The Urban Waters Federal Partnership reconnects urban communities, particularly those that are overburdened or economically distressed, with their waterways by improving coordination among federal agencies. The Partnership also collaborates with community-led revitalization efforts to improve our Nation's water systems and promote their economic, environmental and social benefits. There are twenty designated watersheds nationally.
Starting in 2019 Street Sounds Ecology is serving as the home for the Urban Waters Federal Partnership work in the Green-Duwamish Watershed. Find out more here: https://www.epa.gov/urbanwaterspartners/urban-waters-and-green-duwamish-watershed-washington
The Green-Duwamish Watershed is located in King County, WA. The headwaters of the Green River begin in the Cascade Mountains, flows through National Forest land and makes up the municipal water source for the City of Tacoma. In just 94 river-miles the River crosses farms and forests, suburban and urban communities, before emptying into Puget Sound at the industrial core in downtown Seattle. The watershed is located on lands home to Muckleshoot, Suquamish and Duwamish Tribal peoples.
Core Federal Partners in the Green-Duwamish: USDA Forest Service, PNW Research Station, and Region 6 State and Private Forestry; EPA Region 10 Office of Water; and the Puget Sound Partnership
Guiding principles
The Urban Waters mission is broad and inclusive. In the Green-Duwamish we have utilized the following criteria to focus and guide our work:
Community Goals: Community priority projects; efforts originate not from government offices, but by people and communities impacted by the outcomes.
Center Learning: Projects should ensure capacity building, tool development, and/or educational curriculum in all elements.
Applied Outcomes: Results have co-benefits; direct community use, advance broader understanding, and have end-users in watershed management.
Network Participation: Efforts do not stand alone, instead they align and reinforce objectives of multiple associated networks.
Core local partners
American Rivers
Duwamish Alive Coalition
DIRT Corps
Duwamish River Community Coalition
Duwamish Valley Youth Corps
Green River Coalition
Just Health Action
King County, Department of Natural Resources and Parks
City of Seattle, Department of Parks and Recreation
City of Seattle, Office of Sustainability and Environment
Seattle University
University of Washington
Water Resource Inventory Area 9
Projects supported and funded include
Funding
Contact us about collaborating and other funding opportunities: weston@streetsoundsecology.com.
New for 2023 - We have community support funding for events, stipends, and materials available!
In 2020, our Partnership awarded an additional $40,000 to local non-profits and community organizations.
Additionally, the Urban Waters Federal Partnership offers a few national, annual grant programs:
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Past awards in the watershed:
Springbrook Creek: Training the Next Generation of Water Quality Advocates (2019)
Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program (with NFWF)
Past awards in the watershed:
Duwamish Shoreline Restoration Challenge (2012)
Green-Duwamish River Cooperative Riparian Improvement (2017)
Amphibian Monitoring Community Science: Woodland Park Zoo (2022)
Urban Waters Federal Partnership Cooperative Matching Funds (with USGS)
Past awards in the watershed:
Understanding Groundwater Processes that Relate to Contaminant Transport in the Tidal Lower Duwamish Waterway (2020)
Document Library
Green-Duwamish annual reports:
2019
2020
2021
2022
This project has been funded wholly or in part by the United States Environmental Protection Agency under Assistance Agreement [CE-01J97401-0]. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Environmental Protection Agency, nor does mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use.
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