March 28, 2024

A park for all people — and the environment

Hussmann

Stormwater infrastructure and community recreation are two spheres that rarely overlap. Stormwater management is typically fenced-off in drainage ponds or buried under our streets, out of sight and out of mind. But, in a tale of collaboration and innovation, the city of Kirkland recently celebrated the successful completion of a $12.2 million capital project that combines massive stormwater treatment infrastructure with significant upgrades to a community park.

132nd Square Park is a 10-acre park nestled in the Kingsgate neighborhood in northeast Kirkland. Today, the park boasts state-of-the-art facilities, including updated multi-purpose turf fields, expanded restrooms, and inclusive playgrounds that serve a wide range of cognitive and physical abilities.

WHAT LURKS BENEATH

Under the new field lies an impressively large stormwater vault — 248 feet long by 44 feet wide and 10 feet deep — that receives rainwater runoff from almost 50 acres of the nearby neighborhood. Much of this area was developed before modern stormwater regulations, leading to flooding issues and poor water quality downstream in Totem Lake and Juanita Creek.

Photo by Rosalie Wessels, city of Kirkland [enlarge]

An aerial view of the completed 132nd Square Park that is expected to treat over 90% of the rainwater runoff from the nearby neighborhood and the park itself.

Now, rainwater passes through a series of three filter vaults designed to remove oil and other pollution before entering the main vault. Filtered water then travels to the large, bottomless infiltration trenches in the concrete vault where it slowly seeps into the ground, mimicking the forested conditions that existed pre-development. This new filtration system and vault are expected to treat over 90% of the rainwater runoff from the nearby neighborhood and the park itself.

A DECADE IN THE MAKING

Kirkland’s journey towards revitalizing 132nd Square Park began more than a decade ago with a grant application to the Washington Department of Ecology to plan for stormwater management at a watershed scale. The Totem Lake Stormwater Retrofit study sought to identify locations where large regional facilities could slow down and filter a large-scale volume of rainwater runoff.

Photo courtesy of the city of Kirkland [enlarge]

The updated inclusive playground at 132nd Square Park is a hit with neighborhood families.

Grant funding in hand, a team of hydrologists, civil engineers, and mapping specialists studied the 665-acre Totem Lake watershed, searching for ways to slow the flow of rainwater from hard surfaces — and the sediment and pollutants carried with it — into Totem Lake and Juanita Creek.

The team identified and outlined three different rainwater management projects that would help achieve this. The largest and most effective of the three solutions was at 132nd Square Park.

“The study looked at where our stormwater system is now, and where it needs to go to support fish and people’s need to recreate and be in touch with the water in our creeks and lakes,” says Jenny Gaus, Kirkland’s project manager for the original grant and subsequent 2014 Surface Water Master Plan.

Photo by Rosalie Wessels, city of Kirkland [enlarge]

An aerial view taken during construction shows the scale of the underground vault that will receive and filter rainwater runoff from almost 50 acres of the nearby neighborhood.

Equipped with the promising results of the Totem Lake Retrofit Study, Kirkland formalized its commitment to this watershed-scale retrofit approach by making regional facilities a priority in its 2014 Surface Water Master Plan. This plan served as a foundational document, guiding the city’s actions to protect its creeks, maintain its infrastructure and reduce flooding over the next 7-10 years. An updated plan was adopted in 2023.

While the location for the stormwater facility seemed a perfect fit, it would require excavation of the fields at the park.

A PARK FOR ALL

The park redevelopment at 132nd Square Park followed its own long journey to fruition. First identified as a priority in the 2015 Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Plan, the re-envisioning of 132nd Square Park went through many iterations, public feedback sessions and deliberations.

Photo courtesy of the city of Kirkland [enlarge]

Kids wind their way through the new labyrinth at 132nd Square Park.

The original park had limited facilities and a poorly drained field that reduced its usable season. After Kirkland’s 2011 annexation of the Kingsgate neighborhood, redevelopment of the park was a priority to develop equitable access to recreation amenities in an underserved and growing area. However, funding was another matter.

By leveraging grants from the Washington Department of Ecology and the King County Opportunity Fund for the stormwater portion of the project, and park impact fees to fund park redevelopment, Parks and Public Works were able to seize the opportunity to overhaul a significant community asset to create a park with more capacity and a higher level of service.

THE WORK CONTINUES

Silent footsteps walk a meditative path through a brick paver labyrinth while laughing children roll down the year-round “sled hill.” Across the park, whistles blow during soccer drills, and young batters take their first T-ball swings. After two years of construction, 132nd Square Park is pulsing with life again.

This park “is for everyone, and we’re excited for the entire community to experience it,” said Parks and Community Services Department Director Lynn Zwaagstra.

The park serves as a strong example of collaboration and innovation between city departments, local and state agencies, and neighborhoods to create community amenities that benefit people and the environment.

Based on this success, Kirkland is now planning for regional facilities in the North Rose Hill, Finn Hill, Juanita and Kingsgate neighborhoods. The focus will continue to be on identifying sites that can provide community benefits such as parks, traffic calming and open space, as well as rainwater management opportunities.

Aaron Hussmann is environmental education & outreach coordinator for the city of Kirkland.

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