Calling Volunteers for the Rain Boxes: Friday Jan 16 10-12

Rain, rain, rain. It’s that time again. We need a work party to maintain the rain boxes.  It will take about two hours and involves light digging and carrying buckets of wet mulch. We meet near Ivar’s Salmon Bar under the freeway on the north side of Lake Union.

If you would like to help or just check out the rain boxes, please let me know by email at colenemckee@comcast.net. I’ll send you back details for the gathering. Thanks!

Quick background:

Our club agreed to join the project that is managed by Stewardship Partners in October 2024. The “rain boxes” are large tanks that filter runoff from the I-5 freeway bridge over Lake Union. These @ 4’x 4’x 4’ tubs hold layers of materials that effectively remove chemicals dangerous to fisheries and other water-dependent life. The cleansed water then drains into Lake Union.

Our club maintains four of these filtration boxes by replacing the three inch top layer of garden mulch. That needs to happen every 2-3 months during the rainy season as the mulch layer becomes less effective. We also periodically check for for proper drainage and any damage that needs fixing.

Link to more information in past Fly Paper issues:

Downspout Adoption: “Boxes of Rain” - November 2024

Conservation: Adopt a Downspout - March 2025

“Adopt-a-Downspout” project: a big round of applause for NFA - July 2025