Douglas Management Dock

The Feasibility Study phase is in progress.

BACKGROUND 

In 2011, Ecology negotiated a legal agreement called an Agreed Order with property owner 7100 First Avenue S, Seattle, LLC, the Potentially Liable Person (PLP) for the Douglas Management Dock site. The Agreed Order describes the work that the PLP agrees to perform on the site. Under this legal agreement, the PLP is required to complete the following: 

• Remedial Investigation (RI). The purpose of the RI is to define the nature and extent of contamination at the site and to determine if it is contributing to the sediment contamination in the Lower Duwamish Waterway.  During the RI, the PLPs will collect data necessary to adequately characterize the contamination in soil, groundwater, stormwater, and sediments.

• Feasibility Study (FS). The FS will use the results of the RI to evaluate and choose measures to clean up contamination and prevent recontamination of the sediment.

• Draft Cleanup Action Plan (DCAP). Ecology will identify a cleanup action based on the results of the FS.

To view site reports and fact sheets, click on the "View Electronic Documents" link to the right.


What happens next?

Ecology is working with the PLP to complete the FS. The next opportunity for public comment will be when the Public Review Draft RI Report and Feasibility Study are ready for review.


Why this cleanup matters 

This site is part of Ecology’s Lower Duwamish Waterway source control efforts, because it may be contributing pollution to the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) Superfund Site.
The 5-mile stretch of the Duwamish River that flows north into Elliot Bay was added to the Superfund National Priorities List by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2001. 

The sediments (mud) in the river contain a wide range of contaminants due to decades of industrial activity and runoff from urban areas. EPA is leading efforts to clean up the river sediments. 

Ecology is leading efforts to control sources of contamination from the surrounding land area. The long-term goal is to minimize recontamination of the river sediment and restore water quality in the river. 

The Douglas Management Dock Site is one of several sites that will be cleaned up as part of Ecology’s Source Control Strategy – controlling sources of pollution to the river. Contaminants in the soil and groundwater around the river pose a risk to human health and the environment. They can also find their way into the river through storm runoff and other pathways. For more information, visit our Source Control page.

Site location

The Douglas Management Dock site is located in an industrial area on the west side of the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) near the First Avenue South bridge. It is bordered on
the north by the First Avenue South bridge, on the east by the Duwamish River, on the south by the Industrial Container Services-WA, LLC cleanup site, and on the west by First Avenue South.

The Lower Duwamish Waterway drainage basin is divided into source control areas. This site is located within the Trotsky Inlet (river mile 2.1-2.2) source control area on the west side of the river.


Site history

The current location of the Douglas Management Dock property was part of Duwamish Turning Basin No. 2, and aerial photos indicate that the triangular parcel that comprises the Douglas Management Dock site was filled sometime between 1960 and 1969. 

Prior to the Douglas Management Dock site being filled, the area was the location of Pacific Metal and Salvage Company and Seabell Shipbuilding Company. Pacific Metal and Salvage Company specialized in dismantling, wrecking, and salvaging old boats. Seabell Shipbuilding Company engaged in construction of large wooden vessels. 

During the 1970s-1990s, the site operated as a sand and gravel batch plant, school bus parking, and a barge terminal. 

It is currently used by Alaska Marine Lines for storage of equipment and shipping containers and as a general transfer facility. The facility has moorage along the Duwamish Waterway, which is actively used.


Contamination

Investigations to date have found contaminants in soil and groundwater associated with historical industrial uses.

Soil and groundwater contain:

•Metals
•Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
•Petroleum hydrocarbons


Previous cleanup work

In the early 1990s, samples were collected from soil and groundwater because underground petroleum storage tanks had leaked.  Investigations revealed petroleum hydrocarbons in the soil and groundwater. The cleanup action at the time was limited to tank removal. 

In 2006, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and PCBs were discovered in sediment samples collected from the Duwamish River next to the site.  

In 2008, Ecology installed five new monitoring wells and sampled four existing wells, as well as soil, groundwater, and a seep. Sampling results are available in the report titled Summary of Additional Site Characterization Activities: Trotsky and Douglas Management Company Properties.

The Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA; Chapter 70.105D RCW is Washington’s environmental cleanup law). It provides requirements for contaminated site cleanup and sets standards that protect human health and the environment. Ecology enacts the MTCA and oversees cleanups. The MTCA site cleanup process is completed in steps (see graphic below) over a variable timeline.