Access the City Surface Water Assets Interactive Map here. 

The Surface Water Utility prepares Surface Water Master Plans (Master Plans) to address drainage and water quality challenges associated with growth, increasing regulations, and aging infrastructure. Master Plans guide the Surface Water Utility (Utility) for five to ten years and include recommendations for capital improvements, programs, and a financial plan for long-term asset management. The last current Master Plan was adopted in 2018. The planning stage for the 2024 Master Plan will begin in 2022. More information on the current Master Plan and the Master Planning process is available on the the 2018 Surface Water Master Plan Update page.

Previous Master Plans include: 

2005 Surface Water Master Plan
2011 Surface Water Master Plan 

Surface Water Utility Annual Report

The City of Shoreline Surface Water Utility manages the public stormwater drainage system to reduce flooding, comply with environmental regulations, and prevent pollution from entering our streams, lakes, and Puget Sound. The Surface Water Utility 2022-23 Annual Report provides a review of the work we accomplished in 2020, and an update on our 2021 budget, rates, and projects. It also provides ways that you can get involved to help us protect clean water habitat in our streams, lakes, and Puget Sound. 

 View previous reports below: 

2018 Surface Water Utility Annual Report
2019 Surface Water Utility Annual Report
2020 Surface Water Utility Annual Report
2021 Surface Water Utility Annual Report

The Washington State Department of Ecology requires the City of Shoreline to implement a Stormwater Management Action Planning (SMAP) process as outlined in the Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit. The purpose of the SMAP process is to improve water quality in a specific basin by prioritizing actions on the land that drains to it.

 The City of Shoreline's SMAP process resulted in selecting Boeing Creek as its priority basin. You can find more information on the SMAP process, how Boeing Creek was selected, and priority stormwater actions to protect Boeing Creek in the plan: City of Shoreline Stormwater Management Action Plan (SMAP). 

Basin plans are watershed-specific plans to reduce flooding, improve water quality, and enhance stream and wetland habitat. Between 2009 and 2015, the Utility completed basin plans for the 6 major watersheds in Shoreline:

• Boeing Creek Basin Plan
• Storm Creek Basin Plan
• McAleer Creek Basin Plan
• Lyon Creek Basin Plan
• Thornton Creek Basin Plan
• Puget Sound Basin Plan

Basin Characterization Reports

The City has completed basin characterization reports for all of the City’s watersheds. These reports include a description of the basin and its aquatic resources including streams and wetlands.

• Boeing Creek Basin
• McAleer Creek
• Middle Puget Sound
• Thornton Creek
• Appendices

2016 Freshwater Assessment Report

This report summarizes water quality data collected over an 8 year period between 2002 through 2009. Comparison of future data to the baseline data will help track long-term water quality trends and determine if current programs designed to improve water quality are effective.

2016 Echo Lake Aquatic Vegetation Report

The Washington State Department of Ecology, in coordination with the City of Shoreline, conducted an aquatic vegetation survey at Echo Lake in June 2016. The survey revealed that Echo Lake contains nine native vegetation species and three non-native species.

2009 Fresh Water Assessment Report

This report summarizes water quality data collected over an 8 year period between 2002 through 2009. Comparison of future data to the baseline data will help track long-term water quality trends and determine if current programs designed to improve water quality are effective.

2009 Bioassesment Report

A biological assessment of City streams was conducted in 2003 and 2007, using macroinvertebrates (stream bugs) as indicators of health in Thorton, McAleer, Boeing, and Storm creeks.The report found that all streams are severely or extremely impacted by urbanization.

This report presents an evaluation of the effectiveness of a stormwater retrofit along the Aurora Corridor in the Echo Lake drainage basin. The study was designed to address data gaps by the Washington State Stormwater Work Group (SWG) in the effectiveness of stormwater treatment technologies used in the Puget Sound Region. For more information visit King County's project page. 

As of August 2022
Phase: Study completed

In 2019, we finished a study to decide if the City should plan to build a new regional stormwater facility (RSF) within the Boeing Creek basin. The RSF concept was to be located near and largely serving the Aurora Square commercial center southwest of Aurora Avenue N and N 160th Street. 

Based on the existing and expected future development and regulatory conditions, the study determined at the time that the RSF concepts explored were infeasible and should be developed no further.

Navigate to the Boeing Creek Regional Stormwater Facility Study page to learn more.