Healthy Environment

Healthy Environment

NEW: South Park Water Quality Facility

Connected to the broader Resilience District work, SPU is working to build a water quality facility located in the industrial area of South Park. This water quality facility is anticipated to be located at the Silver Bay property, a 3-acre parcel. A formal MTCA cleanup process has been initiated under the supervision of the WA Department of Ecology. One of the first steps is to complete site investigations of the soil and groundwater which will determine the nature and extent of contamination at the site. Alongside the MTCA cleanup process, SPU will be developing and evaluating options for the water quality treatment facility and the overall site development. SPU hopes to use up 1.5 of the 3 acres for community benefits that aren’t directly related to the water quality facility itself.

Next milestone: In 2023, SPU will develop a public engagement plan for the water quality facility and site development, including community-supportive uses. SPU plans to begin community engagement in summer 2023.

South Park Pump Station

SPU is continuing construction on its South Park Pump Station, which will send stormwater to the Duwamish River during high tide events when the storm drain system cannot drain by gravity. In doing so, the pump station will reduce flooding on roads that have a formal stormwater collection system (including catch basins and inlets), when the river is not overtopping like in the recent King Tide event in December 2022. 

Next milestone: Construction will hopefully be completed in 2023 to provide much needed reduction in flood risks to South Park residents and businesses.

Tree Planting & Maintenance

Greening Industrial Lands

In 2020, the City of Seattle updated its Urban Forest Management Plan. A priority action identified in this update was to transform portions of private property in industrial areas into spaces where trees and other green infrastructure can thrive. This last year, OSE received $300,000 to begin this work in industrial areas next to residential parts of South Park and Georgetown. About 10% of this funding was used to collaborate with community groups, like Just Health Action, to continue identifying industrial property owners interested in greening their land. The rest of this funding has been allocated to construction, which was conducted on 3 sites in 2022  (6th Ave at Seattle Design Center and Beyond Clothing in Georgetown,  and 11th Ave S & S Elmgrove in South Park), and will continue in 2023 with additional projects including at the Georgetown Trailer Park Mall and 4th Ave at Seattle Design Center.

Next milestone: This year, the ECOSS and the City will begin working with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to install bioretention planters beneath the I-5 overpass in Georgetown. These bioretention planters will help to capture runoff pollution from the heavy vehicle traffic that passes over the neighborhood.

Maintenance of Green Infrastructure

This year, OSE invested $75,000 in the maintenance of existing green infrastructure in the Duwamish Valley to help promote clean, healthy air. Seven green infrastructure projects were maintained, and OSE partnered with DIRT Corps as well as helped to train 15 local youth through this work.

Next milestone: In 2023, OSE will continue partnering with DIRT Corps on green infrastructure maintenance efforts.

Planting in the Right-of-Way and Removal of Concrete to Build Green Infrastructure

Over the course of 2021 and 2022, SDOT in partnership with OSE’s Urban Forestry program planted over 200 trees. These trees were planted in the right-of-way (the space between the sidewalk and the street). Additionally, SDOT worked to remove concrete to create space for green infrastructure. On Dallas Ave S, SDOT repaired the sidewalk. However, there are some large trees in-place.

In 2020, SDOT also completed a new sidewalk and sidewalk replacement on 8th Ave S between S Southern St and S Sullivan St that preserved existing large trees providing canopy coverage on this street.

Next milestone: SDOT is designing improvements to the area between 10th and 12th Ave S and hopes to achieve 30% design by early 2023.

Climate Change Mitigation and Air Quality Improvements

Heavy Duty Truck Electrification

OSE received $1 million to help electrify heavy duty drayage trucks that move throughout the Duwamish Valley as they travel to and from the Port of Seattle. OSE has been working closely with the Duwamish River Community Coalition, African Chamber of Commerce, International Council on Clean Transportation, and others to create an equitable implementation plan to offer City financial incentives for the purchase of new electric trucks, and create off street secured parking and charging stations funded by Seattle City Light. OSE engaged heavy duty truck drivers through 2 webinars and 1 Ride-and-Drive event at the Green Transportation Expo in Tacoma.

Next milestone: OSE is currently structuring the incentive program targeted at helping independent operators of heavy duty trucks transition to electric vehicles. OSE and truck drivers will review these incentives in early 2023, and an additional $1 million dollars will be allocated for this effort. OSE will continue to advocate for a state level incentive program to support the deployment of electric drayage trucks at a scale that would have meaningful impacts in the Duwamish Valley.

Access to Affordable, Healthy Food

Support Emerging Local Businesses

OSE continued its partnership with Frutería Sandoval through the Fresh Bucks program. Frutería Sandoval completed their first full year of processing the new Fresh Bucks e-benefit supporting the business in implementing the new benefit processing system. Through their relationships in the Duwamish Valley, Frutería Sandoval does the most Fresh Bucks business of any of the program’s independent grocery partners!

Implement Alternative Efforts to Fill the Healthy Food Gap

This past year, OSE worked with Seattle's Human Services Department (HSD) to ensure that food programs functioned over during the summer. HSD supported food banks and meal programs through:

• Cultivate South Park
• Lifelong
• Puget Sound Labor Agency
• South Park Senior Citizens
• Sound Generations
• Georgetown Food Bank

Additionally, HSD supported summer food service programs at Concord Elementary, Deaborn Park Elementary, Dearborn Park Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, Safe Futures Youth Center, United Samoan Organization, YMCA @ Concord Elementary, and the South Park Community Center.