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Depave Puget Sound
Why Depave?
Paved surfaces are the biggest source of water pollution in Puget Sound. As rain falls onto these impermeable surfaces, it can’t sink into the ground. Instead, it flows as stormwater across parking lots, driveways, and streets, picking up pollutants like oil, grease, heavy metals, sediment, and other harmful substances. This toxic slurry flows through storm drains directly into Puget Sound.
Pavement also heats up city spaces even further during our already hot summers. In this process, called “urban heat island effect,” pavement absorbs and then releases heat from the sun, making the areas around it hotter than a green space would be. This effect leads to worsened air quality, higher temperatures, and more heat-related deaths each year, often disproportionally impacting historically marginalized communities.
By removing pavement and planting trees and understory plants, we can take action to cool our city spaces, reduce water pollution by infiltrating stormwater runoff, and improve quality of life for people and urban wildlife.
Depave Puget Sound is on a mission to transform neighborhoods while addressing the number one source of pollution in Puget Sound: polluted stormwater runoff. Join the regional movement to transform paved spaces throughout Puget Sound.
Whether you're removing pavement outside of your house or in a community space, you can transform these paved hard surfaces into beautifully landscaped green space where rain water can soak into the ground instead of carrying pollution to Puget Sound.
Ready to start depaving? Fill out our Depave Nomination Form to get started and PCD staff will follow up to schedule a site visit to learn more about your project.
You can find even more support to get started by visiting our resources page.
| Green Stormwater Mini-Grant | Get up to $4,000 and design support for depaving a place in your community | Apply for a mini grant! Applications are open each year between August and mid-November. |
| Make a Splash Grant | Get up to $4,000 to support a water quality project in Tacoma | Click here to learn more |
| Watershed Council Grants | Get up to $2,500 for projects that help recover one of Pierce County's three watersheds | Find grants available for your watershed here |
People across Western Washington are taking action to turn parking lots into paradise! Learn more about the efforts happening across the region by visiting Depave Puget Sound.
Depave is the original pavement removal organization doing this work, and they have plenty of additional resources on their website.
How It Works
Ready to Start Depaving?
Request a site visit to see if depaving is right for your property. Fill out this form to get started, and PCD staff will follow up to schedule a visit.
Being surrounded by pavement is not healthy for our communities and it's time to rethink. Depave Puget Sound is a mission to address the number one source of pollution in Puget Sound: polluted stormwater runoff. Join the regional movement to transform paved spaces throughout Puget Sound.