We are leading efforts to control sources of pollution from the drainage area surrounding the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) Superfund site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) oversees cleanup of the river sediments.
The LDW Superfund site is a 5-mile portion of the Duwamish River that flows northward into Elliott Bay. EPA added the LDW to the Superfund National Priorities List in 2001. We added the site to the Washington Hazardous Sites List in 2002.
Before sediment cleanup can begin, we must sufficiently control the sources of pollution to the river sediments. That means we must investigate more than 20,000 acres of land that drains into the river. Source control means finding the sources and extent of contamination, then taking actions to stop or reduce them before they reach the LDW.