The owner of a marina and boatyard along the Duwamish Waterway in Seattle and two local governments have negotiated an agreement with the Washington Department of Ecology to test the site for soil and groundwater contamination, a step toward planning a future cleanup.
 
Ecology invites the public to review and comment on the agreement, called an agreed order, through Jan. 23, 2018. A draft public participation plan, which describes how Ecology will inform people about the cleanup process, is also available for review.
 
The order and participation plan cover the 4-acre South Park Marina at 8604 Dallas Ave. S. Under the order, the three parties will investigate contamination at the site. Ecology negotiated the order with South Park Marina Limited Partnership, the City of Seattle and the Port of Seattle.
 
Historic pollution known
Earlier studies show that the site contains several toxic contaminants, including metals, pesticides, solvents, petroleum compounds, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB), and dioxins.
 
A marina, dry moorage and boatyard have operated on the site since the 1950s. A & B Barrel occupied part of the property from about 1949 to 1960. The company cleaned and reconditioned used steel drums, discharging contaminated water into a small pond and to the Duwamish.
 
Marina activities – including vehicle parking, boat storage and boat repair – have contributed to the site’s contamination. The property also may have received contamination from an adjacent site that has undergone cleanup by the city and port. The port is a previous owner of a small portion of the marina property.
 
Part of the Lower Duwamish Waterway cleanup
The cleanup will contribute to a larger effort to control sources of contamination in Lower Duwamish Waterway sediments. Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency jointly manage the Lower Duwamish Waterway cleanup, along approximately 5 miles of waterway upstream from Harbor Island. 
 
Ecology oversees a variety of efforts to control sources of pollution that could re-contaminate waterway sediments after cleanup. This source control work includes cleanups at contaminated sites along or near the Duwamish. The agreed order for South Park Marina would add the site to a list that includes 21 other formal Ecology cleanup sites along or near the Duwamish Waterway as well as five sites managed by EPA under the federal Superfund program.
 
Cleanup and commenting information
Information about the site’s contamination and cleanup process is available at:

• Ecology’s website.

• Seattle Public Library South Park Branch, 8604 8th Ave. S.

• Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office, 3190 160^th Ave. S.E., Bellevue. By appointment: 425-649-7190. 

Submit comments with Ecology’s online comment form. Or, submit comments or technical questions to Mark Adams, site manager, 425-649-7107, Department of Ecology, 3190 160^th Ave. S.E., Bellevue WA, 98004-5452.
 
An Ecology fact sheet, in English, Spanish and Vietnamese, provides additional information about the site and the order.