Wenatchee joins regional stormwater study

WENATCHEE — Local governments across the Wenatchee Valley are joining forces on a study aimed at answering a basic question about construction runoff: does contractor education actually reduce stormwater pollution?

The Wenatchee City Council on March 12 approved an agreement allowing the city to participate in a regional study evaluating whether educational outreach to contractors leads to better compliance with erosion-control and stormwater regulations at construction sites.

Stormwater Coordinator Kelsey Grover told councilmembers the project will be conducted jointly with Chelan County, Douglas County and the city of East Wenatchee.

The study will examine whether training and outreach programs required under municipal stormwater permits are effectively changing contractor behavior and reducing pollution entering local waterways during construction.

Cities across Washington operate stormwater programs under permits issued by the Washington Department of Ecology. Those permits require jurisdictions to inspect construction sites and enforce erosion-control standards, while also providing education and outreach to contractors working within city limits.

Earlier this year, Wenatchee also accepted a $120,000 Department of Ecology Stormwater Capacity Grant for the 2025–2027 biennium to support inspections, education and other work required under the city’s municipal stormwater permit.

Grover said the regional study will focus on evaluating how effective those educational efforts are.

Participating jurisdictions will share the cost of the study, which is expected to total about $20,000.

Grover said Wenatchee chose to participate in the regional project rather than join a statewide effectiveness study because local governments in North Central Washington face different environmental conditions than many communities on the west side of the state, and statewide studies of this nature tend to focus on more highly-populated areas like those west of the Cascades.

The regional study is intended to provide data that could help cities refine how they conduct contractor outreach and stormwater compliance programs in the future.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media