Duwamish Waterway Park Activation

December 2022

On December 13, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) opened the park. SPR removed fencing around most of the park after consulting with Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), hiring a consultant firm to do additional testing, and listening to the community. Fencing will remain around portions of the park due to concerns of higher levels of contaminants controlled by the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA).

SPR entered the Ecology Voluntary Clean-up Program after the purchase of the park site from King County in 2019. SPR removed soil and covered areas of concern with clean soil, grass, and/or concrete. These actions were reported to Ecology through the Voluntary Cleanup Program.

Ecology elected to move the park into the MTCA’s formal cleanup process in June 2021 during the park renovation. This Agreed Order is an agreement between SPR and Ecology to address environmental work to be done on areas of concern in the park. SPR is working to respond to Ecology on the draft Agreed Order, and together, we anticipate the Agreed Order will be open for public comment by spring.

Working with SPR and the Seattle Parks Foundation, the Friends of Duwamish Waterway Park raised over $1 million for park improvements and launched the renovation effort at this park. The community-led and funded park project is carefully designed to maximize open space for recreation and festivals, and to preserve river access for launching hand-carried boats. SPR renovated the park, which now offers a new play area that opened in August 2022, as well as an accessible perimeter pathway with a series of interpretive artwork boulders, new park furnishings with accessible picnic tables, barbecues, and a drinking fountain and foot wash area.

When visiting the park, visitors should avoid exposed dirt and wash hands and toys with soap. After park visits, you should remove your shoes at the door before going inside and wipe off dirt form your pet’s paws. More healthy actions here: https://ecology.wa.gov/Spills-Cleanup/Contamination-cleanup/Dirt-Alert-program/Healthy-actions.

For more information about potential contaminants please visit: https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/cleanupsearch/site/15139

Winter 2021/2022

Duwamish Waterway Park Play Area Open
Remainder of Duwamish Waterway Park and beach area to reopen after additional environmental remediation work

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR), Seattle Parks Foundation and the Friends of Duwamish Waterway Park, opened the play area at Duwamish Waterway Park, 7900 10^th Ave. S in South Park in late August.  SPR purchased the 1.3-acre, main lawn portion of the park from King County after a community-led process to make the entire property a permanent neighborhood riverfront park. A small portion of the park area is owned by the Port of Seattle, but has been operated as part of the park for many years.

SPR is working with the contractor, the Port of Seattle, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), and the Duwamish River Community Coalition regarding additional environmental remediation needs before opening the remainder of the park. Seattle Parks and Recreation activities to date include renovation of the park and partial removal of soil contamination discovered between 2014 and 2019. After the soil removal, the addressed areas were covered with clean soil, grass, and/or concrete and the actions were reported to the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) through the Voluntary Cleanup Program. After consulting with Ecology and the Duwamish River Community Coalition, Seattle Parks and Recreation identified further actions are needed before opening the remainder of the park. Completion of the cleanup of the park will be advised by Ecology under the Voluntary Cleanup Program and the Duwamish River Community Coalition to ensure we are in agreement with the community goals. Though the schedule for cleanup is yet to be determined, SPR is working to open the remainder of the park as soon as possible.

Working with SPR and the Seattle Parks Foundation, the Friends of Duwamish Waterway Park raised over $1 million for park improvements and launched the renovation effort as this park is a high priority for the community. The community led and funded park project is carefully designed to maximize open space for recreation and festivals, and to preserve river access for launching hand-carried boats. SPR renovated the park which now offers a new play area, an accessible perimeter pathway with a series of interpretive artwork boulders, new park furnishings with accessible picnic tables, barbecues, as well as a drinking fountain and foot wash area. Voluntary Cleanup Program activities to address the contamination at the park to date have been funded separately.

For more information on the status of the site cleanup under the Voluntary Cleanup Program, see Ecology's webpage (Site Information (wa.gov)).

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Duwamish Waterway Park Improvements Plan Rendering