West Seattle, Washington
19 Thursday
10:01 SM: Big early turnout at the north lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) for this year’s recycle/reuse/shredding event, scheduled to continue until noon. Waiting cars have been lined up past the college’s south entrance, but once you get into the lot, it’s fast-moving with multiple stations depending on what you brought. Check our calendar listing to see what they are and aren’t accepting.
11:57 AM: As noted in comments, and in email we just received, the event is over – capacity maxed out.
Partners included the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, West Seattle Junction Association, Seattle Public Utilities, Waste Management, and individual companies/organizations that actually collect and handle the materials.
The next free dropoff recycling event in West Seattle is the twice-annual Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church, 9 am-3 pm Saturday, April 27. Here’s the list of what they’ll be accepting. If you’re wondering about other ways to recycle/dispose of items – try the “Where Does It Go?” lookup.
(WSB file photo from past recycling/shredding event)
Tomorrow (Saturday, March 9) is the big day – free drop-off recycling/shredding for a variety of items, in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), 9 am-noon. As noted earlier this week, the list of what they’ll take has been expanded:
ACCEPTED ITEMS
Foam blocks
Household batteries (no damaged batteries)
Florescent tubes and bulbs (no broken bulbs, limit: 4 ft.)
Small, empty propane camping canisters
Small electronics (TVs, computers, etc.)
Small appliances (non-freon)
Paper for shredding (limit: 4 boxes of paper)
Household textiles – clothing & curtains
NEW: Reusable building materials (doors, windows, cabinets, plumbing, electrical, flooring, lighting, HVAC, hardware)
NEW: Solid wood or plywood furnitureITEMS NOT ACCEPTED:
Commercial loads
Garbage
Yard waste
Household recycling (items that go in your cart/dumpster)
Hazardous waste
Automotive waste
Construction waste
Non-recyclable or reusable items
Car seats
Mattresses
Drive up, ride up, walk up to drop off. Participating organizations may have limited capacity, so don’t wait until late in the morning,
(WSB file photo from past recycling/shredding event)
We’ve been reminding you about Saturday’s big dropoff recycling/shredding event in West Seattle. Today, organizers just sent word that the list of what they’ll accept has grown. Here’s the update:
Have stuff to recycle that doesn’t go in your cart? Bring it to the West Seattle Recycling & Reuse Collection event! We host this event every year to collect items for recycling and reuse that can’t go in your home recycle carts or dumpsters.
ACCEPTED ITEMS
Foam blocks
Household batteries (no damaged batteries)
Florescent tubes and bulbs (no broken bulbs, limit: 4 ft.)
Small, empty propane camping canisters
Small electronics (TVs, computers, etc.)
Small appliances (non-freon)
Paper for shredding (limit: 4 boxes of paper)
Household textiles – clothing & curtains
NEW: Reusable building materials (doors, windows, cabinets, plumbing, electrical, flooring, lighting, HVAC, hardware)
NEW: Solid wood or plywood furnitureITEMS NOT ACCEPTED:
Commercial loads
Garbage
Yard waste
Household recycling (items that go in your cart/dumpster)
Hazardous waste
Automotive waste
Construction waste
Non-recyclable or reusable items
Car seats
Mattresses
This is happening 9 am-noon in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). All free – drive up, ride up, walk up to drop off. Co-sponsors include the West Seattle Junction Association, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, Seattle Public Utilities, and Waste Management.
That area along the west side of 45th Avenue SW just north of SW Wildwood is proposed for a new Fauntleroy Creek overlook as part of the city’s restarted project to replace two century-old culverts that carry part of the creek underground. Seattle Public Utilities says it’s focusing on just one of those culverts right now, the one traveling under 45th SW. SPU reps will be at 45th/Wildwood 10 am-1 pm Saturday to talk with people about the newest plans, and they’ve just opened a survey. Back in 2019, SPU started a public process, and at the time construction was envisioned to be wrapping up about now, but like many other projects, it was placed on hold. Now, they’re restarting the process for the 45th section, with this overview:
The 45th Ave SW culvert is the immediate focus of this project. SPU prioritizes culvert projects based on the likelihood and consequences of culvert failure. Each culvert is evaluated using various criteria, including impacts on the environment, fish passage, traffic, and community, as well as operations and maintenance. Through this evaluation process, SPU has identified the public roadway culvert at 45th Ave SW as the highest priority for replacement. SPU is committed to proactively replacing this culvert to reduce the risk of failure and mitigate storm-related flooding.
