West Seattle, Washington
05 Wednesday
Perhaps the most striking feature of tonight’s smoke-red sunset was – if you were within sight of Puget Sound – the red reflection. Above is Mike Tyler‘s photo from Lincoln Park. The Air Quality Alert for wildfire smoke from around the region continues until 5 pm Thursday; the Heat Advisory will be in effect 10 am tomorrow until 10 pm Thursday.
(Reader photos)
Also seen at sunset: West Seattle’s latest derelict boat, still beached at Constellation Park. We first mentioned it a week ago; it apparently floated off for a while, then we started hearing about it again a few days later, and published this Saturday night.
More people noticed it today, including the texter who sent these photos this evening. We’re still working to find out who’s ultimately accountable for it. Over the weekend, we reached the U.S. Coast Guard, which told us to contact the state Department of Natural Resources, which has a Derelict Vessel Removal Program. They haven’t returned our messages yet; we’ve also inquired with Seattle Parks, since the boat is aground on one of their beaches.We’ll update whe we finally reach whomever has a plan to deal with it.
Thanks to Carol Ann Joyce for the photo of tonight’s sunset, with the expected tint that results from wildfire smoke. As reported this morning, an Air Quality Alert is in effect for at least the next two days. Most West Seattle sensors on the Puget Sound Clean Air map still show “good” air quality right now, though; most east of I-5 are showing the air quality worsening. (Here’s a map showing where our state’s big fires are currently; fires north of the border are contributing too.)
The photo, report, and request are from Victoria:
This is what I picked up on a single walk in Lincoln Park (last night).
This is the second time in the last week that I’ve gone for a walk in Lincoln Park and, instead of staying on the main path, walked closer to the shoreline. Both times I ended up collecting this much garbage.
I’m hoping it’s mostly being left by visitors to our beautiful Lincoln Park. If it’s from West Seattle residents… shame on you.
I’d like to encourage everyone to keep an eye out and pick up any litter they see before it makes its way into Puget Sound. Every little bit helps. And the best part: there multiple garbage cans in Lincoln Park. It’s that simple!
Next time you’re out for a walk, bring a glove or bag and pick up a few pieces of litter. If enough of us do it, we can make a big impact. And keep our waters clean!
(Washington Ecology Department photo)
Cleanup work continues tonight at Vigor Shipyard on Harbor Island, where the state Department of Ecology says up to 5,000 gallons of diesel spilled into Elliott Bay.
According to Ecology’s announcement, it happened this afternoon while the USS Sampson was having fuel removed, and a hose failed, sending thousands of gallons into the bay, in an area that had been “pre-boomed” before the removal. Ecology says it’s working with the Navy, Coast Guard, and “response contractors” on the cleanup.
We happened to photograph the Everett-based Sampson (DDG 102) as it was headed toward Vigor last Monday.
(WSB photo, July 6)
Vigor has a quarter-billion-dollar contract for repairs, maintenance, and modernization work on the Sampson.
That’s the west side of 45th SW, north of Wildwood, where “early work” in this part of the Fauntleroy Creek Culverts Replacement project is under way, according to a Seattle Public Utilities reminder circulated late today:
Beginning the week of July 6 and continuing for approximately three weeks, crews will continue excavation and utility installation activities within the work area. This work is part of the Early Works phase of the Fauntleroy Culvert Replacement Project.
During this time, crews will use construction equipment, trucks, and materials to excavate the area and install utility boxes for various utility providers.
What to Expect
-Work hours will be 7 AM to 5 PM.
-No street parking will be available within the work area.
-Local access will be maintained.
-Large construction trucks will be entering and exiting the work area to support excavation, drilling, and concrete placement activities.
-Noise, dust, and vibrations.
Major work is currently scheduled to start early next year – that work will close part of 45th for up to two years. The culvert beneath 45th, as well as a section beneath California SW to the east, will be replaced and enlarged in hopes of helping salmon.
(June 17 photo by Reiner Peery)
The last “stay out of the water” warning from a sewage leak one week ago has been lifted. We confirmed with King County Wastewater Treatment District spokesperson Akiko Oda that the warning for the Cormorant Cove area (3700 block Beach Drive SW) would end this morning as scheduled. Oda says the remaining “beach closed” signage will be removed this afternoon. The leak was blamed on equipment failure involving a flow gate at the 63rd Avenue Pump Station south of Constellation Park, and KCWTD estimates about 13,000 gallons of sewage had leaked into Puget Sound before the leak was caught and stopped.
