This year’s theme for the California Stormwater Quality Association (CASQA) 15th Annual Conference was “Stormwater… Why We Do What We Do,” emphasizing the message that we are stewards of water, making a direct impact on the health of our waterways and the environment every day in our work. The Kennedy Jenks Stormwater Team was represented by Ross Dunning (Federal Way, WA), Katie McCoy (Rancho Cordova, CA), Rachel Morgan (San Diego, CA), and Laura Weiden (Federal Way, WA).
The team enjoyed three days of reflection on “why we do what we do” in Monterey, CA, including sponsoring the Monday evening networking event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Tuesday morning refreshment break, and presenting in two sessions:
- Katie McCoy – Technical Training Session, Industrial Track: Selecting and Implementing BMPs
- Laura Weiden – Port of Port Angeles – Marine Terminal Stormwater Biofiltration Treatment System (2019 CASQA Award Winner! – Outstanding Industrial Stormwater BMP Implementation Project)
Kennedy Jenks was honored to accept another CASQA award for an Outstanding Industrial Stormwater BMP Implementation Project. This year, we accepted the award on behalf of the Port of Port Angeles (Port). The Port is situated on the Port Angeles Harbor on Washington State’s Olympic Peninsula and is a distribution hub for Pacific Northwest forest products across the globe. The Port operates and manages four deep-water marine terminals supporting the local economy’s numerous wood products and freight transportation enterprises. Washington’s waters are home to the endangered Southern Resident Orca Whale and threatened salmon species, and Pacific Northwest marine facilities are subject to the most stringent stormwater quality limits in the nation. To address these concerns, the Port developed a strategy identifying an effective low-impact, vegetated, biofiltration treatment approach that was flexible enough to evolve with changing site uses and future regulations. Applying a judicious feasibility evaluation, bench-scale testing, and pilot-scale testing, the Port designed and constructed an innovative three-stage natural treatment system that has dramatically decreased pollutant loads entering the Port Angeles Harbor. When the recently-adopted amendment to the Industrial General Permit becomes effective on 1 July 2020, many industrial facilities in California will join facilities like the Port in their struggle to meet extremely stringent water quality limits.
Kennedy Jenks staff were also excited to hear more examples of projects that view stormwater as a resource, including One Water approaches and groundwater recharge, and were encouraged to hear an overall positive view on partnerships between local agencies. At the CASQA Conference in Riverside, CA last year, Kennedy Jenks presented on two projects that hit many of these notes and we continue our enthusiasm in supporting our clients to meet their creative goals.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s conference in San Diego, CA and hope to see you there!
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