Construction on 46th is tentatively set to start in spring 2026, SPU says. Planning is also continuing for the California SW section, which goes under public and private property near Fauntleroy Church. This Saturday, you can find out more in person:
Join members of the project team for a Design Drop-in on Saturday, March 9 any time from 10 am – 1 pm to learn about the culvert and share your thoughts on the future Fauntleroy Creek overlook space. The project information table will be at the intersection of SW Wildwood Pl and 45th Ave SW, in front of Wildwood Glen.
The survey, meantime, is open until March 22.
By this time next Saturday night, you might have a lot less no-longer-needed stuff. since the annual free recycling/shredding event presented by the West Seattle Junction Association and Chamber of Commerce is next Saturday morning – 9 am until noon March 9, in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). From the official flyer, here’s what will be accepted:
First-come, first-served, so don’t wait until the last moment; some trucks might fill up last. Also note that shreddable paper is limited to four boxes. (See the list of what will NOT be accepted by checking our calendar listing.)
While we’re talking about person-to-person recycling/reusing – here’s an event this weekend, in case you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar: This Sunday (March 3), families are invited to participate in a free West Seattle toy swap! It’s happening (updated time) 2-4 pm Sunday at the Fit4Mom studio (2707 California SW). From the invitation:
Have toys that your little one is no longer loving? Let’s keep them in use!
Please bring 3-5 toys (any toys) geared toward little ones 7 and under:
– No vintage toys, or toys with missing parts or broken pieces
– All toys should be wiped down prior to showing up
– Bring a reusable bag or boxes for your takeaways
Leftovers will be donated. (Image via Freepik)
(Port of Seattle file photo of park near outfall that overflowed)
The King County Wastewater Treatment Division disclosed this afternoon that a pump-station malfunction caused a combined-sewer overflow into the Duwamish River during heavy rain overnight:
King County crews this morning stopped a combined sewer overflow that occurred overnight, caused by an electrical malfunction at a pump station. Employees initiated a cleanup by mid-morning.
The electrical malfunction — (compounded) by the heavy rainfall — caused a mixture of stormwater and wastewater to back up from maintenance holes and into two local businesses and overflow into the Duwamish River. Staff from Seattle Public Utilities discovered the overflow and alerted King County.
Crews from King County Wastewater Treatment Division responded just after 2 a.m. to the West Marginal Pump Station (7119 West Marginal Way SW). Crews determined that electrical equipment had malfunctioned and prevented the system from operating normally, causing sewer backups and the release of combined stormwater and wastewater into the river.
The combined flow was released from an outfall located near t̓ałt̓ałucid Park and Shoreline Habitat — formerly 8th Avenue South End Park [map] — along the south bank of the Duwamish River. County employees are working to determine the amount of combined sewer that flowed in the river. King County is working to repair the pump station equipment and clean up any affected property in the area.
The Wastewater Treatment Division reported the overflow to the Washington State Department of Ecology and is coordinating with Public Health – Seattle and King County to determine the impacts to public health, based on water quality testing results along the river. It is generally recommended that people avoid contact with local water bodies near a combined sewer overflow outfall for 48 hours following a discharge event.
Need motivation for pre-spring cleaning? We are now two weeks from the annual recycling/shredding event presented by the West Seattle Junction Association and Chamber of Commerce – 9 am until noon on Saturday, March 9, in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). From the official flyer, here’s what you can bring:
No charge, but some limits – primarily four boxes of shreddable paper – and there’s a list of what will NOT be accepted in our calendar listing.
From the “in case you wondered too” file – the land-use-action sign out front of the Arco station at Delridge/Orchard is for major work that just got city approval this week. The owners plan to “remove 2 underground storage tanks and install two new tanks (one 22,000-gallon and one 25,000-gallon tank).” Also: “Existing piping system, dispensers, and trash enclosure to be replaced … (project) includes 1,800 cu. yds. of grading (900 cu. yds. of backfill).” Publication of the decision opens an appeal period, with a March 7 deadline; this notice explains how.
