Sewage storage at Lincoln Park? Briefing in Fauntleroy tonight

| Environment | Utilities | West Seattle news

Today’s weather is what the Combined Sewer Overflow situation along south West Seattle beaches is potentially all about: If heavy rainstorm runoff from “combined sewer” systems overwhelms a pump station’s capacity, that triggers an untreated-water overflow containing raw sewage as well as stormwater, and that’s bad news for Puget Sound, so King County has to decide how to reduce those overflows. Right now the focus in West Seattle is on the “basins” feeding two pump stations, Murray (Lowman Beach) and Barton (north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock). The process of figuring out the best way to reduce CSOs at Murray has stirred the most controversy, after the county back in March unveiled three options, including potentially digging up most of Lowman Beach Park to put in a huge storage facility. Tonight, the county is hoping for maximum community turnout at a briefing on the option that a community-advisory group favors – involving putting most of the storage under the south parking lot at Lincoln Park (county photo at right). In particular, it’s hoped the Fauntleroy community comes to hear about this, since it’s in their area, rather than in the area directly served by the Murray station. The meeting is 6:30-8:30 pm tonight at The Hall at Fauntleroy in the Fauntleroy schoolhouse (as explained here) – 9131 California SW; here’s a map.

Sage November 1, 2010 (2:00 pm)

Any word on a decision with regard to the Barton basin? It’s supposed to be out soon, and I’m crossing my fingers for the Green Stormwater option…

BB November 1, 2010 (2:35 pm)

What a bunch of BS…the Murray hill basin wants to dump this in the Fauntleroy neighborhood….we are not going to take this and plan on showing up in force.
It is going to take three years of construction to build this sewage tank under the parking lot. This neighborhood is already stressed with overflow parking on our streets when the Lincoln Park south parking lot is full and we can’t even park in front of our houses because of the ferry line! So, now in addition to the Ferry line chaos and park overflow we have to deal with a giant sewage tank and three years of construction..unbelievable.

s November 1, 2010 (3:25 pm)

BB-
Last year, WSF wanted to build a bigger ferry dock with more car holding space. That would have gotten rid of the line of cars. But Fauntleroy fought that.
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Now you’re complaining about the line of cars. Maybe if you hadn’t complained “in full force” about the bigger ferry dock, you wouldn’t have to complain again about the line of cars waiting for the ferry.
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Does that make sense or am I missing something here? And weren’t the ferry and park there when you bought your house?

likes54 November 1, 2010 (4:00 pm)

What you are missing is the the City of Seattle fobids by City Council Initiative the expanding of the ferry dock in Fauntleroy. Even an expanded dock wouldn’t hold all the cars that line up everyday. Also WSF has plans to reroute the Southworth run from there to Downtown Seattle whenever they can get more funding.
That will cut down ferry traffic by about 35%.

s November 1, 2010 (4:14 pm)

WSB-Is that true that they are going to reroute to downtown? I thought the last plan was to keep as-is, but to add a walkway?
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I agree a bigger dock would not get rid of the line all the time, but it would sometimes, maybe even most of the time.

WSB November 1, 2010 (5:46 pm)

There is no final final final forever decision that says they WILL someday. There would have to be money, as the commenter explains, among other changes. In an appendix of the long-range WSF plan, it notes such a route could be created if needed. See appendix M on this page http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/planning – probably other references but that’s the first one I came across.

s November 1, 2010 (6:59 pm)

Thanks WSB–you guys are great.
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That document is a bit vague regarding Southworth-Downtown, but as I read it, it sounds like the plan is to keep Southworth-Fauntleroy. They mention Southworth-Downtown only as an addition to the Southworth-Fauntleroy route.
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Anyway, I wouldn’t hold my breath for a reroute to downtown.

Kelly November 2, 2010 (10:49 am)

Sage: me, too. I emailed yesterday to ask about the status, and specifically about the green infrastructure piece. Here is the email response I received:

“The next steps are an evaluation of the alternatives from a number of perspectives: environmental, design engineering, community, project costs, land use and permitting, operations and maintenance. We have heard support for the green stormwater infrastructure alternative, and that will be part of the review.”

sarelly November 2, 2010 (12:20 pm)

I hope so, Kelly. Seems like if there were more rainwater catchment infrastructure (maybe public funding for installation of residential storage tanks?) and if park spaces contained more rain gardens and less turf grass, storm water runoff could be reduced significantly.

BB November 2, 2010 (1:46 pm)

S-
I did not oppose the expanded ferry dock..there are many points of view in the Fauntleroy neighborhood. The Ferry and the park were there when we bought our house..I am not objecting to that we deal with that daily. I am objecting to the loss of that parking during construction on a neighborhood that is already over-burdened.

Sorry, comment time is over.