Pink salmon run in the millions every odd-numbered years in recent history. cleanup. By continuing to use this site, you agree to allow us to collect information using cookies. [Image description: A student holds a handout showing photos of a cleanup effort on the Duwamish River. Debris along the Duwamish River.Credit: Paul Joseph Brown/InvestigateWestThe residents of south Seattle’s 98108 ZIP code, some living cheek-by-jowl with the Duwamish River Superfund site, face a high degree of environmental health threats and are likely … Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition is an alliance of community, environmental, and small business groups affected by on-going pollution and cleanup plans for the Duwamish River under the federal "Superfund" law. A key step in this collaboration was to ask the DRCC what they hoped students would come away from the program understanding – about the river, its history, and the ongoing efforts to clean it up. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. KUOW - In Seattle’s polluted valley, pandemic and particulates are twin threats. Expanding IslandWood’s existing programs into different areas of Seattle, like the Duwamish River Valley, represents an important opportunity for learning, growth and collaboration. [9] Cleanup and restoration efforts are ongoing. The community has long-prioritized air quality and … We promote place-keeping and prioritize community capacity and resilience. Along the way, Celina and her fellow instructors demonstrate to their students that while addressing environmental issues isn’t easy, it is possible – even at one of the most polluted sites in the U.S. Green-Duwamish Watershed The Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have been working together since 2001 to identify, cleanup and control sources of pollution to the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW). Due to 20th century industrial contamination, the lower 5 miles (8.0 km) of the Duwamish was declared a Superfund site by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience. After months of careful planning and collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Public Schools, Community Health Advocates, and the DRCC, IslandWood’s Urban School Programs team has begun to pilot the new Duwamish River Program with school groups from the Duwamish River Valley. In 1909 the City of Seattle formed the Duwamish Waterway Commission in order to sell bonds and oversee the re-channelling of the river. The Duwamish River's most common pollutant is petroleum. They are posing in front of a drawn map of the river.]. DRCC elevates the voice of those impacted by the Duwamish River pollution and other environmental injustices to advocate for a clean, healthy, and equitable environment for people and wildlife. ... (pollution) control done in the Duwamish area. Samantha Pinnell, a teacher from Sanislo Elementary School, says that the program has helped her students “deepen their understanding of place and interdependence. Lastly, students get an up-close view of a sewer overflow pipe – a reminder of how many pollutants are introduced to the river. Kellogg Island, the last remnant of the original river, was declared a wildlife preserve, and nearby terminal T-107 was converted into a park, creating a substantial natural area near the mouth of the river. While the majority of our work takes place on Suquamish (suq̀ʷabš) and Duwamish (dxʷdɐwʔabʃ) land, we also conduct programs on the land of the Snohomish (sduhúbʃ), Puyallup (spuyaləpabš), Muckleshoot (buklshuhls), Skokomish (sqoqc’bes), and S’Klallam (nəxʷsƛ̕ay̕əm) peoples. Over a century of urbanization and industrial activity polluted the sediments in the Lower Duwamish Waterway. [13] Other contamination would still occur from farms, surface runoff, or failing septic tanks. The river continues to support Seattle through the economic and industrial activity that depends on it. The Lower Duwamish Waterway Source Control Implementation Plan builds on over 50 years of investments made by King County to clean up the Duwamish River. In 1906, however, the White River changed course following a major flood and emptied into the Puyallup River as it does today. GDLL is a collaborative effort between several local and federal organizations, alongside the Duwamish Valley community, that is working to collect information evaluating the effects of urban greening efforts while monitoring change over time in the Duwamish River Watershed. Opposition to this plan in both Seattle and Tacoma forced the sludge to be shipped to Klickitat County in south central Washington instead of disposal in Puget Sound. EPA's Community Advisory Group for the site, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group, conducted a review of the plan and published a Community Fact Sheet with a summary of its assessment and recommendations for improvement. Anyway, there’s a boat waiting. Students were able to make connections about the health of the river and its impact on our community as well as our community’s impact on it.”, [Image description: A student writes notes on a piece of paper on the deck of the Argosy boat. Green/Duwamish River Watershed Pollutant Loading Assessment. Drawing on the environmental education