What is the Superfund?

As a result of nearly a century of industrial activity, the Duwamish River was designated a Superfund Site by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2001, identifying it as one of the nation’s most toxic hazardous waste sites. With this designation comes the mandate that it will be cleaned. A total of 5.5 miles of the Duwamish River and 412 acres was identified to be cleaned up. This led to two different groups being formed – the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group (LDWG), made up of potentially responsible parties (PRPs), and the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group (DRCC/TAG), to serve as the community advisory group in the cleanup of the Duwamish River.

Since then, EPA has worked with these groups, agencies, and a diverse range of communities to study pollution in the river, its effect on people’s health and the environment, and several possible alternatives for cleanup. Following a proposed cleanup plan released in 2013, the Final Cleanup Plan or EPA’s “Record of Decision” (ROD) was released in December 2014. This plan details what types of technologies will be used to clean up different levels of contamination as well as the extent of the river’s cleanup.

What does Superfund mean?

Superfund is the name of a federal law that requires the nation’s most toxic hazardous waste sites to be identified and cleaned up.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has the role of ensuring the cleanup of these sites. Superfund is part of the the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA). The law was passed by Congress in 1980.

Why was the Duwamish River designated as a Superfund Site?

In 2001, the lower Duwamish River was added to the EPA’s national Superfund list. The river’s muddy bottom includes high levels of toxic sediment, a result of the river’s long history of industrial use and the continued pollution from stormwater runoff and Combined Sewer Overflow events.

As a result of this pollution, over 40 hazardous substances were found in river sediments at concentrations unsafe to human health. Contaminants of concern (which refers to those specifically identified as harmful to the health of humans or wildlife in the area) include PCBs, dioxins, arsenic, and cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (CPAHs). The goal of long-term cleanup of the Duwamish River is to protect the river environment, its fish and wildlife, and human health by reducing the levels of these toxins.

The greatest health risks are to people who eat seafood from the river, with some risk related to people who have frequent contact with its mud. It is now known that resident fish and shellfish from the Duwamish River are not safe to eat, and that even salmon passing through the river must be eaten in moderation. PLEASE VISIT - Fishing on the Duwamish

Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP) for the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site

The river has also been listed for cleanup by Washington State under the “state Superfund” or Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). You can see the Washington State Department of Ecology’s page on the Duwamish Cleanup here.

Learn more about this Superfund site by exploring the links below:

River History and Photographs – A short section on the history of the Duwamish River, including a gallery of modern and historical photographs of the Duwamish Valley.

Timeline – A timeline of key events that paints a picture of why our river needs to be cleaned up and the steps that have been taken so far.

Early Action Areas – Information and updates about the cleanup of Early Action Areas along the Duwamish River including Slip 4, Terminal 117, Boeing Plant 2, Duwamish/Diagonal, and Jorgensen Forge.

Proposed Cleanup Plan – A page with information about the EPA’s 2013 Proposed Cleanup Plan and the public comments that helped shape it into the Final Cleanup Plan.

Final Cleanup Plan and What’s Next – An overview of EPA’s Final Cleanup Plan called the Record of Decision. Also includes a timeline of the cleanup process going forward.

Learn more here: DRCC’s Role in the Cleanup Process – Our mission and the unique role we play in the Superfund cleanup process.

As we move forward, DRCC will make sure information to be discussed at the Roundtable will be interpreted in a way the community can understand.  We need to keep informing on the process and bring the information to community to make good decisions and recommendations, especially those highly impacted.  We will continue working with EPA, Ecology and other partners to make information available in multiple languages, and with our technical advisors and academic institutions to come up with the accurate information and research to provide multiple sources of information.

If you have additional questions/concerns, please contact us at contact@duwamishcleanp.org or 206-251-2038

More Information – Resource pages with links to additional information about programs like Superfund and MTCA. Also includes links to reports, plans, focus and fact sheets, and technical documents.

Glossary – A glossary of terms and acronyms related to the Superfund cleanup of the Duwamish River.

Environmental Protection Agency - EPA

Click here to learn more about the EPA efforts for the Lower Duwamish Waterway Cleanup

The last five miles of the Duwamish River towards Elliott Bay is one of the most polluted rivers in the country! In 2001, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) declared it the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site. Superfund is the name of a federal law that requires the nation’s most toxic sites to be identified and cleaned up.

