June 2014 SERA United States Environmental Protei Agency Region 10 Why ask people about what they eat from the Lower Duwamish Waterway? Pollution in crab, shellfish and fish (except salmon) from the Lower Duwamish Waterway make them unsafe to eat. We want to protect the health of those eating fish from the Lower Duwamish Waterway as we clean up the pollution. To do this, we need more information about: the fishers and fish consumers, what they are eating, and how they use their catch. The information shared with us will be used in the Superfund Cleanup process to develop tools to protect people eating fish. We are not collecting information about the amount of fish consumed, or fish consumption rates, from the river. If you choose to take the survey, the information you share will remain anonymous and confidential. The Washington Department of Health issued a fish advisory recommending no one eat crab, shellfish and fish (except salmon) from the Lower Duwamish Waterway. Salmon (except blackmouth salmon) are the healthiest choice because they spend a short time in the Duwamish River. For information about the existing advisory, visit www.doh.wa.gov/fish or contact Liz Carr, Washington State Department of Health, 0) 1 (877) 485-7316. Help us protect people eating fish from the river: Participate in the study! We need people who fish and eat fish from the river to be involved in the study for it to succeed. People who take the survey and/or are interviewed will receive incentives. There are many ways to participate in the Fishers Study: • Take the survey. The survey asks fishers questions about: why they fish the river, what they catch, what they do with their catch, what they know about the fish, and where they get information about the fish in the river. People who take the survey will receive an incentive. • Participate to be interviewed. People who are interviewed will receive an incentive. • Advise us on the study. Read the study materials and make sure they make sense to you and your community. Provide advice on how to gather information about eating fish from the river. Give us feedback about the study. There will be regular update meetings throughout the Fishers Study. Attend the meetings and provide feedback and advice about the study. oducti ------- Who is iHWiMitfre^is studwandfoj; h(wiiong?J The City of Seattle, King County, Port of Seattle and The Boeing Company are performing the Fishers Study as part of the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Cleanup, The Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) is performing the surveys and interviews. Community members have also volunteered through ECOSS to provide input and advice on the Fishers Study The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Washington State Department of Ecology provide oversight of the Fishers Study by reviewing all study plans, materials, data and reports. The Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/Technical Advisory Group is advising the EPA and Ecology on the Fishers Study. The Washington Department of Health and the City of Seattle and King County Public Health Department participate in the Fishers Study. The Fishers Study survey and interviews will occur for one year, starting in fall 2014. For more information about the Fishers Study and how to participate, or the Lower Duwamish Waterway Cleanup, please contact Julie Congdon MJ Congdon.Julie@epa.gov ® (206) 553-2752 You can also contact Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition/ Technical Advisory Group contact@duwamishcleanup.org (3) (206) 954-0218 fi TDD or TTY users, please call 1 -800-877-8339 and give the operator Julie Corigdon's phone number. Bi511 Ecology and the EPA are working to control pollution entering the Lower Duwamish Waterway and to clean up contamination (or pollution) in the waterway. Early cleanups to address some of the most contaminated areas in the waterway are mostly complete but several will continue through 2015. The EPA will announce its overall cleanup plan for the waterway by the end of 2014. ------- |