Ecology is awarding a total of $216 million in grants and loans that could support more than 2,300 jobs and improve water quality for communities across the state. Specifically, for the northwest region, we're offering $160 million for 26 high-priority clean water projects.

Supporting communities

Our Water Quality Combined Funding Program supports local communities by helping those receiving the funds to:

• Upgrade wastewater treatment systems and sewer systems.
• Manage polluted stormwater.
• Prevent and clean up harder to identify sources of pollution, nonpoint pollution. Nonpoint pollution comes from activities that are usually widespread across an area without a single pollution source.

For more information about the statewide awards please see our press release.

Projects in the northwest region

Here are a few projects highlighting our areas of work. For the full ist of projects, visit our grants webpage or view our interactive map.

Wastewater

We're offering $142 million for eight wastewater projects. Three of the projects qualified for hardship financial assistance due to their potential impact on residential sewer bills. Hardship financial assistance can be awarded to small and financially challenged communities to ensure wastewater projects can move forward without unduly raising residential sewer bill rates. These hardship projects may receive a combination of grants, forgivable loans that do not have to be repaid, and low interest rate loan.

King County and Seattle Public Utilities

We're offering King County and Seattle Public Utilities a combined total of $132 million in low interest loans to help construct a storage tunnel between the Ballard and Wallingford neighborhoods in Seattle that will significantly reduce combined sewer overflows (CSOs) into the Ship Canal. The project will control overflows at seven outfalls and is required by both agencies’ consent decrees with Ecology and the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

$15 million in grants to nine stormwater projects

Town of Marysville

We're offering the Town of Marysville in Snohomish County a $2.3 million grant to improve water quality in Ebey Slough (a tributary to the Snohomish River estuary) to install what is called “green infrastructure.” This will mimic the natural environment at both 2nd Street and Cedar Avenue to help reduce fine particles, oils, copper, zinc, and phosphorus from reaching waterways, as well as reducing flows.

$2 million in grants to nine nonpoint projects

City of Bellingham

We're offering the City of Bellingham $500,000 grant to implement the first phase of a watershed restoration project. This phase includes floodplain widening, riparian buffer enhancement, wetland restoration, large woody debris additions, and the creation of backwaters, side channels, pools, and riffles. The project’s purpose is to improve the water quality and aquatic function of Padden Creek, a lowland urban stream. 

Visit the project's website for more information.