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Lower Duwamish Waterway Questions and Answers
An important milestone has been achieved: Lower Duwamish Waterway contamination investigation is complete.
As part of the cleanup process for the Lower Duwamish Waterway, the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group (LDWG) investigated contamination in the Waterway’s sediments. The investigation answered questions including:
- What contaminants are in the Waterway?
- What areas are most contaminated?
- What risks do those contaminants pose to humans and wildlife?
After seven years of work, the results were described in a document called a Remedial Investigation Report. The report was submitted to EPA and Ecology for their review and approval. EPA and Ecology recently completed their review of the report. They shared many of the concerns expressed by community members who came to a public meeting on November 29, 2007 to learn about the investigation.
EPA and Ecology provided comments to the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group on what revisions must be made to the report. The final Remedial Investigation Report should be ready by early 2009.
Printable Version of the Lower Duwamish Waterway Questions and Answers Fact Sheet (PDF) (6 pp. 122K, About PDF)
Responses to your Questions
To view the answer to a question click on the question to expand the answer, click it again to hide the answer.
 Is it OK to eat salmon from the Duwamish Waterway?
What about other types of fish and shellfish in the Duwamish – can I eat them?
Is it OK to walk and play on public beaches along the Duwamish Waterway?
What are the most harmful contaminants found in the Duwamish?
What about the wildlife living in or close to the Waterway?
How did EPA and Ecology choose seafood consumption rates to assess risks from chemicals in seafood?
Can we get some of the most contaminated areas cleaned up sooner rather than later?
 Why should we try to clean up the river if there is still going to be industry and continuing contamination?
The cleanup will address over a hundred years of contamination from industry, stormwater, and municipal discharges. EPA and Ecology cleanup projects along the waterway are addressing historical and ongoing contamination. Today’s industrial practices are much different from those even 30 years ago. Past practices of discharging pollutants to the Duwamish have been greatly reduced.
In addition to their work on the cleanup, Ecology is the lead for source control. Source control is the process of finding and then stopping or reducing releases of pollution to waterway sediments. The point of source control is to keep sediments from becoming contaminated again after being cleaned up. Ecology is in the process of developing Source Control Action Plans which outline the actions that must be completed in order to ensure that sediment cleanup will not be recontaminated.
In addition to Ecology, EPA, the City of Seattle, and King County are working on greatly reducing sources of pollution. Ecology’s Urban Waters Initiative is focused on keeping contaminants from all sources out of our rivers and Puget Sound. King County and the City of Seattle are working on improving control of combined sewer overflows and stormwater. Each of us can help by reducing contaminants in stormwater runoff. Many of the contaminants in stormwater come from roads and vehicles so we have a big challenge ahead.
Who pays for all this work?
What were EPA and Ecology’s responses to the draft Remedial Investigation Report?
What happens next?
Where can I learn more? How can I get involved?
Lower Duwamish Waterway Site
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Point of contact: Renée Dagseth
E-Mail: Dagseth.Renee@epa.gov
Phone Number: (206) 553-1889
Last Updated: 06/30/2008
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