Connecting the Drops: managing the effects of climate change on water in Seattle

Abstract

As climate change affects our water supplies, we must plan for a range of scenarios and delve into the dichotomous condition of a rainy city amid limited potable water supplies. This thesis explores how to reduce potable water demand, reduce wastewater discharge, and maintain healthy water bodies through water reuse, decentralized/semi-centralized infrastructures, systems-oriented water management, and educational initiatives. The tools explored here are a resource for climate-adapted water management and applied to the Georgetown neighborhood as an illustrative, case-specific example across single parcel, multi-parcel, right of way, and neighborhood scales. This thesis explores potentials of water reuse as an adaptation to decreasing available water supply in the following three parts. The first research portion considers available information on climate change, Seattle’s water system, and a case study from Melbourne, Australia that provides insight for American systems. The second design part focuses on applying these techniques in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood across scales: small, single lots; right-of-way; and neighborhood. The final part discusses other avenues that could further develop this work in the future as well as reflections on the thesis process and resulting potentials for water management.