Tag Archives: environment

‘Unhealthy for sensitive groups’: First push of Seattle’s 2026 smoke season should only last a few days — UPDATE

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See latest updates at airnow.gov

A hopefully short bout of heavily hazy skies will mark the start of this summer’s smoke season in Seattle this week with forecasts for unhealthy air quality Monday and Tuesday.

Several large, uncontained wildfires in remote central British Columbia and ongoing active fires in North-Central Washington and along the Cascades are contributing to the smoke now stacking up here as northerly weather patterns take hold.

The National Weather Service says increasing low level onshore flow at the end of the week will bring cooler temperatures and less smoke.

Our cousins on the east side of the state are having a much rougher go. A series of fast-moving wildfires have swept through the Spokane area, driving what officials describe as the worst natural disaster in the region’s history. Fueled by high temperatures and strong wind gusts, the blazes have reportedly already destroyed more than 600 homes and businesses, and forced approximately 60,000 residents to evacuate.

2025 brought a relatively moderate smoke season to Seattle that didn’t arrive until late September. Continue reading →

Seattle approves reforms to protect development and affordable housing legislation from environmental appeals

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The Seattle City Council has passed a reform bill hoped to protect development and affordable housing legislation from unnecessary environmental appeals.

CHS reported here on the proposal that will alter how the city’s legislative actions including major rezones and amendments are handled and reform the State Environmental Policy Act process in the city.

Supporters say the bill will improve efficiency and predictability in city land use by eliminating an expensive and redundant layer of environmental review and streamlining planning review. Continue reading →

Council notes: New recycling processing contract for Seattle, Social Housing Developer charter changes

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(Image: SPU)

The weekly full meeting of the Seattle City Council includes a vote a new contract for processing Seattle’s 215,000 to 220,000 tons of municipal recycling per year.

  • New recycling processing contract: Already blessed by council president Joy Hollingsworth and the utilities committee, the full council Tuesday is set to approve a new a new five-year processing contract with Waste Management that will pay the company in the range of $6 million a year for its services.. The agreement, which includes two three-year extension options, is slated to take effect in April 2027 following the expiration of the city’s current contract with Rabanco. While the contract will not begin operations until next year, Seattle Public Utilities is seeking City Council authorization now to grant Waste Management sufficient lead time to build out a new recycling material receiving facility and deploy advanced sorting equipment. Continue reading →

Mayor’s pick to lead Seattle’s Office of Sustainability & Environment confirmed

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Allala

The Seattle City Council has confirmed Mayor Katie Wilson’s pick to head the Office of Sustainability & Environment.

Tuesday, the council approved the selection of Lylianna Allala to lead the $33.4 million, 55-employee department responsible for developing and implementing citywide environmental policies.

In the report (PDF) from the mayor’s office for her appointment, Allala is described as a seasoned public sector executive with over six years of leadership at the City of Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment where she has served as Interim Director, Deputy Director, and the city’s inaugural Climate Justice Director. Continue reading →

Seattle reshaping stormwater code for development, roadways, utilities, and maintenance

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Madison Valley Stormwater Storage Facility (Image: Karen Kiest Landscape Architects)

The Seattle City Council’s Governance and Utilities Committee chaired by District 3’s Joy Hollingsworth will consider legislation Thursday to update the city’s stormwater laws, shaping the requirements for development, roadways, utilities, and maintenance work in the city.

The committee’s work is hoped to update city code to meet requirements by the state’s July deadline.

The stormwater code guides how water can enter the city’s systems and shapes everything from project design to construction runoff. The code includes onsite stormwater management, flow control and water quality treatment requirements for development. Continue reading →

City Council looks at Seattle’s $4B plan for Skagit River Hydroelectric Project environmental improvements

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The Seattle City Council’s parks and City Light committee has a whopper on its hands Wednesday afternoon as takes up an ordinance authorizing Mayor Katie Wilson to settle a legal battle and sign new licensing agreements for the city’s Skagit River Hydroelectric Project dams.

The agreements would set new agreements with tribes and organizations including the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community, the Upper Skagit and Sauk-Suiattle tribes, and the National Park Service. Continue reading →

Seattle Public Utilities will roll out one free battery pick-up a year in 2026 — And is sorting out how to include apartment dwellers

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The aftermath of a June 2024 trash fire on Capitol Hill started by an improperly disposed battery

Seattle households should consider a new tradition in the new year — keeping an old battery bag.

Seattle Public Utilities has announced an expansion of its Special Item Pickup service beginning in April 2026 it says will make it easier for customers to safely dispose of items that are hard-to-recycle or require special handling.

Importantly, SPU says it is working out ways to make the service available to apartment dwellers and residents in multifamily housing.

“Currently, SPU customers can schedule on-demand pickup for items such as batteries, small electronics, mattresses, and appliances,” the announcement reads. “While this service is available today for a small fee, the new program will introduce one free annual pickup as a benefit to SPU residential customers to help make proper disposal simpler, safer, and more convenient.” Continue reading →

Seattle considers reining in SEPA ‘until citywide planned-for growth is achieved’

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The Seattle City Council will step away from 2026 budgets Friday as its land use committee takes up legislation seeked to help the city further rein in State’s Environmental Policy Act review in hopes of speeding more development of housing.

The bill sponsored by council member Mark Solomon would exempt “infill” residential development from SEPA review except in areas near shorelines, environmentally critical areas, or “historic locations.” The proposed exemption would be in place “until citywide planned-for growth is achieved,” a presentation (PDF) on the legislation explains.

According to the presentation, the legislation would align the city with “state guidance for streamlining SEPA environmental review” while also doing more to “speed housing production and encourage transit-oriented development.” Continue reading →

Capitol Hill’s Northwest School part of $4.7M in Seattle building decarbonization grants

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The Northwest School’s rooftop sports field above Pike and Bellevue (Image: Northwest School)

The city has announced $4.7 million Building Decarbonization Grants for 2025 including funding for work at Capitol Hill’s Northwest School.

“These grants will cover design or retrofits to reduce climate pollution and help buildings reach Building Emissions Performance Standard targets,” the Summit Ave private middle and high school said in a statement on the grant. Continue reading →

Seattle 2025 smoke season: ‘moderate’ and hopefully short

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Source: Airfire.org

Seattle appears set to get through with a relatively mild 2025 smoke season.

Smoke from large fires burning in the eastern Cascades that poured into the Puget Sound region over the weekend should let up, U.S. Interagency Wildland Fire Air Quality Response Program forecasters say, as an inversion layer fades and winds shift. Continue reading →