Rep. Zack Hudgins leads environmental health committee on tour of toxic waterways, threatened sites

June 21, 2007

OLYMPIA – In an effort to see firsthand the effects of dense industrial activity on Puget Sound and urban waterways, legislators from the House committee on Environmental Health toured the Lower Duwamish River and Seattle waterfront last week to view on-going cleanup efforts.

Accompanying the legislators were several hazardous-waste-cleanup experts from the departments of Ecology and Health, as well as representatives from Boeing, the Port of Seattle, city and county health officials, and citizen advocates.

State Representative Zack Hudgins (D – Tukwila), a resident of the lower Duwamish basin and ranking Democratic member of the House Environmental Health Committee, came up with the idea for the tour and was glad to see so much support amongst his fellow legislators.

“This tour is critical to our understanding of the problems facing these neighborhoods,”  said Hudgins. “It is incredibly helpful to see the challenges with our own eyes and talk with business owners where they live and work, rather than in a committee hearing room in Olympia.”

The legislators’ day started with a boat tour of the Duwamish River basin; the location of myriad businesses both past and present, which have contributed for nearly a century to extensive environmental damage. The area is now soaked in dioxins and creosote contamination, and dotted with Superfund cleanup sites that receive local, state, and federal dollars. The mouth of the river is also the location of sewage overflow and stormwater drainage pipes, all of which dump tens of millions of gallons per year into the river and, ultimately, Puget Sound.

Following the coastal examination, Hudgins and the members of the Environmental Health committee disembarked and headed inland to talk with local business owners and concerned citizens’ groups living and working in the Duwamish River Basin.

Among the several stops was Marra Farm where legislators discussed urban pesticide use and safer alternatives that are gaining greater and greater use. The tour also made a quick stop at an office park owned by the Port of Seattle, where organically grown native plants have flourished and enriched the previously drab surroundings. Legislators agreed that efforts by the lands keepers there are a strong testament to new thinking when it comes to naturally beautifying the surroundings without the use of pesticides and fertilizers, and with minimal use of water since most of the native plants are drought-resistant. After hearing testimony during the 2007 legislative session from toxicologists on the physiological effects of common pesticides used both in the household and in agriculture, the committee was instrumental in securing funding to study the impact of pesticides on humans.

“The first step towards funding alternatives to toxic pesticides is to recognize how easy it is not to use them,” added Hudgins. “That’s why we visited Marra Farm and the Port’s property; to see pesticide-free gardens in a typical commercial office space.”

Hudgins views the tour of the Lower Duwamish and surrounding industries and neighborhoods as an eye-opening experience for many members who come from districts where industrial activity poses less risk to residents. “It’s not one polluter we can point to and say ‘they’re the cause of the problem.’ It’s the cumulative effect of densely packed industry and centers of transportation, which, over a century of activity, has led to environmental degradation and potential health risks.”

Hudgins recognizes and is proud of the legacy the Duwamish and surrounding neighborhoods, like Georgetown and South Park, have served in our state as an industrial hub that has generated business for the entire state. It is his hope this tour sets the groundwork for a discussion about balancing business needs and job attraction with concerns for the environmental and human health impact.

The House Environmental Health Committee, of which Rep. Hudgins is the lead Democrat, spearheaded the effort to institute the first ban on PBDEs – the toxic chemicals used on some household products as flame retardants – in the country. PBDEs have been found to accumulate in humans, even passing from mother to child through breast milk. Scientists have linked these toxins to adverse health effects. PBDEs have also been found accumulating in the marine life of Puget Sound at alarming rates each year.

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Staff contacts:

James Paribello (360) 786-7843

paribello.james@leg.wa.gov

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