|
$$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
Duwamish River Public Comments coming up! REMINDER: Public Comments are being accepted until April 22nd for the Jorgensen Forge and South Park Marina sites! As a recap, Jorgensen Forge will look at areas of contamination and compare different cleanup alternatives, including announcing the Dept. of Ecology’s preferred alternative. South Park Marina is a little behind in the timeline, and just a report on the areas of contamination will be available for comment. Questions? Disagree with the cleanup choice? Feel free to email alexandra@drcc.org OR submit your own comments by April 22nd!
|
|
Did you hear? $668 Million Settlement Advances Cleanup of Seattle’s Lower Duwamish WaterwayA proposed $668 million settlement agreement has been reached to advance the cleanup of the Lower Duwamish Waterway, one of the most contaminated segments of the Duwamish River, Seattle’s only river. The settlement, negotiated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Justice, and the State of Washington with more than 100 parties potentially responsible for past pollution, will fund a decade‑long effort to remove hazardous substances from river sediments through dredging, capping, and other remediation strategies. The plan is expected to significantly reduce risks to human health and the environment, protect wildlife, and support safer river use for local communities. |
|
|
2026 Legislative Session and DRCC communityThe 2026 State Legislative Session ended on March 12th, and the Governor has spent the last few weeks deciding which bills to sign into law. We are happy to report that 17 bills that DRCC tracked and supported are officially signed! These are bills related to affordable housing, energy justice, youth mental health, immigration rights and protections, Indigenous rights, healthcare access, climate justice, and food security, among others. We invite you to view our legislative tracker here which provides links and brief descriptions of each bill. Thank you to all who made your voices heard this session, including to the community for sharing your priorities and values that shaped our legislative agenda.
|
Duwamish Valley at the Center of Seattle’s Low-Pollution Neighborhoods InitiativeSeattle has launched the first planning phase of its new Low‑Pollution Neighborhoods program, choosing three pilot areas—South Park/Georgetown, Lake City, and Capitol Hill—to work with community members on reducing pollution and increasing climate resilience. The effort aims to coordinate city resources and test locally shaped solutions to improve air quality, safer streets, green spaces, cleaner freight, and overall neighborhood health, with planning continuing through 2027 and implementation beginning in 2028. |
|
|
|
“Designating South Park and Georgetown as priority neighborhoods for the LPN initiative demonstrates a meaningful commitment to advancing equity and racial justice in City decision-making. For too long, communities in the Duwamish Valley have borne the burden of pollution and environmental inequities. These community-driven efforts represent an important step toward improving health outcomes, addressing long-standing disparities, and creating a built environment that is greener, safer, and healthier for everyone. We welcome this partnership with SDOT and are committed to working alongside the community to ensure their voices continue to shape this effort.” Paulina López, Executive Director DRCC.
|
DRCC takes on Cincinnati with Mobility Unbound NetworkDRCC recently traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio, in partnership with the Mobility Unbound Network (MUN) to engage in powerful conversations about mobility justice. Yaya, our Senior Policy Analyst, and Khalia, our Operations Coordinator, represented DRCC in discussions exploring what mobility justice looks like — not only in the Duwamish Valley, but across the country. Key themes included transportation equity and accessibility for people of all walks of life, affordability and the burden that transportation costs place on communities, and the importance of mutual care between our communities. A heartfelt thank you to MUN and Equivolve for their guidance in facilitating such meaningful and impactful conversations! We’re excited to welcome this team to Seattle in July!
|
Most recent update on the Duwamish River Cleanup Site
|
Duwamish Valley Youth Corps Graduates!This past March 28th we graduated all 73 youth from our winter program! We had a great time participating in a huge neighborhood cleanup in partnership with the One Roof Foundation before moving on to Duwamish Waterway Park to celebrate the fantastic youth who participated in our programming. And just like that, our spring cohort is up and running at full speed with exciting partnerships with Dirt Corps, Mini Mart & local artist Laura Wright in Georgetown. Stay tuned to our next newsletter to get a full dose of what these amazing groups get up to!
|
Bilingual environmental pollution workshopOn Thursday, April 2nd, DRCC in collaboration with Front and Centered hosted an Environmental Pollution Reporting Workshop to discuss the current ways we can report pollution that we can see, smell, or hear. Joined by 23 community members at the Duwamish River Community Hub, we discussed the ways current reporting tools are failing to prevent and respond to pollution in the Duwamish Valley. These conversations will help the Washington Department of Ecology develop recommendations for more culturally responsive, accessible, and effective reporting tools that prioritize community needs.
|
Intergenerational bilingual workshop on indoor air qualityFor a few weeks now the Community Advocacy Team (CAT) has planned an event for community members on indoor air quality. The team decided that teaching youth in the area would be a great use of their time, so they decided to plan a session for the Duwamish Valley Youth Corps on indoor air pollution sources. The CAT members led some informational sessions, some interactive games, and also had one of the CAT leaders, Michelle Carranza, teach the youth how to create a zine from the information they had just learned. It was a great display of intergenerational wisdom and engagement.
|
Meeting Mayor Wilson on Immigration issuesWe are deeply grateful to community members and to Mayor Katie Wilson for coming together in a meaningful and thoughtful conversation about how the City can better respond to the challenges facing immigrant communities. DRCC was honored to co-host this Spanish-language dialogue alongside the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, creating space for voices that are too often left out of decision-making. Community members spoke clearly about their priorities: sustained funding for community-based organizations and local groups, stronger support for schools, access to mental health resources, meaningful youth engagement, and accountability from our institutions. These are not new concerns but they are urgent, and they deserve action. We believe that policies are strongest when they are shaped by those most impacted. As the City continues to develop strategies to protect and support immigrant communities, it is essential to center lived experience, cultural knowledge, and commUNITY leadership at every step. As the Mayor shared, this is our city. And it is our collective responsibility to ensure it is a place where all people feel safe, supported, and able to thrive.
|
Duwamish Valley News! The first-of-its-kind Duwamish Valley Program Map is here 📍 Bringing together the work of community organizations and 18 City of Seattle departments, this map highlights 60+ projects from sidewalks and bike lanes to trees and flood prevention helping build a healthier, more connected region. Created in response to a long-standing community request, the map makes it easier to see what’s happening in the neighborhood and who’s leading the work, including youth programs like DRCC’s Youth Corps. Huge thanks to the many partners who made this possible City of Seattle Office of Sustainability and Environment- Duwamish Valley Program to make this map a reality!
|
|
|
|