curriculum of IslandWood’s Community Waters program, the Duwamish River Program incorporates many of the strategies used in Community Waters – with a twist. [12] The riverwide cleanup plan was released for public review on February 28, 2013. After months of careful planning and collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities, Seattle Public Schools, Community Health Advocates, and the DRCC, IslandWood’s Urban School Programs team has begun to pilot the new Duwamish River Program with school groups from the Duwamish River Valley. To do this, they chose to include a wide variety of activities and perspectives. A Special Thanks to our corporate sponsor. When the first European-Americans arrived in the area in 1851, they found the Dkhw’Duw’Absh people living in more than 90 longhouses, in at least 17 villages, in modern-day Seattle and environs. This tool helps students strengthen their knowledge of public issues, learn about different stakeholder perspectives, and advocate for individual and collective action. We will never see a truly healthy Puget Sound until we clean up the Duwamish and the other rivers that sustain the Sound. Seattle Iron and Metal on Seattle's Duwamish River in November 2019. Credit: KUOW Photo / John Ryan. [3] Duwamish people continued to work and fish in the area, using man-made "Ballast Island" on the Seattle waterfront as a canoe haul-out and informal market,[4] but by the early 20th Century, most remnants of traditional life along the river had disappeared. The pollution found in the pipe was uncharacteristic for the Duwamish River, the special agent said, and could be evidence of illegal discharges from the Lafarge plant. The cleanup of the river has been controversial: one plan for an "early action" or hotspot cleanup proposed to dredge contaminated sediment and dump the resulting sludge in Tacoma's Commencement Bay, 26 miles (42 km) to the southwest. IslandWood acknowledges that we live and work on the ancestral land of the Coast Salish people, who have been stewards of this region's land and waters since time immemorial, and who continue to protect these lands and waters for future generations, as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855, the Treaty of Point No Point of 1855, and the Treaty of Medicine Creek of 1854. Currently we are working on scientific studies and design planning for river cleanup and controlling sources of pollution to the river. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. [8], The Duwamish basin soon became Seattle's industrial and commercial core area. Four entities partially responsible for the sediment contamination—the city of Seattle, King County, the Port of Seattle, and aerospace manufacturer Boeing—already have poured $200 million into initial efforts to reduce PCB levels on the Duwamish, cutting them by half since work began in 2013. The Duwamish River corridor is a living example of research that shows low-income and communities of color are hit first and worst by climate change and its impacts. The plan documents ongoing and priority source control actions and programs, and the County’s coordinated source control efforts with external partners in support of LDW Superfund sediment cleanup. [10], In 2009, the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center was opened on the west bank of the river as part of the tribe's reassertion of its historic rights in the area and its continuing struggle for federal recognition of tribal status.[3]. Goal: Quantify sediment and toxic chemical loads associated with upstream sources in the Green River to the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW). [Image description: a photo of Celina Steiger and a group of students on the deck of the Argosy boat during the Duwamish River Program. The last five miles of the Duwamish River is contaminated; it is a United States Superfund Site.The City of Seattle is part of the Lower Duwamish Working Group (LDWG) who is working to clean up the river. The Duwamish River faces many types of pollution, in addition to the contaminants named above. She has been working on the waterway for more than 25 years and founded the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, the group that helped secure Superfund listing for the river. Because, as an instructional strategy, connecting students’ classroom learning to real-world phenomena in their own communities helps make scientific and sociological concepts tangible and engaging. “What should the Duwamish River be like in the future?”. Activities included cargo handling and storage, marine construction, ship and boat manufacturing, concrete manufacturing, paper and metals fabrication, food processing, and countless other industrial operations. So far, four classes have participated in the Duwamish River Program, with more scheduled for the spring, and nearly all of the teachers who have attended are eager to introduce the program to other classes from their schools. The study will also determine whether the carbon has negative effects on the animals that live in the sediment that ma… Seattle’s Office of Sustainability and Environment is a partner in the Green Duwamish Learning Landscape (GDLL). During the first of these stops, at Kellogg Island, students gain a deeper appreciation for the role of the Duwamish Tribe in stewarding the river. