Metronatural: Inventing and Taming Nature in Seattle - Politics of Urban Runoff: Nature, Technology, and the Sustainable City - page 94

a rational and comprehensive planning logic. The inexpensive electricity
from the dams was applied to the national defense industry during World
War II and the Cold War, transforming the Pacifi c Northwest from a sleepy
region into an international economic center. 11 The idea of the region was
founded not only on its remote character and intrinsic beauty but also on
the potential of the landscape to be exploited for economic gain.
In Seattle, water is a central component of its picturesque beauty. Puget
Sound is the most prominent aqueous neighbor, forming the western
boundary of the city that serves to “convey a sense that water is always
near.” 12 Urban planners Roberto Brambilla and Gianni Longo extend this
idea in their description of the city: “Ideally situated on top of seven hills,
80 percent surrounded by water, with spectacular views of Lake Washing-
ton on its eastern fl ank and equally spectacular views of Mount Rainier,
the Olympic Mountains and island-dotted Puget Sound, Seattle is a city
with so much intrinsic beauty, so many breathtaking sights which can be
seen just by looking out the window, that it starts with an advantage over
most cities.” 13 Equally important to Seattle's distinct culture is atmospheric
water in the form of rain. 14 Situated between the Olympic Mountains to
the west and the Cascade Mountains to the East, Seattle receives consis-
tent rainfall about 150 days per year. 15 The resulting maritime climate is
distinct from the arid inland plains to the east of the Cascade Mountains.
Early accounts of the Pacifi c Northwest by explorers and settlers, no-
tably Lewis and Clark, included vivid descriptions of the unrepentant
and depressing rainfall that plagued the region. The most memorable of
these accounts described the coastal conditions to the west of the Olympic
Mountains, where annual rainfall in excess of a hundred inches is com-
mon. 16 At the end of the nineteenth century, regional boosters debunked
the notion of incessant rainfall by developing an “ideology of climate”
to reframe the precipitation patterns as a blessing rather than a curse. 17
The campaign emphasized the advantages afforded by the climate of
Oregon and Washington territory, particularly its mild and equable quali-
ties. Though it was noted that a small portion of the coastal areas of the
Pacifi c Northwest were subject to overabundant rainfall, the majority of
the region enjoyed a climate similar to England, France, and Japan and
could provide residents with an equally prosperous future.
Indeed, Seattle's annual rainfall of thirty-six inches is comparable to
that of Dallas, Kansas City, Chicago, and Cleveland and is only half that
of wetter cities such as Miami and New Orleans. And depending on how
you defi ne rain, one could argue that it hardly rains in Seattle at all; over
two-thirds of rain events are less than 0.04 inches per hour and constitute