SEATTLE — The Washington State Department of Ecology is taking public comment until July 20 on a plan to complete the clean-up of the Gas Works Park Sediment Unit. Ecology says contaminants from former industrial operations remain in sediment underwater.
"The work Ecology does is to address contamination to make sure it's safe and protected for future and current generations," Senior Outreach Planner Ian Fawley said. "We need to be able to address the contamination that's in the sediment in Lake Union, for that very purpose. We're happy to be able to do that, to return this to being healthy for the Lake Union and all the folks who recreate there."
The plan, which is an agreement between Ecology, the City of Seattle, and Puget Sound Energy, involves "removing and capping shoreline soil, treating shoreline groundwater, dredging sediment, capping sediment, monitoring, and administrative site use controls," according to a release from Ecology. PSE and the City of Seattle will lead the clean-up efforts.
Ecology previously took public comment after the construction of a draft plan and says there are no major changes since that draft. Still, it wants to connect people with the process, especially those who'll be most impacted.
"The goal is to be able to make it safe to use the lake and that may be something for the future to look forward to - is what does a clean Lake Union look like?" Fawley said. "And that's what we're trying to be able to address at least with this part of the cleanup for what Ecology can do for this site."
An online public meeting is also scheduled for June 28. To learn more about the background of the site and the process, click here.