Story and photos by Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
On this first day of summer, sunny and dry, you might have trouble remembering the record rainfall of just a few weeks ago. Whether we see serious summer rain or not, this is a good time to think about planning for the the inevitably colder and wetter months ahead. One recent evening, a representative from the city/county partnership RainWise came to West Seattle for a walking tour providing exactly that reminder. Participants met at Westwood’s A.T. Milo Park (just west of Southwest Pool) for a roughly 90-minute walk across the neighborhood to look at the gardens of local RainWise participants, and talk about the benefits of the program.
The program, which Seattle Public Utilities started offering in 2010, aims to limit the amount of rainwater that enters the sewer system by subsidizing eligible residents’ installation of rain cisterns or construction of rain gardens to trap the water. This prevents the sewer system from being overloaded during a storm, and dumping out polluted water and sewage from one of its many outfalls – which often directly drain into Puget Sound or the Duwamish River.
Public outreach representative Savannah-Jane Duncan from the King County Wastewater Treatment Division – which is accountable for the sewer system – provided one of the most notorious examples of the direct impact runoff can have. “Rainwater becomes stormwater once it touches a surface and it’s picked up stuff off the ground.” she said. “[A chemical called] 6PPDQ from tire dust is one of these things the water picks up, and it’s been shown to be affecting salmon – there’s been a lot of research on how to decrease this. There are a lot of effects down the food chain [from things impacting the salmon]. Decreasing stormwater pollution has had a positive increase on the orca population.”
For those worried about the cost, convenience, or even the fear of being the first one on their block to commit to the program, the walk showed there was nothing to be afraid of. Much of the walk featured short clusters of houses next to each other that started participating in the program simultaneously (in the 2010s, it was also part of a government-led project to reduce combined-sewer overflows). “Property owners with [RainWise] installations tend to form microcommunities around them.” said tour lead Sarah Thomson of Sustainable Ballard (a major RainWise collaborator). “A lot of leaders come together to share the same contractor to get the projects done around the same time.”
Almost all the properties highlighted during the walk received 99-100% rebates for the work done, she noted. Of those that didn’t, most of it was due to the residents asking for additional landscaping work in addition to the installation.
If you’re interested in the RainWise program, the organizers want to emphasize that they offer free eligibility checks and further consultation via their website here. Much of the process, they said, is geared to be as accessible as possible. The program offers matchmaking with multilingual contractors for qualified participants, and additional grants for those who have income-based need if the project costs more than the rebate. And even if you’re not eligible now, that could change – the organizers said they are looking to expand availability for RainWise coverage further in the future.
P.S. An informal Q&A session about RainWise, including a chance to meet contractors, is coming up at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW), 6:30 pm July 8.
The red zone in that map just sent by the King County Wastewater Treatment Division shows the area where it’s still not safe to have contact with the water, three days after a 13,000-gallon sewage leak at the 63rd SW Pump Station. Here’s the update we just received:
Public Health – Seattle & King County (Public Health) analyzed the water sample results that the King County Environmental Lab collected from nine locations along the beach south of Alki Point.
Based on results from the past two days, Public Health has lifted the beach advisory for the areas near Constellation Park and Charles Richey Sr. Viewpoint.
The beach advisory remains in place for Cormorant Cove until 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday, June 24, 2026. During the advisory, people and pets should avoid contact with the water in the area circled in red on the map above. The map also shows the nine sampling locations, marked with blue pins.
Our Community Services team will remove the beach closure signs that are posted outside the updated advisory area.
If you have any questions, please call our Community Services hotline at 206-296-7432.
KCWTD says the leak involved a flow-control gate and was noticed by workers on the ongoing project in the area.
2:40 PM: Just in, word of a different water problem. The King County Wastewater Treatment Division is reporting a sewer overflow. at Constellation Park:
King County Wastewater Treatment Division crews are responding to a brief sewer overflow at the 63rd Avenue Pump Station, located near Constellation Park in the 3500 block of Beach Drive SW in West Seattle.
