From “Diver Laura” James – the underwater view of Friday’s inch-plus rainstorm. That’s the outfall near the popular diving area off West Seattle’s Seacrest Park, and it’s a reminder that toxic urban runoff is a major pollution problem for Puget Sound. Here’s some of what you can do to make it less toxic.
Thank you diver Laura for sharing this and for all of your efforts to educate the public about the beautiful fragile ecosystem at our doorstep. That is a powerful video and a reminder of the impact of our choices on other lives. Thank you West Seattle blog for sharing.
Nice work Diver Laura. Your ability to increase awareness of everyone’s impact on Puget Sound is appreciated. Great documentaries, and ones that are needed.
This is wonderful, Wonderful to see and so informative.
However, it is also a wonderful reminder of how we humans need to be more thoughtful.
Thanks for providing this video when I watch it I immediately think it’s oil residue from cars along our streets that is being directed to this outfall. What’s a mystery to me is the increasing amount of micro-litter in the city. When heavy rains like the one last week occurs are they also being directly fed to puget sound or caught and filtered through Seattle Public Utilities water treatment facilities? Even when it’s light to moderate rain? If it’s on the ground is it in the sound?
Northwest, it depends. In places where storm water goes into sanitary sewers, it theoretically goes to the treatment plants, although if there is a lot of rain in a short amount of time, the system is overwhelmed and some of it ends up in the sound and in Lake Washington – including sewage.
If it is the separate storm water system, that goes into the sound, but they are trying to stop that. It’s very expensive, however, which is part of the reason water bills are so high.
That’s part of the reason for the big holding tanks they are putting in. New construction methods limit storm water runoff as well.
There is always a bunch of cigarette filters right in front of the outflow. So, yes, microlitter is an issue. Lots of little plastic bits as well. Some floaty plastic bits can be found inside of the outflows if you look when it isn’t active.
The biggest issue to the sound is probably the nitrates from the treated sewer water, but the plastic bits and nicotine isn’t helping.
Truly awesome video (and I thought my photography equipment was expensive) thanks to Diver Laura and the other divers for doing this. It is a great reminder that what we do here on land, ends up in the water.
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I do suspect that this is a lot of sand, dust, pollen and dirt as much if not more than oil. I was looking the other day and here in Fauntleroy, we had received 1.6″ of rain between April 14 and August 13. Then on August 14 we received 1.92″ of rain. So all of the dust, pollen ground up tree leaves, etc that collects on the roads when it is dry was being flushed in a single event into the sound.
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I kept thinking they should get a water sample of that and have it tested. That would be fascinating as well.
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