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. From that time forward, the point of the name change from Green to Duwamish is no longer the confluence of the Green and Black Rivers, though it has not changed location.[2]. With the spread of ecological concerns in the 1970s, various environmental, tribal, and community organizations became interested in the severely polluted Duwamish. Even if these overflows were to be cleaned up, the overall quality of the water would not improve much. We need to balance those interests with the health and needs of people who rely on the river for basic sustenance, cultural and spiritual sustenance, green space, blue space and recreation. [11] The cleanup of the river has been controversial: one plan for an "early action" or hotspot cleanup proposed to dredge contaminated sediment and dump the resulting sludge in Tacoma's Commencement Bay, 26 miles (42 km) to the southwest. The history of the Duwamish – Seattle’s only river – includes decades of pollution that eventually led to it being named a Superfund Site by the EPA in 2001, which classifies the river as one of the most toxic sites in the United States. Air pollution in the Duwamish Valley is both a storm water and a human health concern. Surface water sampling. AN INTERDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION, Where Community Waters focuses on investigating environmental phenomena through the lens of the, To meet this goal, IslandWood’s team, led by Celina, drew on, CRAFTING A COMMUNITY-CONNECTED PROGRAM THROUGH COLLABORATION WITH LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. The Dkhw’Duw’Absh traditionally used the river to hunt ducks and geese, fish for salmon, cod, and halibut, harvest clams, and gather berries, camas, and other plants for food and medicinal purposes. Wilma, David-"Straightening of Duwamish River begins on October 14, 1913." Celina Steiger, IslandWood’s Urban School Programs Coordinator, poses this question to a group of 5th graders from Maple Elementary School as they sail on an Argosy boat down the Duwamish River in South Seattle. Radiocarbon-dating of artifacts indicates that indigenous tribes have lived along the Duwamish since at least the Sixth Century AD. The ultimate goal is to build on students’ existing relationship with the river and their community using both lenses – environmental and cultural. Decision time on the Duwamish", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Duwamish_River&oldid=1000675162, Articles with dead external links from April 2013, Wikipedia articles with WorldCat-VIAF identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 16 January 2021, at 04:51. INVESTIGATING ONE OF THE MOST TOXIC SITES IN THE U.S. https://www.duwamishcleanup.org/our-mission. Drawing on resources and input from the DRCC and IslandWood partners Seattle Public Schools and Seattle Public Utilities, the team wanted to develop a program that would provide a multifaceted view of the river and its significance. [Image description: a photo of three students on the Argosy boat during the Duwamish River Program. The LDW is the last five miles of the Duwamish River before it enters Puget Sound. Now, phase two—a $340 million undertaking—is about to begin. Chemical pollution gets into our environment from many sources. Then, with the opening of the Lake Washington Ship Canal in 1916, the lake's level dropped nearly nine feet and the Black River dried up. To meet this goal, IslandWood’s team, led by Celina, drew on You Decide, a civics assessment tool developed by the Office for the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) and used in Seattle Public Schools. For example, other than salmon, any type of fish or shellfish found in the river is unfit for human consumption. The contaminants include PCBs, PAHs, mercury, and phthalates. Where Co… chum and steelhead, as well as the more rare sockeye, sea-run cutthroat trout and bull trout. The Lower Duwamish River is an industrial waterway in Seattle plagued with industrial pollution dating back to the early 1900s. When the sources of pollution are sufficiently under control, cleanup of the river sediments can start. The study will test the theory that pollutants are trapped by activated carbon that is mixed in a thin layer of clean material (either sand or gravely sand) and placed over existing contaminated sediments. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. keyValue[2].split('/')[2] : null;} [Image description: A student stands on the deck of the Argosy boat and looks out at the bank of the river. The native Lushootseed name of the Duwamish River (and of the Cedar River) was Dxwdəw. *Source: https://www.duwamishcleanup.org/our-mission, Your email address will not be published. Today, these students are not only learning about the history of the river, but exploring their role as stakeholders in what its future could and should look like. Learn more in our, Virtual Water Programs for King and Snohomish Counties, Day Programs in Seattle and at Brightwater. The Duwamish River, for example, is Washington’s section of the Green River that offers local communities access to salmon, clams, squid, crabs, rockfish, flounder, and perch (Washington State Department of Health 2016). [14], Despite the industrialization of the Duwamish river, it remains an important habitat for the thousands of salmon and trout that visit the marshes and estuaries each year to spawn. