The Environmental Protection Agency's plans for cleaning up the Duwamish River, one of the nation's most polluted hazardous waste sites, will get a public hearing this Thurs., Dec. 9.
In mid-November the EPA designated 12 options for cleaning the city's only river, which include dredging, or removing, contaminated mud; capping, or covering up, contaminated materials with cleaner material; and letting the natural flow of sedimentation from upriver eventually bury contamination downriver.
More than 40 contaminants have been identified in the Duwamish, including PCBs, a known carcinogen that disrupts the body's endocrine system; cPAHs, carcinogenic pollutants found in oil and tar; and arsenic, a poisonous chemical often used in pesticides and herbicides. The industrial waterway received its status as one of the country's most polluted waste sites, sometimes called a "superfund site," in 2001.
The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group notes that the EPA's options only deal with the present contamination of the five-mile river while ignoring contaminating sources upriver, where current plans for decontamination do not exist. The chemicals that continue to flow downriver, says Cleanup Coalition Coordinator BJ Cummings, will adversely affect tribal members, low-income families and Asian and immigrant communities with strong connection to fishing. "The more fish you eat, the more pollution you get," Cummings said.
The coalition is also concerned that the EPA's options to leave toxins in the river could prove harmful later in the event of an earthquake, which could bring the contaminants back to the surface. A seismic fault runs under the Duwamish.
During this Thursday's public meeting, in which the EPA will solicit comments, the coalition will present community input on how to control upriver pollution.
The proposed plan carries a $1.3 billion price tag.