We reported multiple times in recent weeks on the King Conservation District Supervisor vote, an almost-countywide election that’s conducted mostly online for an agency that doesn’t get a ton of attention. Voting ended last night and preliminary results are out: Incumbent Brittney Bush Bollay has 4,187 votes, 44 percent; Erik Goheen has 3,676 votes, 39 percent; Aaron Ellig has 1,564 votes, 17 percent. But even compared to the low turnout in our recent local elections, this turnout remains tiny: Those votes add up to three-quarters of a percentage point of the 1.3 million registered voters eligible to participate. This isn’t the final count; voters had the option to print and mail paper ballots, and those will be counted and added as long as they’re received by February 22nd.
P.S. Next election is the statewide presidential primary on March 12.
One last reminder about the election for King Conservation District Supervisor – a position you’ve probably heard little, if anything, about, but which helps decide how millions of public dollars are spent. Voting is all done online and ends at 8 pm tonight. As explained in last month’s election announcement:
KCD is a special-purpose district committed to helping people engage in stewardship and conservation of natural resources, serving over two million people in 34 cities and unincorporated King County (excluding the cities of Enumclaw, Federal Way, Milton, Pacific, and Skykomish that are not member jurisdictions). KCD assists private residents with forestry management, streamside and shoreline enhancement, farm conservation planning, and other environmental efforts. It works with cities and community organizations to support community gardens, urban forest canopy, and local food systems. KCD is funded primarily by a per-parcel rates and charges fee paid by residents of the district.
An all-volunteer, five-member Board of Supervisors is responsible for overseeing KCD operations, budget, and policy. Voters elect three supervisors and the Washington State Conservation Commission appoints two supervisors. Supervisors serve three-year terms.
Three candidates are contending for the one seat on this ballot – Brittney Bush Bollay, Aaron Ellig, and Erik Goheen. Last week we published their responses to eight questions posed via email by the Duwamish Alive! Coalition. Again, you have until 8 tonight to vote.
Just in from Seattle Public Utilities:
Beach closure signs (are) posted near Cormorant Cove.
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) responded to reports of a broken (private) side sewer at 3717 Beach Drive SW on Saturday.
The customer hired a contractor to repair a small leak at one of the units. The customer is working with a contractor to perform the repair during favorable tidal conditions this week.
On the recommendation of Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC), SPU has posted signs notifying the public the beach in that immediate area is currently closed to water activities. SPU is working with PHSKC to determine when the beach can be reopened.
The listed address is that of the over-water Harbor West Condos immediately south of Cormorant Cove Park. We’ve reported on several previous sewage-leak problems there.
(WSB photo)
Forest-restoration work parties are typically in or near the woods. Not this one on Saturday. Volunteers came to a wide-open site on the South Seattle College Georgetown campus – one with a memorable history – to plant the future Georgetown Community Forest.
SSC (a WSB sponsor) is partnering with the non-profit SUGi Urban Forestry Project, the Duwamish Tribe, the Duwamish River Community Coalition, and volunteers from the college and community to transform what was once the Hat ‘n’ Boots gas station (see and read about it here) into the Georgetown Community Forest. The college explains that this is meant “to heal the land and the people living on it” – by improving air quality and soil health, as well as giving people “a calm space where they can immerse themselves in nature.” On Saturday, Ken Workman of the Duwamish Tribe planted the first of more than 1,300 plants installed by about 150 volunteers:
(SSC photo)
Among others who spoke at the ceremony launching the planting event were SSC’s acting president Sayumi Irey and Georgetown campus executive dean Laura Kingston:
(WSB photo)
40 different species of trees, shrubs, and groundcover – all native to this area – comprised the 1,300+ plants, planned with the Miyawaki Method, which focuses on what would grow back in the area if humans left it alone.
(SSC photo)
Other community volunteering events will be held there to help care for the site as it begins its return to foresthood. Read more about the plan here.
One more week remains for voting in a one-race election that again this year is being conducted entirely online, for King Conservation District Supervisor. Three people are running for one position . The Duwamish Alive! Coalition, a community organization that works on activities such as habitat restoration, sent the candidates eight questions, and in partnership with Duwamish Alive! we are publishing their questions and the candidates’ replies. The candidates are Brittney Bush Bollay, Aaron Ellig, and Erik Goheen (each name is linked to their candidate statement on the KCD website, which is the source of the photos below).
