What is the East Waterway (EW)?

DRCC and Earth Justice letter to EPA regarding East Waterway HERE

This letter ( attached) is submitted on behalf of the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition Technical Advisory Group (“DRCC/TAG”) also doing business as Duwamish River Community Coalition in collaboration with EarthJustice regarding the remediation plan for the East Waterway asking for an inclusive community engagement in the remedial investigation or selection of alternatives for the East Waterway.

EPA’s failure to follow the law and best scientific as well as environmental justice practices in the planning of the East Waterway remediation is harmful to the communities most impacted by the pollution from the East Waterway Operable Unit of the Harbor Island Superfund site. In this era of renewed commitments to environmental justice—especially at the federal level—EPA must re-examine its strategies, solicit meaningful community engagement in development of the East Waterway cleanup plan, and adopt a remediation plan for the East Waterway that protects the health of the Duwamish Valley fishing communities. We must not forget a crucial history: environmental justice itself originated as a concept within historically marginalized communities to challenge environmental racism within government institutions, like the circumstances that led to this Superfund site. EPA must hold itself accountable to address this legacy, lest it undermine and undo the decades of work done by these communities, and, in so doing, further perpetuate harm.