Duwamish Waterway Park Activation

Updated: July 8, 2024

Summer 2024

On December 13, 2022, Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) opened the park. SPR removed fencing around most of the park after consulting with the 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 about 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. As part of the formal process, an Agreed Order between SPR and Ecology was signed in November 2023 to address the remaining environmental work and areas of concern at the park. The City of Seattle has submitted the Draft Remediation Investigation Work Plan and is working through review comments from Ecology.  We anticipate this Work Plan to be accepted in late fall of 2024.

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 from 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

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

View the project update text above, translated into each of these four languages:
Hmong; Somali; Spanish; Vietnamese
Duwamish Waterway Park plan rendering thumbnail image and link to PDF of same
Duwamish Waterway Park Improvements Plan Rendering

Location

Duwamish Waterway Park, 7900 10th Ave S, 98108

Budget

Working with the Seattle Parks Foundation, the Friends of Duwamish Waterway Park raised over $1 million for the park renovation.

Schedule

Park Development: Complete
On-going work under Agreed Order: 2023-2028

Parks and Recreation

AP Diaz, Superintendent
Mailing Address: 100 Dexter Ave N, Seattle, WA, 98109
Phone: (206) 684-4075
Fax: (206) 615-1813
pks_info@seattle.gov

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