CityStream features RainWise program in Ballard

The nearly century-old sewer system in parts of Ballard allows both raw sewage and stormwater to flow in the same pipes, a combined sewer system. During major storms, the water and sewage overflow into waterways. We’ve written several times about the combined sewer overflows (CSO) and the steps the city is taking to keep as much stormwater out of the sewer system as possible.

Segment on RainWise program and the CSO issue can be found at 8:38

This week’s edition of CityStream on the Seattle Channel focuses a segment on the CSO issue and how Ballardites are taking advantage of the RainWise incentive program to install raingardens in yards. In the segment they talk with Ballardite Eleanor Trainor about the four raingardens she installed in her yard. When big storms hit and the sewers overflow, “it imperils the sound, it imperils our home because the system can’t handle what we’re throwing at it,” Trainor says.