Stormwater Technical Resources

Stormwater requirements within the city of Everett are established in Everett Municipal Code (EMC) 14.28, which establishes requirements for stormwater elements of new and redevelopment. EMC 14.28 states that development projects shall comply with the requirements of the City's Stormwater Management Manual, which is defined as "the most current Washington State Department of Ecology Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington, along with any technical and administrative procedures established by the city engineer…."

The most current version of the Washington State Department of Ecology Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington (SWMMWW) is the 2012 Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington, as Amended in December 2014.

Additional stormwater requirements established by the City Engineer are generally found in Chapter 4 of the Design and Development Standards and Specifications (DCSS). Development projects must meet the requirements of both the Stormwater Management Manual and the DCSS.

Ecology released a new version of the SMWWWW on July 1, 2019. More information on the revised manual can be found at  Ecology's Stormwater Manuals website.

On July 31, 2019, City Council adopted an ordinance to add the following sentences to the Everett Municipal Code 14.28.020(37): “When the Washington State Department of Ecology issues a new or revised Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington, the new or revised manual will for the purposes of this chapter take effect 90 days after such issuance, unless the city engineer establishes a different effective date.” The City Engineer has established January 1, 2020, as the effective date for the July 2019 version of the Ecology Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington.

  1. Combined Sewer Area
  2. Stormwater Mapping
  3. Other Stormwater Regulations

Portions of the city drain to a combined collection system that receives both sanitary sewage and stormwater. Projects that drain to this system are subject to different requirements than the rest of the city since runoff from the projects isn't routed directly to surface waters.

A general idea of the boundaries of the combined sewer system can be found in the City's Drainage Basins & Watersheds Map. Projects should verify whether they discharge to the combined system by consulting the City's utility mapping office (425-257-8800) or contacting development services (425-257-8810).

The requirements for development within the combined sewer area are established in Public Works Director Interim Policy No. 211.

The interim policy references a previous version of the City's Stormwater Management Manual, the 2010 Stormwater Management Manual.

2010 Everett Stormwater Management Manual