Out of an abundance of caution, please avoid contact with the water until more information is available.
Our Community Services team is placing signage along the beach and notifying nearby residents.
We will share updates and any public health guidance from Public Health – Seattle & King County at kingcounty.gov/WTD-Incident-Response as more information becomes available.
If you have any questions, please call our incident response hotline at 206-296-7432.
The announcement didn’t say how much had overflowed, nor what led to it – in particular, whether it was related to work their crews were already doing in that area – so we’re asking those questions and will update when we get answers.
(Added: Photo sent by Reiner Peery)
ADDED 5:54 PM: Some new info from the WTD:
On June 17, crews were replacing a flow control gate near the 63rd Avenue Pump Station in West Seattle. Around 10 a.m., they discovered that another gate — used to isolate upstream flow — was leaking. As a result, untreated wastewater was released into Puget Sound through the pump station’s offshore emergency outfall.
By 11:30 a.m., crews stopped the leak. The King County Environmental Lab also collected water quality samples from the area.
We have notified regulatory agencies. Public Health – Seattle & King County will provide official safety guidance after evaluating the water sample results. Meanwhile, people and pets should continue to avoid contact with the water in the area out of an abundance of caution.
This construction project was scheduled for this week because flows are lower during dry weather.
(WSB file photo – RainWise cisterns at Peace Lutheran Church)
Perhaps you’re listening to tonight’s rain coursing through a downspout and wondering if there’s something better to do with all that water than let it run into a side sewer or the street (eventually polluting local waterways). There might be, especially if you’re eligible for RainWise. The program offering subsidized features such as cisterns to store rainwater, or raingardens to filter it, is still going strong, and tomorrow night (Tuesday, June 9) is offering a short walking tour in West Seattle to show off possibilities and answer questions. It’s a free tour leaving from, and returning to, the northwest corner of AT Milo Park at 8402 30th SW (the long-ago Denny International Middle School site), 6 pm Tuesday. They’re requesting you RSVP by registering here.
(Photo by Don Brubeck)
Congratulations to two local organizations just honored with one big award. Here’s the announcement sent to us to share with you:
The Seattle Parks Foundation honored the West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group and the Ridge to River (R2R) coalition with a Love Parks award on Wednesday, June 3.
Accepting the award were Joanna Florer, Craig Rankin, Paul West, and Judy Bentley. The trails group has been promoting walking and hiking trails in Seattle’s largest contiguous forest for more than ten years. The Ridge to River Coalition is planning how the greenbelt will be cared for and improved over the long term. Check the website at wdgtrails.org to find out how you can participate in this work or just enjoy the greenbelt.
We just stopped by Southwest Library (9010 35th SW) to see how this afternoon’s device dropoff – your chance to recycle certain items, as listed here. Keely from PCs for People says it’s going well, with 45 people counted by 1:30 pm. The nonprofit has vans standing by to take away everything they collect.
They’re right outside the library bordering the sidewalk, so you can pull up along 35th SW if the space is open, or into the parking lot on the library’s north side. The dropoff event is scheduled to continue until 4 pm.
(WSB photos)
11:58 AM: Detroit Avenue SW in southeast West Seattle [map] is blocked off at both ends – north and south – this morning while city crews sweep an encampment area in the West Duwamish Greenbelt.
Most of the work was under way out of view from the street but city trucks were in sight. We didn’t see any of the posting notices but a nonprofit volunteer who told us about the sweep says they listed a wide area to be cleared, between SW Kenyon and SW Myrtle, adjacent to an area that holds a variety of mostly industrial businesses. We’ll be asking the city for post-sweep information including how many people were living there.
4:58 PM: Here’s the statement we obtained from the city’s Human Services Department: “The Unified Care Team (UCT) engaged with eight people at this site. No vehicles were found on site. UCT referred one family and two individuals to available shelter.” We also asked about how pets are handled in sweeps, having received a question about that: “Pets are considered when identifying appropriate shelter referrals. UCT Outreach also connects pet owners to support services that can provide supplies and medical care, as needed.”
