GO TO: Webinars | Duwamish Cleanup Background |Duwamish Educational Forum | Duwamish Proposed Plan Public Meetings| |Duwamish Proposed Plan Public Meetings (en Español) |
The UW SRP Research Translation Core recorded various meetings and webinars until the program ended in 2023 to reach those unable to attend or wanting to learn more about Superfund. These recordings include background on Superfund sites in EPA Region 10 and public meetings related to the Lower Duwamish Superfund Site cleanup.
Public Meetings Related to the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site Cleanup Public Comment Meetings.
Background on the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) Superfund Site:
The Duwamish River has been characterized as “Seattle’s River”. The course and depth of the natural river were altered in the early 1900s to accommodate a wave of industrialization. Manufacturing included paint, cement, wood preservatives, airplane and shipyard uses. The Lower Duwamish Waterway is a five-mile stretch of the Duwamish River that flows into Elliott Bay in Seattle. Given the importance of the LDW to the region, the UW SRP has been invested in a successful cleanup of the river since it was added to the EPA National Priories List (NPL) in 2001. The LDW surrounding environments include several industries, the neighborhoods of South Park and Georgetown, as well as live-aboard residents in four marinas on the river. Two local tribes (Muckleshoot and Suquamish) have fishing and gathering rights within the LDW and its outflow. Industrial and stormwater discharge, as well as runoff from roadways and banks have polluted the river for decades. Pollution in the river sediments includes polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), dioxins/furans, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs), and metals such as arsenic, copper, chromium, and cadmium. Many of these chemicals persist in the environment, and have accumulated to unsafe levels in resident fish and shellfish. Following the EPA’s addition of the LDW site to the Superfund National Priorities List in 2001, the Washington State Department of Ecology (DOE) added the site to the Washington Hazardous Sites List. The DOE and the EPA, in cooperation with the City of Seattle and King County, are working together to clean up the LDW. Additional details about the cleanup plan can be found on the EPA Region 10 and Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC) websites.
Duwamish River Superfund Cleanup Educational Forum
In 2013, the UW SRP Research Tranlsation Core co-hosted the Duwamish River Superfund Cleanup Educational Forum held at the Allen Library Research Commons at University of Washington, Seattle, WA on April 29th, 2013 during the public comment period of the EPA proposed plan for cleanup. Dr. Kelly Edwards, Professor of Bioethics and Humanities moderated the Educational Forum. Recordings of the Educational Forum are available below and are divided into seven segments (Welcome, Introduction, and Presentations by: EPA Region 10, State Department of Ecology, the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group, DRCC/TAG and the Q&A). You can also view the recordings on the UW SRP Vimeo page.
Duwamish River Superfund Cleanup Educational Forum: Welcome. Presenters Kelly Edward, UW & Ken Worksman, Duwamish Tribe from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Duwamish River Superfund Cleanup Educational Forum: Introduction. Presenter Kelly Edwards, University of Washington. from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Duwamish Proposed Cleanup Plan. Presenter Allison Hiltner, U.S. EPA Region 10 from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Lower Duwamish Waterway Source Control Strategy. Presenter Andy Smith, Washington State Department of Ecology from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Lower Duwamish Waterway Cleanup. Presenter David Schuchardt, City of Seattle, Lower Duwamish Waterway Group from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Duwamish River Cleanup Plan: Assessment and Recommendations. Presenter BJ Cummings, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC) from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Q&A Session: Duwamish River Superfund Cleanup Educational Forum from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Duwamish Waterway Proposed Plan Public Meetings
US EPA Region 10 and Washington State Department of Ecology hosted the Proposed Plan Meetings and Comment Opportunities for the Lower Duwamish Superfund Cleanup on April 30, 2013 in the Georgetown neighborhood of Seattle. Recordings of the Proposed Plan Meetings and Comment Opportunities are available below and are divided into two parts. Part 1 includes presentations by EPA, EPA Environmental Justice staff and the Washington Department of Ecology. Part 2 includes a presentation by the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group (DRCC/TAG ), and public comments. You can also view the recordings on the UW SRP Vimeo page. More details on the cleanup can be found on the EPA Region 10 website.
Lower Duwamish Waterway Proposed Plan Meeting--Part 1 from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Lower Duwamish Waterway Proposed Plan Meeting - Part 2 from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Duwamish Waterway Proposed Plan Public Meeting (en Español)
EPA Duwamish Public Meeting in Spanish May 15 2013 Part 1 from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
EPA Duwamish Public Meeting in Spanish May 15 2013 Part 2 Q&A from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
EPA Duwamish Public Meeting in Spanish May 15 2013 Part 3 DRCC Presentation from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
Webinars:
"Grassroots Organizing and Campaign Planning" by Karlee Deatherage
On March 31, 2017 the UW-SRP Research Translation Core assisted regional community partners by hosting and recording a special presentation by Karlee Deatherage, Policy Analyst for the Clean Water Program at RE Sources Sustainable Communites based in Bellingham, WA. The presentation covers what happens before a campaign launch and focuses on the basic elements of campaign planning using a model that helped the Whatcome County community defeat Norht America's largest coal export terminal at Cherry Point. Karlee covers how to identify goals and strategies for making measurable change on environmental issues, how to identify key targets and audiences with the power to actually make the world better, and discusses the development of objectives that help us reach those targets and audiences. In addition, the strategy workshop seeks to illuminate why some campaigns see success farily quickly and effectively while others drag on or ultimately fail.
The webinar was hosted by the University of Washington Superfund Research Program.
NWTCC webinar "Grassroots Organizing & Campaign Planning" from UW-SRP on Vimeo.
"How Do Our Hazardous Waste Site Cleanups Compare?" by Dr. Peter L. deFur
On November 19, 2014 the UW-SRP Research Translation Core assisted regional community partners by hosting and recording a special presentation by Dr. Peter L. deFur, President of Environmental Stewardship Concepts based in Henrico, Virginia. Dr. deFur's presentation provided a comparison of hazardous site cleanups he has worked on in Region 10 US EPA. These included Washington state's Rayonier Port Angeles Harbor site on the Olympic Peninsula, the Lower Duwamish Waterway in Seattle, as well as the Portland Harbor in Oregon.
Dr. deFur's presentation compared the contaminants and cleanup options between the three sites, described alternative cleanup methods available that can be used for particular contaminants, and compared agency support of the citizen groups at the different sites. Dr. deFur's trip was made possible by 'Futurewise' and the 'Olympic Environmental Council' as part of Washington state's Department of Ecology Public Participation Grants. The webinar was hosted by the University of Washington Superfund Research Program.
HOW DO OUR HAZARDOUS WASTE SITE CLEANUPS COMPARE? from UW-SRP on Vimeo.