What follows are the eight questions, each one followed by the candidates’ answers in rotating order (as we would do in a “live” candidate forum), unedited, and then a reminder of how to vote:
1. Why do you want to be a KCD board member?
BUSH BOLLAY: I was elected to King Conservation District in 2021, and my love for the organization and the work have only grown over the past three years. I’m excited to serve another term on the Board, helping to support and grow the District. Environmental action and local government both impact every person, every day, and that’s why they’re my twin passions.
ELLIG: My purpose for running for this seat is not politically motivated and I have no financial incentives to gain from any of the programs offered. I enjoy the programs the King Conservation District offers and regularly volunteer at restoration events they offer. I fully believe in improving and advancing existing programs that align with KCD core values of supporting local food, clean water, healthy forests, better soil, and accessible open spaces. My combination of education and practical experience planning and implementing a wide range of environmental restoration projects makes me an ideal candidate to supplement the existing board. I am uniquely qualified to provide science-based solutions for complex issues around conservation of natural resources, sustainable food production, and long-term planning.
GOHEEN: At the request of the farming community. Dairyman Bill Knutsen is retiring and we need farmers on the board. To help build a local, institutional food supply where local food is served in our schools and cafeterias. To help prevent a big fire in King County. Smoke season isn’t normal. We can do better to restore the salmon run here with infrastructure jobs, I’d like to see more of that work getting done. I want to empower local champions of the environment to succeed at their goals and I can make a leadership improvement with regards to the board.
2. What are your qualifications for this position?
ELLIG: I have a master’s degree in environmental science and am a certified professional wetland scientist (PWS) that specializes in ecological restoration of riparian and aquatic habitats. For the past 10 years, I have worked as a private consultant and public sector biologist as a subject matter expert for wetland and stream restoration. I have been involved in projects big and small and understand the actual effort and costs associated with getting things off the ground. We need a candidate that understands the process of starting with a conceptual idea, permitting, design, and project development. I have proven experience working effectively with local cities and counties as a third-party consultant to ensure projects are code compliant and conducted in environmentally responsible ways. My current position with Sound Transit focuses on environmental mitigation that aims to maximize environmental benefits for communities we operate in.
GOHEEN: B.A. Political Science, Western Washington University. Farm owner/operator the last 7 years. I am a user of KCD services: plant sale customer, conservation planned, conference presenting, riparian planting, pea-patch volunteering, habitat building participant in the programs. Former site and stormwater researcher with Building Code Innovations database. Trained Firefighter Type 2 (wildland) and Eagle Scout, former IAMAW machinist in Alaska salmon industry. My background spans a wide breadth of KCD’s suite of services, programs and policy areas.
BUSH BOLLAY: In addition to my three years of on-the-job experience, including serving as Board Vice Chair and Auditor this year, I have nearly a decade of local and state environmental work to my name. I understand not only the science of conservation and climate change, but the political and economic forces that influence our environmental work in King County. I’ve also spent these years carefully listening to and developing relationships with community members, elected officials, and other conservation partners, which strengthens my work on the Board.
3. What are your priorities if you are elected?
GOHEEN: Vote NO, big westside fire. There are simple and holistic remedies to prevent fires, good science. Smoke season isn’t normal. King County should lead on this work.
Support a local food system. Farms have been swept aside by the KCD at the exact wrong moment. A workforce of young and aspiring farmers, but grants designed to support them aren’t moving the needle.
Clean Water Now. I like the Duwamish River’s wet weather treatment station and there are jobs to be had boosting salmon success in this field. The Duwamish river and the ship canal should be viable habitat, too.
BUSH BOLLAY: My top priorities are:
-Fixing our election process to make it easier for people to vote and to run
-Removing barriers that make it harder for small organizations, new organizations, and people not fluent in English to use our programs
-Finding new partnerships and funding opportunities and cutting red tape so we can do more conservation work, faster
-Protecting farmland by fighting climate change and our farms’ number one enemy, urban sprawl
ELLIG: As a certified professional wetland scientist (PWS), my priorities are supporting and advancing programs that focus on riparian restorations, wetland enhancement, and stream buffer enhancement across the county. The benefits gained from the relatively small investment are huge. This will involve partnering with local agencies, local community organizations, and private land owners through voluntary or subsidized conservation and restoration. Some projects will come to the board through grant applications, but others require outreach and partnership.
