This fact sheet gives information about the recent study to define contamination at the East Waterway around
the Harbor Island Superfund Site. The waterway is in Seattle, Washington, and extends along the east side of
Harbor Island and is connected to the Lower Duwamlsh Waterway Superfund site.
Harbor Island was placed on EPA's National Priorities (Superfund) List in 1983 due to contamination from a
lead smelter as well as releases of hazardous substances from other industrial activities on Harbor Island. For
management purposes, EPA breaks up complicated sites into OUs (operable units). The East Waterway is
one of seven OUs of the Harbor Island Superfund site. Under Superfund, a Remedial Investigation must be
conducted for each OU.
Study Defines Contaminants
Under the oversight of EPA, the East Waterway Remedial Investigation was conducted by the East Waterway
Group. The Group consists of the Port of Seattle, the City of Seattle, and King County. The Port led the work
under a legal agreement with EPA. The City of Seattle and King County are supporting the Port's efforts and
are conducting source control measures under EPA oversight. The purpose of the study was to learn about the
contaminated mud (sediment), including the following:
• Chemicals of concern in the sediment • .How — and where — contamination enters
• Extent of the chemical contamination t'ie East Waterway
• Harmful effects or risks that chemicals in sediment may pose to people and organisms that encounter them.
The data from the Remedial Investigation will support the analyses to be conducted in an upcoming Feasibility
Study. The Study will evaluate a range of options for cleaning up the contamination.
What are the most harmful contaminants in the East Waterway?
There are many chemical contaminants in the waterway's sediment, fish, and shellfish. Most of the human health
and environmental risk comes from these chemicals:
PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) are man-made
chemicals that were banned in 1979. They stay in the
environment for a long time and can build up in fish
and shellfish. PCBs are known to impact the immune
system and may cause cancer in people who have been
exposed over a long time. PCBs can also affect learning
abilities in children.
Arsenic is naturally present at low levels in Puget Sound
area rock and soil, industrial activities have spread
additional arsenic over much of the Puget Sound region.
Long-term exposure to toxic forms of arsenic may cause
skin, bladder, and other cancers.
PAHs (carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)
are formed during the burning of substances such as
coal, oil, gas, wood, garbage and tobacco and during the
charbroiling of meat.
Long periods of breathing, eating, or having skin contact
with high levels of some PAHs may increase a person's
risk of cancer.
Dioxins and furans are by-products of burning (either in
natural or industrial settings), chemical manufacturing
and metal processing. Dioxins last a long time in the en-
vironment and, like PCBs, can build up in fish and fatty
foods. Specific toxic effects related to dioxins include re-
productive problems, problems in fetal development or
in early childhood, immune system damage, and cancer.
TBT (tributyltin) is a chemical that is used in boat
paints to prevent and slow the growth of algae and
other organisms that attach to the hulls of boats. It
is extremely toxic to aquatic life and is a hormone-
disrupting chemical that causes severe reproductive
effects in marine organisms.
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EPA completes study on contamination at the East Waterway
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Human Health
Health risks for people were evaluated for:
• Various seafood consumption scenarios
• Touching the sediment through various activities
such as netfishing and clamming, and
• Coming into contact with the surface water
through swimming or other activities.
The scenarios evaluated in this assessment have been
selected in an attempt to not underestimate risks
and to be protective of human health. Most of the
human health risks are associated with PCBs, arsenic,
PAHs, and dioxins and furans. (See "What are the most
harmful contaminants in the East Waterway?n on Page 1,
describing the toxicity of these chemicals.)
Lower risks are associated with activities that involve
touching sediment, such as clamming and net fishing.
Human health risks in the East Waterway were
higher for the seafood consumption scenarios. Over
95% of the total excess cancer risk was associated with
arsenic, PAHs, PCBs, and dioxins/furans.
Elevated risk estimates associated with inorganic
arsenic and PAHs are largely attributed to
consumption of clams. For PCBs, risks are primarily
attributable to fish fillet of perch and rockfish. For
dioxins and dioxin-like compounds, risks are primarily
attributable to clams, crab, and rockfish.
Sediment
Throughout the waterway, sediment contaminant
concentrations are greater than standards allow.
Contamination is generally greater in areas that
have not been recently dredged. These areas of
the waterway include the shallow main body, the
perimeter of the deep main body, and the slips.
Contaminated sediments in the waterway pose a
concern to worms and other creatures that live in the
mud. Potential sources of contaminants were identi-
fied as being both historical and ongoing. Elevated
levels of PCBs, TBT and mercury are among the 30
chemicals that are of concern to bottom-dwelling ani-
mals. The locations with the highest concentrations of
the contaminants were varied.