If you have electronics you’d like to recycle, but don’t want to wait until the next Fauntleroy Church Recycle Roundup on October 3, you have an opportunity to do it next week! Here’s the announcement:
The Southwest Library will be hosting a free device-dropoff event with PCs for People (formerly known as InterConnection) on Wednesday, May 27 from 12:00 pm – 4:00 pm. PCs for People will be on-site to accept donations of used electronic devices such as laptops, phones, desktop computers, speakers, and more. PCs for People will wipe all data from donated items, sell and/or refurbish them, and make the devices available to underserved communities.
The full list of accepted items is here.
Southwest Library is at 9010 35th SW.
Plenty happening tomorrow in West Seattle – including unique one-time events like this one tomorrow night:
“The Year to Save the Earth” music & multimedia experience by Jim Scott @ Our Lady of Guadalupe
May 16 @ 7:00 pmThe Care for Creation Ministry of the West Seattle Catholic Community Presents:
“The Year to Save the Earth” – A Musical and Multimedia Experience by Jim Scott@ Walmesley Center, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 3410 SW Myrtle St
Doors: 6:30 pm / Show: 7:00 pm
$10 donation requested
Mixing powerful songs and beautiful projected images, “The Year to Save the Earth” takes us from grieving to celebration and from protest to positive vision for the planet.
Formerly a member of the Paul Winter Consort, Jim Scott was co-composer of their celebrated Missa Gaia/Earth Mass and sang their anthem song Common Ground. He has toured the world, recorded nine CDs of original music and published a long line of choral works. One of the originators of the Unitarian Universalist “Green Sanctuary” program, Jim also compiled the Earth and Spirit Songbook, an anthology of 110 songs of Earth by many contemporary composers.
(WSB photo, April 25)
Imagine if we had some way to weigh the tonnage of items involved in West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day! Currently we don’t … but we do have the total today from the most recent Fauntleroy Church Recycle Roundup, courtesy of Judy Pickens:
Recyclables collected during the spring Recycle Roundup hosted by Fauntleroy Church pushed total tonnage since these free community events began in 2010 to 400. During the April 25 event, just over 550 households and businesses brought 14.58 tons to be returned to the resource stream by zero-waste recycler 1 Green Planet. The fall roundup is set for Saturday, Oct. 3, 9 am-3 pm in the church parking lot (9140 California Ave. SW).
The roundup is a free dropoff event and the list of what they will and won’t accept will be out weeks in advance so you can plan.
(WSB photos)
Though volunteers tell us drivers were lined up down the street when the spring Fauntleroy Church Recycle Roundup began at 9 am today, there’s no waiting now, and traffic is expected to be steady through the duration of the dropoff event, until 3 pm (don’t wait until the last minute, though, unless you can’t get there any sooner).
That’s just some of what people have brought – here’s the official list of what they’re accepting, and not accepting, this time.
1 Green Planet is the longtime recycling partner with the church, which is at 9040 California SW. Dropoffs are free but volunteers are happy to accept monetary donations if you can chip in to support this twice-yearly event (next one, by the way, is set for [corrected date] Saturday, October 3).
(Photo from Daniel)
Last weekend, we published Daniel‘s reader report reminding people about the roadside Delridge Native Forest Garden as a potential spot to take a walk. Today, in fact, SDOT has announced a Tree Walk for the site – actually three walks on the afternoon of Friday, May 15. RSVPs are required and you’ll find the links, along with more details, here.
(Volunteer Ann Dunbar helped students measure a torso in centimeters)
Story by Judy Pickens
Photos by Tom Trulin
Special to West Seattle Blog
Students from the Urban Nature Preschool got a taste of scientific research on Thursday when they did the annual survey of stonefly exoskeletons in lower Fauntleroy Creek.
As nymphs, stoneflies are a major food source for juvenile coho. Mature stoneflies crawl out of the water in the spring and leave their exoskeletons behind as they take flight, and students have been counting and measuring them since 2000. Their findings are a way to track both quantity of food available to the fish and how clean the water is.
(Finding exoskeletons on bridges required close examination)
With the school’s outdoor focus, the four-year-olds already knew a lot about the creek and, with support from teachers and volunteers, they were up to the challenge of following study protocol. Three teams closely examined trees and bridges while a fourth measured torsos as adults recorded the numbers.