4. What would you like to accomplish?
BUSH BOLLAY: In my successful second term I’ll bring more cities into the Conservation District, so we can help more people in a wider area. I’ll bring our farmers and local food vendors a fairer, more effective grant process and greater economic growth. I’ll double and triple down on outreach so more King County residents will be familiar with the Conservation District and our work and will participate in our elections by either running or voting. Finally, I’ll address the number one concern of my constituents and bring our elections to the modern era — first by moving our three elected positions to districts, then to a paper ballot like every other election in Washington State.
ELLIG: The King Conservation District has many wonderful programs and services designed to benefit people and the environment, but many of these are underutilized. Raising awareness of KCD programs by providing public education and technical assistance will be a primary goal of mine. The election should also be more recognized by being on the standard election ballot held in November. This has been an ongoing objective many KCD board members have tried to initiate, and I intend to fully support that effort to receive legislative approval.
GOHEEN: Empower emerging leaders. Building trust with the non-regulatory, voluntary services offered for more meaningful projects. Speeding up Seattle’s clean water plan and infrastructure. Lots of jobs to be had in Clean Water Now. Seeing the local farmers scale up to send fresh food home with 10,000+ food-insecure kids in Seattle Public Schools every week. There are many aspiring farmers, and land to be worked sustainably.
The date is set for one of West Seattle’s most popular spring (in this case, almost-spring) events – the recycling/shredding event presented by the West Seattle Junction Association and Chamber of Commerce. We’ve just received information about this year’s event, set for 9 am-noon Saturday, March 9, in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). From the official flyer, here’s what they’ll be accepting:
This is a drive-up/ride-up/walk-up, free-of-charge event, with other partners including Seattle Public Utilities and Waste Management. For a more detailed list of what will and won’t be accepted, and a few limits (such as 4 boxes of shreddable paper), see our calendar listing.
Three days ago, we noted the city’s campaign to ensure you know you can’t throw away batteries or electronics. Discussion of other options ensued. And now we have word of another option – from West Seattle resident Kevin Freitas:
Hello, neighbors! I have a passion project at HandheldMuseum.org where I photograph, catalog, make videos, restore, and gather people’s memories of handheld electronic or computing devices — and I accept donations! Tablets, unused phones, kindles, MP3 players, video games, digital cameras, old calculators, etc — I’ll either give it a home in my collection, donate to schools or charity, or get them to the proper local recycling spot.
Clean out those drawers or old boxes, then email handheld.computer.museum@gmail.com or text 253-229-5093 anytime to arrange drop-off or pick-up.
Seattle Public Utilities is working to get the word out about two things that aren’t supposed to go in the garbage any more: Batteries and electronics. It’s a new city rule as of the start of this year. SPU explains both categories need “special handling”; batteries in particular have become a major fire risk at transfer stations. In short:
What doesn’t go in the garbage?
-Cathode ray tubes
-Electronic products covered by the Washington Electronics Recycling Law. These include:
*TVs
*Monitors
*Computers and Laptops
*Tablets (like iPad and Amazon Fire)
*E-Readers (like Kindle and NOOK)
*Portable DVD Players-Batteries, as defined under the state’s Dangerous Waste Regulations. Examples of batteries include but are not limited to:
*Miniature button cell batteries
*Alkaline, silver oxide, zinc air, and other single-use batteries
*Lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, and other rechargeable batteries
So if you can’t put any of this in your trash or recycling, what can you do with it? The city offers “special item pickups” at an extra charge. For free dropoff – batteries can be taken to the nearby South Transfer Station; this lookup also shows dropoffs at Junction True Value and The Home Depot. For electronics, free dropoff events are coming up in West Seattle this spring (more details when they get closer). There are private services such as Ridwell, too.
King County’s lowest-profile – but not lowest-impact – election is happening now. You might already have seen the postcard inviting you to vote for a King Conservation District Supervisor position, which you can do online. Here’s the KCD announcement of what it’s about:
King Conservation District (KCD) is holding its annual Board of Supervisors Election. The election will use online ballot access for the 5th year. This is a mostly county-wide election that does not appear on the standard special elections ballot. The KCD Board of Supervisors oversees a roughly $8 million dollar budget paid by residents of King County through rates and charges.
KCD is a special-purpose district committed to helping people engage in stewardship and conservation of natural resources, serving over two million people in 34 cities and unincorporated King County (excluding the cities of Enumclaw, Federal Way, Milton, Pacific, and Skykomish that are not member jurisdictions). KCD assists private residents with forestry management, streamside and shoreline enhancement, farm conservation planning, and other environmental efforts. It works with cities and community organizations to support community gardens, urban forest canopy, and local food systems. KCD is funded primarily by a per-parcel rates and charges fee paid by residents of the district.
