Early Action Areas

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In June 2003, Early Action Areas were identified along the Duwamish River, based on their high risks to people or wildlife nearby. With this designation, cleanups and studies were scheduled for these areas. These Early Action Areas contain approximately 50% of the estimated PCB pollutant load in the river. Cleanup of the Slip 4, Terminal 117, Boeing Plant 2, and Duwamish/Diagonal Early Action Areas has been completed, and cleanup of the Jorgensen Forge site is ongoing. Please see below for additional information about each site.

Read more about the Early Actions areas from the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group LDWG

 

Jorgensen Forge

The Jorgensen Forge facility is scheduled for cleanup as part of the Lower Duwamish River Superfund cleanup. Originally developed in 1942 by the Navy to produce naval equipment, the property has had a variety of owners over the last seven decades. Currently the facility is owned and operated by the Jorgensen Forge Corporation and is still in use as a steel and aluminum forge for various industrial clients. Contaminants such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), arsenic, cadmium, chromium, and lead in soil have been detected at this site. Jorgensen Forge Corporation will conduct the cleanup with EPA oversight. The site is located at 8531 East Marginal Way South in Tukwila, Washington.

CURRENT STATUS: As of July 2017, Ecology has negotiated a new legal agreement called an Agreed Order with Earle M. Jorgenson Company. The order requires Earle M. Jorgensen Company to complete the following:

  • Remedial Investigation (RI). The purpose of the RI is to define the nature and extent of contamination at the site and to determine if it is contributing to the sediment contamination in the Lower Duwamish Waterway. During the RI, the PLPs will collect data necessary to adequately characterize the contamination in soil, groundwater, stormwater, and sediments. 

  • Feasibility Study (FS). The FS will use the results of the RI to evaluate and choose measures to cleanup contamination and prevent recontamination of the sediment. 

  • Draft Cleanup Action Plan (DCAP). Ecology will identify a preferred cleanup action based on the results of the FS.


Why this cleanup matters

This site is part of Ecology’s Lower Duwamish Waterway source control efforts, because it is contributing pollution the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) Superfund Site. Source control means finding and stopping or reducing sources of pollution to the river.

The 5-mile stretch of the Duwamish River that flows north into Elliot Bay was added to the Superfund National Priorities List by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2001.

Contaminants in the soil and groundwater around the river pose a risk to human health and the environment. They can also find their way into the river through storm runoff and other pathways. The sediments (mud) in the river contain a wide range of contaminants due to decades of industrial activity and runoff from urban areas. EPA is leading efforts to clean up the river sediments.

Ecology is leading efforts to control sources of contamination from the surrounding land area. The long-term goal is to minimize recontamination of the river sediment and restore water quality in the river. The Jorgensen Forge Site is one of several sites that will be cleaned up as part of Ecology’s Source Control Strategy. For more information, visit our Source Control page.

More information:

 

Boeing Plant 2

Boeing Plant 2 is an early action area within the Lower Duwamish River Superfund Site. The historical site, built by the Boeing Company in 1936, was responsible for production of thousands of B-17 bombers made for use in WWII. 30,000 people were employed at Boeing Plant 2 during the war. The facility was demolished in 2011, and most of its materials were reused or recycled. On-site contaminants included PCBs, metals (chromium, copper, cadmium), cyanide, petroleum products, and chlorinated solvents, such as trichloroethylene. The site is located at 7755 E Marginal Way S in Seattle, Washington.

CURRENT STATUS: Cleanup of Boeing’s Plant 2 site was completed in 2015 under EPA’s Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). The cleanup removed 265,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment and bank soil, and replenished the area with an equal amount of clean sand. Boeing is now controlling stormwater runoff pollution with multiple stormwater treatment systems at its sites near the Duwamish River. The Lower Duwamish Waterway Group (LDWG), a partnership among the City of Seattle, King County, the Port of Seattle and Boeing, was involved with much of this cleanup action. [source]

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Terminal 117/Malarkey Asphalt

Terminal 117 (T-117) is a site on the west bank of the Duwamish River located at 8700 Dallas Avenue South in Seattle, Washington. From 1937-1993, Duwamish Manufacturing Company and Malarkey Asphalt Company used the site to industrially manufacture asphalt, using contaminated waste oil as fuel. In 1999, the site was acquired by the Port of Seattle and Superfund cleanup to remove PCB-contaminated soil began. Over time, the Port continued to remove contamination and debris from the site. In 2003, the site was designated as an Early Action Area as part of the current Superfund cleanup process due to high PCB levels. [source]

In 2005, an Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA) based on industrial-level cleanup requirements was submitted to the EPA. After the discovery of additional PCB contamination in the adjacent streets in 2004-2006, the community advocated in 2007 that the end use of the site be changed from industrial to unrestricted for a more thorough cleanup. As a result, the EPA directed the Port and the City to revise their EE/CA for a cleanup based on unrestricted use, and the Port of Seattle committed to restoring nearby habitat after the site is cleaned up. In 2010, the final EE/CA was released to the public for comment, and the Final Action Memorandum was issued, outlining the approved cleanup design. [source]

CURRENT STATUS: In 2013, crews completed cleanup of nearby contaminated residential yards. Afterwards in 2014, river sediment cleanup and upland cleanup was carried out.

On May 31, 2016, City workers removed the last of the PCB-contaminated soils from the streets adjacent to T-117. The City will finish their construction in the neighborhood by August this year. The community is planning a future celebration for the cleanup of the T-117 site. [source]

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Slip 4

Slip 4 is an Early Action Area located on the east side of the Duwamish River, north of the Boeing Plant 2 site. Before cleanup, about 3.6 acres of the total 6.4 acres of the site contained sediment contaminated with PCBs.
EPA selected a cleanup plan for the site in 2006 that required some of the contaminated sediment to be removed and some to be capped. In 2007, the Department of Ecology discovered that sources of PCB pollution were not adequately controlled to protect the cleanup area. Because of this finding, EPA and Boeing implemented a system that treats stormwater draining into Slip 4 from Boeing Field. Afterwards, the cleanup could proceed. Construction started on October 3, 2011, and was completed on February 7, 2012. [source]

Image: Courtesy of the Seattle Municipal Archives, item no. 169638

CURRENT STATUS: Cleanup of the Slip 4 site is complete. In 2012, the City of Seattle completed construction, removing 9,800 cubic yards of sediment and bank soils, capping an estimated 3.6 acres of sediment, creating two beaches, and removing concrete, steel, and treated timber debris. [source]

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Duwamish/Diagonal Way Combined Sewer Overflow and Storm Drain

The Duwamish/Diagonal Way Combined Sewer Overflow and Storm Drain (D/D CSO/SD) site is an Early Action Area on the east side of the Duwamish River located south of Harbor Island. The Duwamish/Diagonal sediment cleanup project began in 1993. Over the next few years, contaminants of concern such as PCBs, bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (BEHP), mercury, and butyl benzyl phthalate were identified in the sediments.

In 2001, a King County report recommended a cleanup of 4.8 acres of sediment, but the cleanup project was eventually expanded to 7 acres to account for a contaminated “hot spot” area upstream. [source]

CURRENT STATUS: Partial cleanup of the Duwamish/Diagonal Way site consisting of sediment removal and capping began in November 2003 and was completed in March 2004. In February 2005, follow up cleanup at the Duwamish/Diagonal Early Action Area was conducted. A thin layer of sand was added over the contaminated area to accelerate natural recovery. [source]

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