USA: Partial Cleanup Proposed for Duwamish Waterway Site

The new owner of a contaminated property along the Duwamish Waterway in Seattle will remove contaminated soil from part of the site under a proposed work plan and amendment to an existing legal agreement with the Washington Department of Ecology.

DeNovo Seattle LLC has purchased the 16-acre Crowley Marine Services 8th Avenue South site, which is undergoing an environmental investigation under a 2009 agreed order with Ecology. The company plans to construct a railroad spur as part of a project to unload barges that will be used in a nearby project to dredge contaminated sediments from the waterway.

Ecology seeks public comment on:

– Amendments to the agreed order that add DeNovo as the new site owner and a party to the order;

– A work plan for cleanup work related to the rail spur construction.

The cleanup, called an interim action, will occur only on the part of the property to be redeveloped for the rail spur. DeNovo will continue its ongoing site investigation, which is part of a process leading toward a final cleanup plan.

The site is located within the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) cleanup site. The LDW site is a state-federal cleanup that covers about five miles of the Duwamish River south of Harbor Island. The LDW sediments are contaminated with several hazardous substances. Cleanup of the Crowley Marine Services site is part of a larger effort to control sources of pollution that can enter the waterway.

[mappress]

Press Release, August 5, 2014