The Justice Department, EPA and Washington state have reached a proposed $668 million settlement agreement to clean up hazardous waste from Seattle’s only river.
Under the terms of the settlement, airplane manufacturer Boeing, the city of Seattle and Washington’s King County would implement EPA’s cleanup plan for the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site, a five-mile segment of river surrounded by manufacturing plants, shipyards, foundries and timber mills.
EPA has identified 41 hazardous substances in the waterway, including arsenic and carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbons.
“The Duwamish is a vital asset to Seattle and the surrounding community,” said Justin Heminger, acting deputy assistant attorney general of DOJ’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “By lodging this settlement with the court today and seeking public comment, we take a big step toward restoring the Lower Duwamish.”