Do you eat fish from
the East Waterway?
The main way people are exposed to the chemicals in
the East Waterway is by eating the seafood that live in
the river year round. Don't eat resident fish (like the
rockfish shown in the picture), shellfish or crab from
the waterway.
Salmon are a healthier choice because they migrate
up and down the river. They spend most of their lives
in the ocean. Everyone can safely eat 2 to 3 meals
a week of coho, chum, pink, and sockeye salmon.
LIMIT Chinook salmon to 1 meal a week and resident
Blackmouth Chinook salmon (caught in the winter) to
2 meals a month.
Learn more at http://www.doh.wa.gov/fish
I V
Fish and Wildlife
Despite habitat changes and the presence of
contaminants the East Waterway is home to many
aquatic species, including top predators. Risks to most
wildlife generally did not exceed harmful levels based
on their exposure within the waterway.
Based on their exposure within the waterway, unac-
ceptable risks are not expected for aquatic-dependent
wildlife like river otters, harbor seals, pigeon guillemot
and osprey. For juvenile Chinook salmon, a species on
the endangered species list, cadmium was a concern.
Cadmium, copper and zinc were of concern for crabs.
Total PCBs, cadmium, copper, TBT and vanadium
were identified as contaminant risks for English sole
and brown rockfish.
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EPA completes study on contamination at the East Waterway
West Waterway
Harbor Island
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The East Waterway is located about a mile southwest
of downtown Seattle in King County, Washington.
It is part of the greater Duwamish estuary, which
extends as far as 10 miles upstream. At the southern
end of Harbor Island the river splits into the East and
West Waterway.
From there the two waterways extend to Elliott Bay
at the north end of Harbor Island. The waterway
runs along the entire eastern shore of Harbor Island.
The Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site is
located immediately upstream of the East Waterway.
The waterway is about 1.4 miles long and for most
of its length is 750 feet wide with a north to south
orientation. The northern portion of the waterway has
been dredged to depth currently needed for container
ship navigation. Four bridges cross over the waterway
along the Spokane Street corridor, including the lower
Spokane Street Bridge (which includes the fishing
pier bridge along the north side).
Over the past 100 years the waterway has been
highly modified to support urban and industrial
development. Some of the changes to the waterway
include control of water flow, channel deepening,
shoreline modifications, loss of intertidal habitat, and
installation of riprap, pier aprons and sheet pile walls.
Commercial facilities line the shoreline. The waterway
is currently used by ships to transport goods and other
maritime purposes. The Port of Seattle periodically
removes sediment, for operating purposes. A large
portion of the dredged sediments are sent to landfills
rather than open-water disposal.
Tribal members harvest seafood from the waterway, a
right guaranteed by treaty with the U.S. government.
However, a fish consumption advisory warning
individuals not to consume contaminated resident
seafood caught in the waterway is in place. {See
"Do you eatfish from the East Waterway?" Page 2)
Next Steps
Information gathered during this investigation will
help the EPA determine the best and most efficient
ways to address the threats to human health and
the environment. The EPA is evaluating several
cleanup options, including removal of contaminants
by dredging, capping over contaminants, adding
thin layers of sand and monitoring for contaminant
changes over time. These cleanup options will be
detailed in a document called a Feasibility Study.
The study will be available to the public in 2015
or early 2016. The public will also have a chance
to review the proposed cleanup decision. The final
cleanup decision will be documented in a ROD or
Record of Decision.
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United States
Environmental Protection
tl M % Agency
M % Agency
Pre-Sorted Standard
Region 10
Postage and Fees Paid
U.S. EPA
1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, ETPA-202-4
Permit No.G-35
Seattle, WA
Seattle, Washington 98101-3140
June 2014
EPA completes study
on contamination
at the East Waterway
Read inside for details
For More Information
Ravi Sanga, EPA Project Manager
0) 206-553-4092
^ sanga.ravi@epa.gov
Julie Congdon, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator
0) 206-553-2752
^ congdon.iulie@epa.gov
Visit the East Waterway Superfund Site on the web:
^ http://go.usa.gov/kFtH
View the OU1 Remedial Investigation Report, technical information,
community involvement documents, photos, and more.
information repositories:
EPA Superfund Records Center: 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101
(3) Toll-free: 800-424-4372, ext. 4494. Please callfor an appointment.
The EPA provides reasonable accommodation to people with disabilities on a case-by-case basis.
If you need a reasonable accommodation (such as information in Braille format or large print or interpretation
services), please notify Julie Congdon at 206-553-2752 or email congdon.julie@epa.gov
M TDD or TTY users, please call 1-800-877-8339 and give the operator Julie's phone number.
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