The Exchange is excited to welcome a new member who brings deep commitment and hands-on experience to stormwater management and community resilience. As a volunteer Project Manager with i5CID.org, Erin Demmon is helping transform a once-dangerous I-5 underpass in Seattle’s Chinatown International District into a vibrant, activated space—starting with a skatepark proposal. Her path began as an HOA manager who uncovered criminal activity beneath the bridge and responded with bold vision and action. After earning credentials from NYU and the Project Management Institute, and currently pursuing a degree in Integrated Sciences for Environments and Societies at the University of Washington, Erin is now leading the charge on stormwater management for the i5CID group.
Erin is diving into green stormwater infrastructure with passion and purpose, also bringing academic experience to the i5CID stormwater gardens project. On her steep Mukilteo property in the “convergence zone,” she’s piloting subterranean rain basins to manage heavy downpours—real-world practice for the larger plan to install three 50-foot rain gardens on Jackson Street and five more on King Street in Seattle’s Chinatown International District. Looking ahead, she’s also focused on restoring the health of the Salish Sea by purifying stormwater runoff and farming phytoplankton—an essential food source for salmon and orcas. Her research explores how adding minerals and enzymes to rain gardens could help reduce pollution and support marine life.
Want to learn more or get involved in this innovative, ecosystem-connected work? Join the network and follow Erin’s journey!
