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Annual Report Highlights Compliance Measures to Manage Stormwater and Protect Water Quality

You may know that Snohomish County operates under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) municipal stormwater permit, which is required to comply with the federal Clean Water Act. 

Want to know more about how the County met compliance measures in 2022? Check out the 2022 Annual Report Summary on our NPDES webpage. You can also review the 2023 Stormwater Management Program Plan there and submit feedback by emailing us at Contact-NPDES.

The 2022 NPDES Annual Report outlines actions the County took in 2022 to minimize or prevent stormwater pollution and protect water quality.

County Reduces Cost of Flood Insurance for Residents

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary program that rewards communities for exceeding minimum NFIP requirements. Counties that join the program can secure discounts on federal flood insurance for all policyholders within their jurisdictions.

Under the CRS program, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assigns communities a rating, or class, based on their implementation of 19 floodplain management activities. Class 9 is the lowest CRS rating; Class 1 is the highest.

Recently, Snohomish County improved from Class 6 to Class 5 following a FEMA evaluation. This means that owners of NFIP-insured properties within the unincorporated county will see their premium discount rise to 25%, saving each an average of $236 annually. Learn more about the CRS program here.

The CRS program uses flood insurance discounts to reward communities for adopting good floodplain management practices.

Explore SWM’s Monitoring Efforts with New State of Our Waters StoryMap and Health Report Cards

The new State of Our Waters StoryMap provides a comprehensive overview of SWM’s flagship State of Our Waters environmental monitoring program. Text, imagery, and interactive maps take viewers on an immersive journey—from the program’s background to our monitoring efforts in streams, lakes, estuaries, and Puget Sound. You can follow links in the text to further explore data, projects, and opportunities for involvement.

The StoryMap also provides access to over 150 stream and lake health report cards, including those for 38 streams and 34 lakes where data was collected in 2022.

The State of Our Waters StoryMap provides an immersive and informative digital experience—with images, maps, and links to our latest stream and lake health data.

Catch More Crab by Preventing Crab Pot Loss

It’s opening weekend for recreational crabbing in Puget Sound! Each year an estimated 12,000 crab pots are lost in Puget Sound, resulting in the capture of an estimated 180,000 Dungeness crab a year with no one to harvest them. The Snohomish County Marine Resources Committee (MRC) and the Northwest Straits Foundation continue to partner to educate crabbers about the problem. NW Straits Foundation has many great tips, instructional videos and other resources to prevent lost crab pots.

MRC members will be at the 10th Street Boat Launch in Everett on the mornings of July 1, 2, 8 and 9, from 6am to 10am, providing educational materials including free rot cord and gauges for measuring your catch. The goal is more crab for you, less lost pots for Puget Sound!

Snohomish County MRC wants to help you prevent crab pot loss.

Reminder: Practice Good Firework Housekeeping for Water Quality

Help us keep our rivers, lakes, and streams healthy by practicing good firework housekeeping. Fireworks have heavy metals, perchlorate and other pollutants that can harm people and the environment. The chemicals in fireworks can pollute our rivers, lakes, and streams when fireworks are detonated over waterbodies and when firework waste is not disposed of properly. See our list of good housekeeping tips for this Fourth of July holiday.

Snohomish County Fire Marshall has a bulletin on where it is legal and illegal to discharge fireworks and tips to keep safe. If you have questions or would like to report a water pollution concern, please call the Water Quality Complaint Hotline at 425-388-6481 or use the on-line water pollution reporting system.

Help prevent water pollution from fireworks this Fourth of July holiday.

Upcoming Public Events and Workshops

Attend an upcoming workshop and learn more about natural lawn care.