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Ecology is managing 21 cleanup sites through its formal cleanup process. Duwamish River to get $342 million more for cleanup The EPA's order aims to undo decades of industrial pollution to Seattle's only river. [5][6], In 1895, Eugene Semple, who had earlier served as Governor of Washington Territory, outlined a plan for a series of major public works projects in the Seattle area, including the straightening and dredging of the Duwamish River, both to open up the area to commercial use and to alleviate flooding. The river and the river bank are visible in the background.]. By 1920, 4½ miles of the Duwamish Waterway had been dredged to a depth of 50 feet, with 20 million cubic feet of mud and sand going into the expansion of Harbor Island. An aerial view of Sodo, West Seattle, and Duwamish waterway, photographed Monday December 14, 2015. For over a century, the Duwamish River became polluted with toxic chemicals from many sources, including storm water runoff, wastewater, and industrial practices. … In both her book and her work for the SRP, Cummings addresses Duwamish River pollution from an environmental justice angle. At Hamm Creek, Celina tells them that the area had become clogged with trash and ivy until the Duwamish Tribe and local activist John Beal intervened, allowing the creek to once again become a site where salmon are able to spawn. 2 slides. Its industrialized estuary is known as the Duwamish Waterway. Boeing Plant 1 was established on the Lower Duwamish in 1916, and Boeing Plant 2, further upriver, in 1936.[8]. Blecha, Peter-"Seattle's Duwamish Tribe celebrates new Longhouse and Cultural Center on January 3, 2009; HistoryLink.org Essay 8894; Gwinn, Mary Ann-"Native landscape: The rich layer of indigenous history under Seattle’s skin". It also includes the ongoing restoration efforts by the Duwamish Tribe, Boeing, the City of Seattle, groups like the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition (DRCC), and many dedicated individuals. Some of the Duwamish’s polluted dirt – or sediment, as it’s called under water — is thought to settle along the river’s final five miles above the West Seattle Bridge, the part of the river already classified as a Superfund site because it numbers among the nastiest pollution messes in the country. Until 1906, the White and Green Rivers combined at Auburn, and joined the Black River at Tukwila to form the Duwamish. Many immigrant populations use this river … These cookies do not store any personal information. At the Boeing plant and a nearby metal recycling facility, they learn about the impact of industrialization, and the recent restoration and planting projects that have begun to counteract this damage. Many of the animal species found in or around the river contain an unhealthy amount of contaminants. The Duwamish River is an important tributary to Puget Sound, as well as one of the biggest sources of pollution into the Sound. The Coalition helps people learn about and get involved in decisions regarding cleanup. With a complex history, multiple issues at play, and a variety of stakeholders affected, the Duwamish River proved to be the perfect site to explore each of these elements in a real-world context. The last year-round native residents on the river - an old man named Seetoowathl, and his wife - died of starvation in their float-house on Kellogg Island in the winter of 1920. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Since this program is in the piloting phase, feedback like this from educators, students, partners, and other stakeholders is invaluable in shaping the direction that the program will take in the future. The Ecological Risk Assessment also found that river otters from the Lower Duwamish River might be exposed to such high levels of PCBs that the growth or survival of their offspring may be reduced. Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. Due to legacy chemical pollution, the lower Duwamish River has had an on-going fishing advisory that recommends only fishing for salmon. After the completion of the man-made Harbor Island in 1909, the mouth of the river was divided into two channels, the East and West Waterways. Another student is pointing at the text on the handout.]. