EPA’s Proposed Cleanup Plan for the Duwamish River
View our Community Fact Sheet & Recommendations
CLICK HERE TO SEND YOUR COMMENTS TO EPA!
EPA has released its Proposed Cleanup Plan for the Duwamish River Superfund Site. The Plan is now available for public review and comment: read our Community Fact Sheet and Recommendations and visit EPA’s web site for additional info.
Recommendations Summary:
- Remove all highly and moderately contaminated sediments from the river.
- Kick start the recovery of low-level contaminated sediments with a thin layer of clean material.
- Integrate and enforce pollution source control efforts in the final EPA cleanup order.
- Minimize the need for fishing advisories and ensure that efforts to prevent fishing are culturally-appropriate and don’t further harm people’s health.
- Establish a Pollution Prevention and Mitigation Fund until cleanup is complete and health standards are met.
- Hire local!
To tell EPA what you think, click here – EPA and your local elected officials will receive your customizable comment letter.
You can also email us at bj@duwamishcleanup.org to join the list of organizations and community leaders endorsing our recommendations.
In addition, the University of Washington School for Public Health, Just Health Action and DRCC/TAG are conducting a Health Impact Assessment of EPA’s Proposed Plan, which evaluates possible health effects of the plan and makes recommendations to maximize benefits, minimize harmful impacts, and promote health equity. See links to the Advance Report on our HIA project page!
Check back here frequently for info on Public Meetings, Fact Sheets, environmental and health assessments, and recommendations for ensuring that the cleanup will protect fish, wildlife and human health and make the Duwamish A River for All!
To view our previous fact sheets please visit our documents and reports page
What is “Superfund”?
“Superfund” is the common name for the federal Comprehensive Environmental Response, Cleanup and Liability Act (CERCLA), passed by 
Congress in 1980. The law requires that the nation’s most toxic hazardous waste sites be identified and cleaned up. The lower Duwamish River was added to the national Superfund list – also known as the National Priority List – in 2001. The river has also been listed for cleanup by Washington State under the “state superfund” or Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA).
More general information about Superfund and MTCA can be found below:
What is Superfund? (Wikipedia)
US Environmental Protection Agency
Superfund cleanup sites in Washington (EPA Region 10)