The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a Record of Decision for the Lockheed West Superfund Site, outlining the agency’s plan to provide a permanent, long-term remedy for contamination in Elliott Bay near Seattle.
“This cleanup plan will protect native wildlife and the health of people who live, work and recreate near Elliott Bay, ” said Cami Grandinetti, EPA Region 10 Superfund Program Manager .
The decision outlines how risks from contaminated sediments will be reduced with a combination of cleanup activities that include:
– Dredging and disposing of dredged sediments at a permitted landfill;
– Adding a thin layer of clean material across the site to enhance natural recovery and cover dredged areas;
– Continuing the fish advisory to make people aware of risks from eating contaminated seafood;
– Removing debris and pilings.
The Lockheed West cleanup will remove contamination from a 40-acre area in Elliott Bay. More than 151,000 cubic yards of sediment will be dredged from the subtidal area and an additional 15,800 cubic yards will be excavated or dredged from the shoreline and intertidal area. Sediments are contaminated primarily with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), metals, dioxins/furans, tributyltin (TBT), and carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs).
The cost of the cleanup is estimated at $48.1 million. The Lockheed Martin Corporation will perform the cleanup work under EPA oversight.
The Lockheed West Superfund Site is near several other Superfund sites in Elliott Bay, including Harbor Island, East Waterway, Pacific Sound Resources and the Lower Duwamish Waterway. The contamination at these sites impacts the Elliott Bay ecosystem. Over time, sediment cleanups will likely improve the environmental quality of Elliott Bay and will help protect fish, wildlife and people from being exposed to contamination.
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Press Release, August 30, 2013