An all-volunteer, five-member Board of Supervisors is responsible for overseeing KCD operations, budget, and policy. Voters elect three supervisors and the Washington State Conservation Commission appoints two supervisors. Supervisors serve three-year terms.
Voting started Tuesday and continues through 8 pm February 13, with online ballot acccess at kingcd.org/elections for all King County registered voters (except residents within the city limits of the five cities mentioned above that are not member jurisdictions of the district).
The 2024 election has three candidates running for the position. Brittney Bush Bollay, Aaron Ellig, and Erik Goheen are competing for one seat. Candidate statements can be found at kingcd.org/elections.
For the fifth year, the King Conservation District election will primarily rely on electronic ballot access. Voters may return ballots electronically through the online ballot access system or reach out to KCD for assistance. Democracy Live operates the online ballot access portal and King County Elections will tabulate all ballots and report all results. To increase awareness of the election, for the fourth year, KCD has mailed out roughly 750,000 postcards to registered voter households in the district with information on how to vote in the board election.
For more information and to cast your ballot, visit kingcd.org
(WSB photos and video)
With another “atmospheric river” on the way, the King County Wastewater Treatment Division‘s Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station is gearing up for another potentially busy run of intercepting contaminated runoff/overflow water before it gets to the Duwamish River. This is the year-old facility you may have driven or rode past many times, near the north end of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, on the northwest corner of 4th and Michigan. Today the county gave media crews a behind-the-scenes tour.
Operating the quarter-billion-dollar facility – built over more than four years – is not labor-intensive – just one person is needed at all times to run it, and if there’s a major storm event sending millions of gallons of water through it, that rises to a grand total of three. It can handle up to 70 million gallons of combined-sewer overflow per day. (So far its peak usage has been 26 million gallons a day during an early December storm.)
Unlike the county’s Murray Wet Weather Facility by Lowman Beach, and the West Duwamish Wet Weather Storage Facility that’ll be built on our side of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, the Georgetown facility is a treatment plant – taking solids out of the water via a “high-speed settling tank” using materials like the sand in these bags to quickly pull the solids out of the water:
The solids eventually wind up in agricultural use. The filtered water gets disinfected with ultraviolet light:
After all that, the treated water gets sent into the Duwamish River, via an outfall under the nearby bridge.
King County Executive Dow Constantine gave the overview of the plant, noting it’s won awards and is intended for climate resiliency, including the fact it was built to handle up to two feet of sea-level rise:
(added) Rebecca Singer, who oversees facilities including this one, said this rainy season is the real test for the treatment station:
The facility also has interpretive features and gets visits from students.
The county has been working on combined-sewer-overflow reduction for more than a decade under orders from the federal government to reduce the overflows into local waterways. The consent decree related to this gave a deadline of 2030 to meet the goals; we asked Wastewater Treatment Division spokesperson Alison Hawkes how much progress the county has made: “We built the Georgetown Wet Weather Treatment Station as one of our commitments in the consent decree. We have controlled a number of outfalls already, and are working to meet requirements on others. Some of the details on this future work, such as the timeline, are in negotiations with EPA and [state] Ecology as part of our request for modification of the consent decree – that information will be released to the public once negotiations are finalized.”
In case you forgot, if you have solid waste pickup service via Seattle Public Utilities, the schedule is on one-day delay this week and next week, since there are no pickups on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. And starting today, pickup crews will take your Christmas trees and/or holiday greens – here’s the SPU how-to:
Customers can compost trees and holiday greens for free from December 26 – January 31. Customers should remove all decorations, cut the tree into sections – 4-foot or less – and place tree sections or bundled greens next to their food & yard waste cart on their regular collection day. Apartment residents may place up to two trees next to each food & yard waste cart at no charge (SPU recommends customers reach out to their property manager about their collection day and when to set out their tree). Customers can also drop off up to 3 trees less than 8 feet in length at a Transfer Station.
For more details and to find out what to do with your holiday items once you’re done with them, check out SPU’s lookup tool at seattle.gov/utilities/WhereDoesItGo.
