Seattle Public Utilities has been listening to our community’s values and goals for long-term resiliency, racial and environmental justice, and personal and community well-being.
It’s all part of Shape Our Water, our ongoing effort to plan for equitable and environmentally sound drainage and wastewater investments that will help take care of Seattle’s natural waters for the next 50 years.
Beyond responding to urgent needs in the years ahead – like more severe climate-change driven storms – future drainage and wastewater system investments can also create and be a catalyst for many different community benefits.
From the start, we’ve collaborated with our community to make sure future multi-benefit investments will align with their values and needs – especially Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities who have been historically marginalized in city planning efforts and who often bear the heaviest burdens of underinvestment.
Today we’re excited to share the first look at our community’s Vision Plan – developed over multiple years of outreach, engagement, and partnership with our communities – that will guide where we go from here.
Seattle is a climate-resilient city shaped by water. There is ample access to restored lakes, streams, the Duwamish river, and the Puget Sound. Healthy natural systems tie together a network of diverse and vibrant neighborhoods where race and economic status are no longer a predictor of outcomes. Seattle is a hub for creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship that provides opportunities to build wealth in place for our communities.
– Shape Our Water Community Vision Statement
We invite kids (and kids-at-heart) to continue to bring your own colors and creativity to the Shape Our Water Community Vision Plan by downloading printable coloring pages with scenes of Seattle’s natural waters! Local artist Natalie Dupille created these illustrations to help us visualize the community vision in action.
Download the Duwamish River Coloring Page
Download the Underwater Puget Sound Coloring Page
Download the Seattle Waterfront Coloring Page
Share your creative vision of Seattle’s water future with us by posting your coloring art on social media with the tag #ShapeOurWater.
Colored by Eli Z. 
