Staff writer | July, 2002

In each issue we've run a story about a successful river cleanup - usually in the developed world. But not all rivers in the West are pristine...

	Duwamish River: The most toxically contaminated sites in the US Continent

The American city of Seattle has much going for it. As home of Microsoft and Boeing, its lucky inhabitants enjoy some of the highest per capita incomes in the United States. This wealthy Pacific Coast city offers something less enjoyable, however. The lower Duwanish River in South Seattle is one of the most toxically contaminated sites on the continent, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The five-mile stretch is lined with industries where toxic wastes have threatened the river's health over the years. The EPA is now conducting extensive studies of risks to human health, fish and wildlife. Meantime, a group of citizens banded into the Duwamish River Cleanup wants the major polluters to pay.

Cancer-causing chemicals
Fish and crab caught in the Duwamish contain up to seven times more cancer-causing chemicals than those from clean waters. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) - an industrial cancer-causing chemical are found in nearly all salmon in the river. Levels of mercury in the sediment exceed standards by 400 per cent. Some pollutants have been tracked to depths of 4 feet below the river bottom, but officials said the layers could go even deeper.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Concerned citizens like Pam Johnson applied for public and private grants to set up the Cleanup Coalition, including the hiring of technical consultants and coordinating staff like B.J. Cummings. Many committed environmental activists, including the native American Duwamish Tribe and other activist groups, have joined the coalition.

In May, the Coalition released the fact sheet detailing the levels of toxins in the river. Cummings says there would be an ongoing campaign to shed light on a complicated cleanup process. She has closely observed chemical trails on the Duwamish, tracking its source in a kayak.

Speaking to the Seattle Post, Cummings said industrial polluters typically had a huge information advantage over citizens during a Superfund cleanup. She added that industry has the resources to hire consultants to carry out studies and write the cleanup plans. But on the Duwamish site, the Coalition gets to see industry documents as soon as they are submitted to the EPA. This is considered a major break from the past.

"Nowhere in the country have the people been invited in as early as in this case," Cummings informed the Post. Citizen participation usually comes after the polluters have already made major decisions, she said. "And without that citizen input, the plans we get are crap." added Cummings.

According to a writeup by the Coalition, pollutants in the river includes industrial carcinogens like PCBs; oil and other hydrocarbons; mercury, lead and other heavy metals; pesticides; arsenic and even raw sewage.

	Untreated sewage drains into river every year.

Each year, 600 million gallons of untreated sewage and storm water drain into the river. All this can find its way into the tissues of fish and wildlife and pass through the food chain to eagles, orcas and human beings. People who eat fish or crab from the river or spend a lot of time bathing in it are at the greatest risk. Until last year, no warning signs were posted along the waterway. The Coalition, on its part, has warned residents not to fish in the river or eat the fish.

Boeing: big culprit
"Boeing, the Port of Seattle, King County and the City of Seattle have already been identified as major contributors, or potentially responsible parties (PRPs)," notes the Coalition. The big four have accepted some degree of responsibility. Much of the pre-cleanup work of the next three years will involve a search for other culprits, many of them businesses that no longer operate in the area.

The Coalition goes on to note that everyone in Seattle is affected in some way, either by the loss of economic or recreational opportunities or pollution of fish, bird and wildlife species or the cost of cleanup. "But the communities overwhelmingly affected are the people (many non-English speaking, low-income or people of color) who live or work close to the river " notes the Coalition.

And just how long could it take to clean this 5 mile stretch?

"I hope we're done in 10 years" said Cummings, coordinator of the Coalition. EPA Superfund program manager Lori Cohen states that the agency cannot say when the entire cleanup might begin or end.

For more reading, visit the following sites :
Duwamish river: www.duwamishcleanup.org/
US EPA: www.epa.gov
Superfund: www.epa.gov/superfund
The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition: www.duwamishcleanup.org/
Duwamish Tribe: www.nwrain.net/~duwamish