The Lower Duwamish River
Passageway for Fish and Industry in Urban Seattle
NOAA and the Lower Duwamish River
Through the Natural Resource Damage Assessment process (NRDA), The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) works with other natural resource trustees to restore habitat in areas such as the Lower Duwamish River in Washington State.
NOAA’s Assessment and Restoration Division works in marine, aquatic, and coastal environments to restore natural resources injured by hazardous waste pollution or oil spills.
History of the Lower Duwamish
History of the Lower Duwamish River
The Lower Duwamish was once a rich estuary, a wide, meandering river, with large areas of mudflats and marsh.
Home to indigenous peoples and a rich variety of fish and wildlife, it was a critical passageway for species migrating between freshwater and the ocean.
The Lower Duwamish is no longer the winding spread out estuary it once was. It has been straightened and dredged to make way for cargo ships.
By the 1940s, efforts to channel the river had transformed the 9-mile estuary into a 5-mile industrial waterway. This process destroyed 97% of the original habitat.
Pollution and loss of habitat have taken their toll on salmon and other species of fish and wildlife.
History of the Lower Duwamish River
Pollution and habitat loss have taken their toll on the entire ecosystem. For over a century, industries along the river released hazardous substances into the environment.
Contaminants linger in the sediment on the bottom of the river and have spread into the water column. This negatively impacts the fish and wildlife that live in, or migrate through, the Lower Duwamish.
Consumption advisories, warning people of health risks from consuming contaminated meat, exist for fish and shellfish in the Lower Duwamish. This means that recreational fishing opportunities are lost.
The Lower Duwamish was declared a Superfund site in 2001 by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Native Peoples and the Duwamish River
Indigenous tribes have lived in the Seattle area since the last glacial period. Historically these people harvested fish and shellfish from Puget Sound and the Duwamish River as an important food source.
Today the Duwamish River continues to be an important cultural and recreational resource for Native American peoples.
These include the federally recognized Muckleshoot Indian Tribe and the Suquamish Tribe.
Native Peoples and the Duwamish River
To best serve the interests of the American people, and specifically, local communities impacted by pollution, NOAA does not work alone.
We partner with co-trustees, other federal, state, academic, nongovernmental, and tribal experts. This allows NOAA to tailor assessment and restoration plans for unique ecosystems, benefiting people and the environment.
Working alongside our co-trustees allows us to gather different points of perspective, which is an invaluable benefit to the NRDA process.
Tribal co-trustees for Lower Duwamish include the Suquamish Tribe, and the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.
Salmon in the Lower Duwamish
Salmon in the Lower Duwamish
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife found that over 824,000 recreational anglers fish in Washington State each year. Salmon are one of the most important sport fish.
Salmon are also important to many indigenous cultures. Local Native American tribes have harvested salmon in these waters for hundreds of years, just as they do today.
Not only are salmon an important food source, but the harvesting, cleaning, preserving, and cooking processes are a way for people to come together and keep traditions alive.
While there are consumption advisories for resident fish species in the Lower Duwamish, salmon are safe to humans to eat because they only pass through polluted areas.
Salmon are also food for other species. The annual salmon migration provides a much needed source of protein for large predators such as harbor seals, sea lions, and endangered killer whales.
After salmon migrate through the Lower Duwamish, through the upper river and its streams, they spawn and die. Their bodies provide incredibly valuable nutrients to these ecosystems.
Salmon in the Lower Duwamish
In order to restore these injured fisheries, additional habitat must be restored.
Protected Puget Sound Chinook salmon and Puget Sound Steelhead are both found in the Lower Duwamish. The young of these species spend time in this part of the river as they transition from freshwater to saltwater.
Watershed of the Duwamish (Green) River
The Duwamish River watershed is broken up into three sections:
The Upper Green travels through rural and forested areas with little development.
The Middle Green has some residential development and farmland but is still healthy and safe to swim in.
Farthest downstream is the Lower Duwamish, the Superfund site home to Seattle's shipping, aerospace, shipbuilding, and other industries.
An Urban River
A century of industrial pollution has resulted not only in injuries to the Lower Duwamish, but also to the people of Seattle who live, work, and recreate near the river.
Seattle is a diverse city, boasting languages, and influences from dozens of different immigrant communities. Neighborhoods along the river are home to many of these immigrant families.
Many people who work in industrial factories along the Lower Duwamish live in neighboring communities. The average household income in these neighborhoods is around $50,000 a year, much less than the rest of Seattle.
The Environmental Protection Agency is conducting research examining how communities living near the Lower Duwamish are impacted by pollution, as compared to other communities in Seattle.
All Americans should have access to water that is safe to recreate in and enjoy. NOAA works hard to consider communities when making decisions about urban waterways.
Boeing Airplane Manufacturing
Restoring Habitat
Boeing was among the first industries established on the Duwamish. In its early days, Boeing made aircraft for the U.S. during World Wars I and II. It continues to be an economic driver, employing many people in Seattle.
Boeing continues to use manufacturing plants along the river and has worked the Environmental Protection Agency to undergo an early-stage clean up of the river to help remove some of the pollution.
In 2014, as part of an NRDA settlement, the Boeing Company constructed one of the largest restoration projects on the Lower Duwamish River—almost 5 acres of mudflat, marsh, and riparian vegetation, providing habitat for fish and wildlife.
To protect this newly created habitat, Boeing invested almost $3 million into a stormwater treatment system. This system filters out many harmful chemicals before the water enters the river.
Restoring The Lower Duwamish
NOAA works with other natural resource trustees to restore natural resources injured by contamination in the Lower Duwamish.
By continuing to reach settlements with those responsible, the trustees design projects that will restore habitat and resources injured by pollution.
A lot of work has been done, and there is a lot more to do.
In 2019 the co-trustees announced an updated Resources Injury Assessment Plan. The updated plan includes new information, techniques, injury studies and roles for the trustees responsible ensuring the river is restored after cleanup.
Future of the Lower Duwamish
As with many urban pollution cases, one of the challenges in the Lower Duwamish is balancing human uses and local economies.
NOAA and our co-trustees are currently hard at work to assess and restore the injuries from legacy contamination and will continue to do so for years to come.
While efforts are ongoing, the potential for a robust urban aquatic environment is on the horizon. By using sound science NOAA will continue to evaluate injury to this urban river with the goal of improving habitat for fish and wildlife.
Economies, communities, and cultures are all part of the ecosystem of the Lower Duwamish River. Everything is connected and intertwined.
By working on behalf of the American public NOAA benefits people and economies, as well as this unique aquatic ecosystem.
For More Information
Please visit https://www.darrp.noaa.gov/
For Questions Please Contact
rebecca.hoff@noaa.gov or megan.ewald@noaa.gov
Special thanks to Kavya Varkey for her hard work.
NOAA works on the Lower Duwamish in partnership with our co-trustees.
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Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
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Washington Department of Ecology
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Suquamish Tribe
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Muckleshoot Indian Tribe
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U.S. Department of the Interior
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Background ImageCredit
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Title ImageEnvironmental Protection Agency
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"History of the Lower Duwamish River" Image 1Seattle Municipal Archives
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"History of the Lower Duwamish River" Image 2National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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"Native Peoples and the Duwamish River"National Archives
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"Salmon in the Duwmish River" Image 1National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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"Salmon in the Duwamish RIver" Image 2National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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"Boeing Airplane Manufacturing - Restoring Habitat" Image 1Washington State
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"Boeing Airplane Manufacturing - Restoring Habitat" Image 2National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
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