The EPA and Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) are overseeing the cleanup of this site. Dozens of Potentially Responsible Parties (PRPs) will be required to pay for the cleanup…Read more

Other Resources:

Archives about the River from different sources

• Investigate West

• Seattle P.I.

Glossary

• Capping – A method of controlling polluted sediment by trapping it under engineered layers of sand.

• CERCLA – Acronym for Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. The name of a federal law passed by Congress in 1980 that requires the nation’s most toxic hazardous waste sites to be identified and cleaned up. The EPA has the role of ensuring cleanup of these sites. Includes the Superfund program.

• Combined Sewer – A sewer system that transports both stormwater and sewage.

• CSO – Acronym for Combined Sewer Overflow. Indicates either an event that can occur in a combined sewer during wet weather in which raw sewage is discharged into a body of water, or the structure itself that is the source of such events.

• DRCC/TAG – Acronym for Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group. A nonprofit organization in South Seattle involved in all aspects of the Duwamish River cleanup.

• Dredging – A method of removing polluted sediment from the river bottom using machines. Used when capping, Enhanced Natural Recovery (ENR), or Monitored Natural Recovery will not be effective enough.

• Duwamish River – The name of the lower 12 miles of Washington’s Green River. Seattle’s only river. The river was straightened and dredged in 1913 and has been used for both industry and fishing ever since.

• Early Action Area – Areas identified along the Duwamish River in 2003 based on their high risks to people or wildlife in the river. Together, they contain approximately 50% of the estimated PCB pollutant load in the river. Early Action Areas include Slip 4, Duwamish/Diagonal, Terminal 117, Boeing Plant 2, and Jorgensen Forge.

• EPA – Acronym for Environmental Protection Agency. A United States Federal Government agency with, among other roles, the role of ensuring the cleanup of Superfund sites.

• ENR – Acronym for Enhanced Natural Recovery. A method for “kick-starting” areas with moderate levels of toxic pollution into natural recovery by treating with a 6 to 9-inch layer of sand.

• Final Cleanup Plan – A 2014 decision from the EPA that dictates the timeline and level of cleanup required for the Duwamish River, including where and how much toxic sediment needs to be removed, capped, or treated with other alternatives. Another name for the ROD.

• LDWG – Acronym for Lower Duwamish Waterway Group. A group made up of PRPs including Boeing, City of Seattle, King County, and the Port of Seattle, relating to the Duwamish River Superfund site.

• Monitored Natural Recovery – A recovery method involving no treatment, instead using monitoring to see if sedimentation covers the remaining pollution over time.

• MTCA – Acronym for Model Toxics Control Act. A Washington State citizen-mandated toxic waste cleanup law that went into effect in 1998. Called by some the “State Superfund.”

• PCB – Acronym for polychlorinated biphenyl. A toxin present in the Duwamish River.

• PRP – Acronym for Potentially Responsible Party. A party potentially responsible for pollution of Superfund sites, and therefore responsible for payment of Superfund cleanup costs.

• Proposed Cleanup Plan – A proposed plan released by the EPA in 2013. The plan received over 2300 public comments which were taken into account for the release of the ROD or Final Cleanup Plan.

• RI – Acronym for Remedial Investigation. The purpose of the Remedial Investigation Report is to evaluate a Superfund site and explore potential risks, costs, and treatment options.

• ROD – Acronym for Record of Decision. A 2014 decision from the EPA that dictates the timeline and level of cleanup required for the Duwamish River, including where and how much toxic sediment needs to be removed, capped, or treated with other alternatives. Another name for the Final Cleanup Plan.

• Sediment – Layers of mud at the bottom of the river.

• Source Control – The process of controlling sources of pollution to prevent contamination or recontamination of sediments.

• Stormwater – Rainwater or melted snow that can flow or run off into bodies of water, often carrying with it harmful urban or industrial pollutants, such as oil.

• Superfund – The name of a federal law passed by Congress in 1980 that requires the nation’s most toxic hazardous waste sites to be identified and cleaned up. The EPA has the role of ensuring cleanup of these sites. Part of CERCLA.