(Project rendering)
Another public-art project is in the works for West Seattle, and a survey has just opened to seek your feedback in shaping it. From the King County Wastewater Treatment District‘s announcement:
King County will build a 1.25-million-gallon underground storage tank on the west side of the First Avenue Bridge to reduce sewage and stormwater overflows into the Duwamish River during large storms. Water stored in the West Duwamish Wet Weather Facility will flow to the West Point Treatment Plant for cleaning before it is safely released into the Puget Sound. To learn more about the project, visit the project website.
Fencing Panel Art
Help shape the facility’s public appearance by sharing your perspectives about the Duwamish River valley! Fencing designed by Seattle artist Ann Marie Schneider will ring the new facility. Input from the community will be incorporated into the fence-panels art. We would love to learn how you see this dynamic river valley landscape can be integrated into the facility fencing appearance to reflect our commitment to stewardship in concert with the resiliency of our river.
The project had a separate community survey last year; results were part of a briefing at HPAC‘s meeting last April. To answer the new survey, which is open until January 24, go here. The facility is expected to start construction in 2025.
Earlier this month, stormy weather canceled most Green Seattle Day volunteering events. But rescheduling has promised, and it’s already begun. First, here’s forest steward Lisa McGinty‘s report from Lincoln Park‘s event last Saturday:
Saturday was a perfect day for planting! I’m still smiling from our Green Seattle Day event at Lincoln Park. After eight months of hard restoration work, 400 native trees, shrubs and groundcovers were given their forever homes.
Big shout-out to local band The Potholes for providing acoustic music for our volunteers while we planted and to the WSHS Earth Club leaders for helping manage the many details that go into an event like this. Truly grateful to our community for showing up and sharing their time, stories, and smiles.
Lisa also shared this link for upcoming volunteer opportunities around the area. One of them is at Westcrest Park with Dirt Corps on Saturday, 10 am-1 pm – here’s their announcement:
THIS SATURDAY all are welcome to join in on filling the forest of Westcrest Park in our rescheduled Green Seattle Partnership-sponsored planting event!
Earlier this month we were unable to host this planting event, but this Saturday is our rescheduled opportunity for all to plant-up the park with us!
Thanks to all of the volunteers that’ve come out this year and helped prepare the space for planting, and now’s the opportunity to enjoy the victory lap! WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US!!
Go here to sign up.
(Recent video of salmon spawners in Longfellow Creek by Betsy Bertiaux)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“Don’t be depressed, be optimistic.”
That was the advice of one panelist during a West Seattle discussion of Longfellow Creek – its status, its future, its challenges. He was only speaking about one of the latter, but his advice was an appropriate exhortation for all in attendance.
The attendance itself was cause for optimism – all the chairs set out in the Duwamish Longhouse‘s main hall, and some of the benches around the room, were filled with people there “to learn about and celebrate Longfellow Creek,” as Elizabeth Rudrud of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society said in her introduction. Its Log House Museum has been hosting an exhibit about the creek, and one of the reasons for the November 8 gathering was to springboard off that.
Sharon Leishman of the Duwamish Alive Coalition also said she was heartened “to see this many people interested in our wonderful creek,” one of only two salmon-bearing tributaries in the Duwamish River watershed.
Photojournalist Tom Reese began his presentation with an update on those salmon – that day, he said, Longfellow Creek had seen “at least 17 live adult coho spawners,” and he had also noted three dead ones, as well as “about 40 baby salmon living in the creek almost a year now.” He declared, with wonder, “There are salmon spawning in the city of Seattle less than four miles from the Space Needle!” But most of the salmon who make it into the creeik die before thy can spawn because they’ve been poisoned (more on that later).
Still, it’s better than the years in which Longfellow – which Reese imagined had once been a “magnificent salmon stream” – was a “ditch, an open sewer,’ barren of salmon for perhaps half a century. Now the creek is “back from the dead” and the salmon are arriving each year, even though, as Reese described, “to get to Longfellow Creek they have to choose to go into a pipe that travels 2/3 of a mile underground” before daylighting.
He held the audience in rapt attention as he showed photos and video of the salmon, other wildlife, and the human-made features along Longfellow Creek, like the fishbone bridge. If you haven’t been to the Log House Museum to see his images in the Longfellow exhibit, don’t miss it.
The human influence on the creek was at the heart of the next speaker’s presentation. Seattle Public Utilities‘ Katherine Lynch spoke of impervious surface covering more than half the Longfellow watershed – and that has resulted in overflows like this.
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