Operating and Maintaining Olympia’s Stormwater System

Olympia’s publicly owned stormwater system is vast. It includes storm drains, pipes, ditches, vaults, ponds and more. As our stormwater infrastructure ages, it’s crucial to continually inspect and maintain our system. This ensures that it functions properly and helps us plan and budget for infrastructure replacement and upgrades.

What we’re doing:

1. Operate an enhanced street sweeping program with the use of two regenerative air sweepers. This removes dirt, trash, leaves and tire particles from roads before washing into storm drains.
2. Clean and maintain pre-treatment facilities to remove solids collected before draining to water bodies.
3. Conduct televised pipe inspections and perform identified repairs.
4. Enhance community safety by reducing flood risk. A list of flooding “hot spots” informs our crews where extra maintenance is needed during heavy rain events.
5. Spot checks of stormwater facilities during and after major storm events to ensure proper water quality treatment and flow control.
6. Storm drain inspection and cleaning program.
7. In 2026, expansion of ditch inspection and maintenance program.