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *, function googleTranslateElementInit2() {new google.translate.TranslateElement({pageLanguage: 'en',autoDisplay: false}, 'google_translate_element2');}, function GTranslateGetCurrentLang() {var keyValue = document['cookie'].match('(^|;) ?googtrans=([^;]*)(;|$)');return keyValue ? Focus is on high flow/high turbidity events that may contribute more to the annual loading than average flow conditions. HistoryLink.org Essay 2986; NOAA press release,"$4.6 MILLION PROJECT WILL RESTORE 16.5 ACRES OF CRITICAL AQUATIC HABITAT ALONG LOWER DUWAMISH RIVER AT SEABOARD LUMBER SITE"; Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition-History/Vision; United States Environmental Protection Agency, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group, http://www.duwamishtribe.org/culture.html, http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8894, http://www.duwamishtribe.org/ballastisland.html, http://www.burkemuseum.org/static/waterlines/process.php, http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&File_Id=2986, http://www.boeing.com/principles/environment/duwamish/history.page, http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/pr98/nov98/noaa98-r158.html, http://duwamishcleanup.org/about/history/, "Seattle's Aquatic Environments: Duwamish Estuary", "Life on the Duwamish:Rediscovering Seattle's Dirty South", "A River Lost? By partnering with local stakeholders like the DRCC, we are able to support existing environmental restoration work while providing culturally-relevant programs that meet the needs of the communities we serve. The Duwamish River has been a catalyst for innovation in Seattle, but with dire consequences. This joint Ecology and EPA effort, initiated in late 2014, will develop a watershed-based model to: evaluate the cumulative effects of toxic pollution; assess the relative contribution of toxic pollution from sources and pathways in … [7] The shallow, meandering, nine-mile-long river became a five-mile engineered waterway capable of handling ocean-going vessels. During the three hour trip down the river, guest stakeholders come onboard the Argosy boat to share their connection to the Duwamish River, scientists from Seattle Public Utilities help students test the quality of the water, and the boat pauses at five “Story Stops” that offer insights into different aspects of the river’s history. Duwamish River (Dxwdəw), Seattle, WA 98108 The Duwamish segment of the Green-Duwamish River, is located in the highly urbanized watershed in South Seattle and Tukwila including residential areas, light commercial industry and heavy industry in the lower portion near the mouth of the river. The toxins in the river affect the salmon and other sea life in the river. The Duwamish River runs through Seattle's largest concentration of industry and past some of the city's poorest neighborhoods. Work began in October, 1913, and the oxbows gradually disappeared, with a few recesses in the channel left to accommodate high water flows and turning ships. One major form of pollution is fecal coliform caused by sewage overflow. IslandWood uses cookies to customize your experience and help us understand how you engage with our site. function GTranslateFireEvent(element,event){try{if(document.createEventObject){var evt=document.createEventObject();element.fireEvent('on'+event,evt)}else{var evt=document.createEvent('HTMLEvents');evt.initEvent(event,true,true);element.dispatchEvent(evt)}}catch(e){}} The contaminants include PCBs, PAHs, mercury, and phthalates. The Duwamish Waterway empties into Elliott Bay in Seattle. As it proceeds to Elliot Bay, it collects water from Duwamish Valley residents face health threats, study shows as EPA chooses Superfund cleanup plan By Robert McClure | March 28, 2013. [1] Both of these have been anglicized as Duwamish. Due to 20th century industrial contamination, the lower 5 miles (8.0 km) of the Duwamish was declared a Superfund site by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Later, in 1911 the Cedar River was diverted to empty into Lake Washington instead of into the Black River; at that time, the lake itself still emptied into the Black River. They are looking towards the shore of the river.]. Opposition to this plan in both Seattl… Parts of the Georgetown and South Park neighborhoods once on quiet riverbank found themselves inland; the Georgetown Steam Plant was now almost a mile from the river, and special water pumping facilities had to be installed. The work will include dredging areas prone to erosion, in some cases laying dow… 4450 Blakely Ave. NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 206.855.4300 IslandWood is a registered 501c3 charitable organization. [1], Native villages on the Duwamish were eventually supplanted by white settlement and commercial use, and there was evidence of deliberate burning of Indian longhouses in 1893. The Duwamish River is the name of the lower 12 miles (19 km) of Washington state's Green River. In Washington, 46 percent of all toxic sites are in areas mostly populated by people of color, while 56 percent are in largely low-income areas. “The continued polluted condition of the Green-Duwamish River impacts not only the health of the ecosystem and all the creatures that depend on it, but also the health of the people and communities along its banks, many of them low-income,” said Sheida Sahandy, Executive Director at … Sea life in the U.S. https: //www.duwamishcleanup.org/our-mission the chemical pollution that gets into our from. Learn about different stakeholder perspectives, and advocate for individual and collective action SRP, Cummings addresses River... In our, Virtual water Programs for King and Snohomish Counties, Day Programs in Seattle s... Srp, Cummings addresses Duwamish River. ] course following a major flood and emptied the... 'S Green River to the Lower Duwamish Waterway, photographed Monday December 14,.... 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