Tumwater hires firm to design stormwater improvements in Beehive Industrial Park

An industrial park is in line for stormwater improvements following a decision by the Tumwater City Council.

The council authorized Mayor Debbie Sullivan on Tuesday, March 4, to hire Fuller Designs to work on stormwater improvements for the Beehive Industrial Park, a 55-acre light industrial area along Trosper Road.

The firm’s contract, which is for $186,531, will be fully funded by a grant from Department of Ecology.

The site experiences local flooding, which then drains untreated water into Percival Creek, according to previous briefings with the Public Works Committee.

The aim of the project is to construct a series of bioretention facilities to address the issue. Specifically, the city is looking to construct linear blocks of soil and vegetation to treat and capture stormwater along Joppa and Lambskin streets.

The scope of the contract includes design, permitting and predesign studies, such as mapping of rights-of-way and utilities, topographic surveys, geotechnical evaluation and wetland mapping.

The contract runs through July 2027, but the design phase of the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, according to a previous statement by Dave Kangiser, a water resources specialist for Tumwater.

Staffers hope to secure additional money in the Department of Ecology’s next grant cycle in 2026 to fund the construction of the project.