Improving ditches & maintenance
Roadside ditches are prevalent, and required maintenance is expensive, which leads to delays and potential build-up of water quality contaminants. This project will evaluate maintenance and retrofit techniques such as reshaping and planting plans to reduce long-term costs and optimally improve stormwater quality. In this project, the Washington State University — Puyallup (WSU-P) will test retrofitted ditch shapes and plant palettes for improved pollutant removal, conveyance of higher storm flows, and lower long-term maintenance effort.
Study questions
- Can alternative plant palettes mitigate pollutant loads and peak flows in roadside ditches?
Study findings
This study is ongoing until April 2024.
Project tasks and deliverables
Task 1: Project management
- 1.1: Semi-annual Project Report
- 1.2 & 1.3 combined Semi-annual Project Report
- 1.4: Semi-annual Project Report
- 1.5: Semi-annual Project Report
Task 2: Quality Assurance Project Plan (QAPP)
- 2.1 Draft QAPP
- 2.2 Final QAPP
Task 3: Site instrumentation of 3 ditches
Task 4.0: Evaluating alternative planting palettes
- 4.1: Draft report including total effort associated with the successes and failures of the vegetation plantings.
- 4.2: Final Report
Task 5.0: Quantifying effects ditch maintenance and retrofit on water quality and quantity
- This task was removed by Amendment 1 due to lack of suitable study locations
Task 6.0: Communication of findings
- Stormwater Work Group presentation and a regional stormwater related conference or workshop
- Draft SAM fact sheet
Contact information
Brandi Lubliner
Stormwater Action Monitoring Coordinator
brandi.lubliner@ecy.wa.gov
360-628-4989