City of Bainbridge Island Public Hearing on Stormwater Management

City plans to hold Public Hearing for adoption of the 2019 Stormwater Management Manual of Western Washington on June 14th, 2022

The City of Bainbridge Island is preparing to adopt the Washington State Department of Ecology 2019 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW) to continue to support the City’s Comprehensive Plan policies and goals, uphold the Clean Water Act and meet State and Federal requirements for controlling runoff from new development, redevelopment, and construction sites to reduce pollutants in stormwater runoff. Bainbridge Island Municipal Code 15.20, Surface Water and Stormwater Management currently adopts the 2012 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington, As Amended in December 2014. In 2016 the City conducted a thorough review and update of BIMC 15.20 to adopt the 2012/2014 SWMMWW with the intention of making future stormwater manual adoptions more streamlined. The anticipated effective date to adopt the 2019 SWMMWW in BIMC 15.20 is July 1, 2022.

The 2019 SWMMWW builds on the guidance of the previous manual regarding Low Impact Development (LID) as a preferred approach to stormwater mitigation and adds more Source Control Best Management Practices (BMPs) for preventing sources of pollutants in runoff. Additionally, the 2019 SWMMWW incorporates text revisions and consolidates sections to avoid confusion or conflicting information. Most jurisdictions in Western Washington are adopting this manual so there is consistency throughout the region.

Click this link to see City Council agendas if you want more information on the June 14th Public Hearing and to view the proposed draft Ordinance 2022-11 revising BIMC 15.20 Surface Water and Stormwater Management being proposed to City Council on the following dates:
o    May 24, 2022 – Request to set a public hearing date of June 14 including copy of draft ordinance
o    June 14, 2022 – Public Hearing