Road Standards, and Stormwater Design Manual to meet regulatory requirements of the NPDES permit, RKI provided training for Capital Improvement Project (CIP) Inspectors on how to apply the updated codes and standards in managing construction of roadway CIPs.

RKI led the 2016 update of the City’s Stormwater Management Plan to address population growth, land use development, and requirements of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II Eastern Washington Permit. The plan characterizes existing drainage and water quality issues, identifies and prioritizes projects and programs that provide residents with the greatest value and protection, provides a financial plan and rate forecast, and helps the City prepare for possible future MS4 program audits.

RKI provided on-call services to the City of Everett Public Works to assist with the City's 2016 Low Impact Development (LID) code update; provide technical assistance with the Western Washington Phase II National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit compliance strategy; and conduct training for staff from Public Works, Transportation, Parks, and Permit Services on how to work with the new code and permit requirements.