(Seattle, Washington - April 28, 2015) Another environmental milestone has been reached at the former Lockheed West Seattle Shipyard/Shipyard two on Seattle's Elliott Bay. The E.P.A. has issued an order to the Lockheed Martin Corporation for the cleanup of their property on Seattle's Elliott Bay. Lockheed West Seattle/Shipyard 2, is the latest in a series of in excess of 50 federal, state and privately-led legacy contamination cleanups around Elliott Bay and the lower Duwamish waterway.
Lockheed Martin Corporation, the location owner, has been developing a cleanup project since the location was listed on the National Priorities List (NPL) in 2007. The former shipyard is immediately adjacent the Duwamish West Waterway, the Port of Seattle's Terminal five and is due east of the now-finished Pacific Sound Resources Superfund cleanup site.
According to Lori Cohen, Deputy Director of EPA's Superfund cleanup office in Seattle, each cleanup on or near the shore of Puget Sound, means less pollution migrating to the Northwest's iconic waterbody.
"We've embarked on a multi-decade effort to protect and restore Puget Sound," said EPA's Cohen. "By working in partnership with the state, the city, the Co. and other public or private property owners, we are strategically cleaning up a long list of legacy industrial sites on Seattle's working waterfront, directly contributing to the protection and restoration of Puget Sound."
Pollution released into Elliott Bay is of particular concern, since the Muckleshoot and Suquamish Tribes use the area around the location for commercial, subsistence and ceremonial fishing. The bay is used for a variety of recreational purposes, including fishing, canoeing and kayaking. The area also provides habitat critical to Chinook salmon, which the federal government has listed as a threatened species.
The location is contaminated with heavy metals, PCBs, cPAHs and dioxins/furans. The Company expects to remove approximately 167,000 cubic yards of contaminated material over the course of the cleanup, reducing location risks to people's health and the environment. The multi-year cleanup is expected to begin in 2018.
Lockheed Shipbuilding and Puget Sound Bridge and Dredge Company conducted shipbuilding and repairs at the location from 1946 to 1987. Operations at those companies contaminated the location and surroundings with paint, metal scrapings and sandblast grit, which were all released directly into Elliott Bay. Specific contaminants include metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and petroleum products.
Learn more about
EPA's Lockheed West/Shipyard two cleanup.