(Volunteer Ann Dunbar helped students measure a torso in centimeters)
After teams reported their findings, volunteer Alana Khayat added the numbers to line graphs so students could see how they compared to findings since 2015.
If you couldn’t get to yesterday’s free shredding event at Village Green West Seattle (WSB sponsor) – good news – there’s another one coming up this weekend, this time at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond). Between 10 am amd 1 pm Sunday (April 26), you can bring up to four boxes of personal shreddables to the library.
P.S. And if you have other recyclables, remember the Recycle Roundup in Fauntleroy on Saturday!
With the tax deadline just past, you might have old paper documents you’re ready to shred and recycle. Just announced – a chance to do that for free this Wednesday (April 22), 1-4 pm!
Got sensitive documents piling up at home? We’ve got you covered! Join us for a FREE community shredding event with Liberty Shredding at Village Green West Seattle!
Secure, on‑site shredding
FREE (up to 3 boxes per person)
Just drive up and shred with confidence! Hearthside Driveway (building two)
Village Green West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is at 2615 SW Barton.
(Photos by Macey Wurm unless otherwise credited)
By Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
The Duwamish Alive! Coalition hosted the spring version of its twice-annual multi-site volunteer work party today, after taking time to recognize four people with the John Beal Environmental Stewardship Award.
(Photo by Don Brubeck)
The day was kicked off by coalition executive director Sharon Leishman. She noted that typically, Puget Soundkeeper and the River Access Paddle Program would usually be part of the day via an on-water cleanup, but they had to do it last weekend (WSB coverage here) because today’s tide was too low. Last weekend’s cleanup, she announced, brought a quarter-ton of trash out of the river. She then introduced q́wat́ələmu, or Nancy Bob of the Duwamish Tribe, who performed a traditional welcome chorus.
Seattle Port Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed thanked the coalition and volunteers. She shared thoughts on her two-month-old daughter’s future stewardship of the land, and expressed hope that her daughter’s children would also someday have an opportunity to engage in stewardship. “The investments we make today ultimately decide what that looks like,” she observed.
Leishman preceded the awards with the backstory of their namesake. John Beal was a Vietnam War veteran, who after suffering some serious medical issues, was informed that he only had four months to live. Within those four months, he dedicated himself to cleaning up Hamm Creek, which feeds the Duwamish River, and was one of the first to acknowledge the Duwamish as a river instead of a waterway, leading to increased stewardship and care. He ended up living 27 years past this initial prognosis, and died in 2006.
The award in his name is not given out often, but this year the coalition honored four individuals – Bob Weeks, Willard Brown, Vince Savery, and Whitney Fraser.
Bob Weeks of Seattle City Light was honored for his extensive work transforming a site at North Wind’s Weir, a transitional zone where freshwater and saltwater mix. The area, which is very important to juvenile salmon, was completely transformed into an incredible area of biodiversity after being dominated by invasive species.
Willard Brown, long known for his work with the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association, has spent many years connecting school and community groups to the river and surrounding lands. “When you talk about boots on the ground in the community making a meaningful difference, Willard’s the first name that comes to everybody’s list,” said Leishman.
Vince Savery, with the Port of Seattle, stewarded a site on the lower Duwamish to take it from highly industrialized to a significantly healthier environment. The area serves as the last habitat for salmon before they go into Elliott Bay. He also started the local chapter of Pollinator Pathway.
(Photo by Don Brubeck)
Whitney Fraser of Puget Soundkeeper Alliance is (corrected) a longtime volunteer with the salmon survey that raised awareness of their pre-spawn mortality rates. Puget Soundkeeper was one of the first organizations to focus on Longfellow Creek in West Seattle. Fraser had advice for the audience of volunteers: “Start showing up and keep showing up, and learn, and try to make it a better place as much as you can.”
After the awards were presented, Andrew with Dirt Corps instructed the volunteers to follow different group leaders to their respective parks to get started on the work party. The Green Seattle Partnership occupied Herring’s House Park, with Dirt Corps at həʔapus, and a smaller group headed to Pigeon Point Park.
The Dirt Corps group went to work on removing the bluebells in the area. They aren’t a native species and are aggressive with their growth, and removing them gives native plants a better chance to thrive.
Green Seattle Partnership volunteers worked to weed and mulch so that the existing plants will be able to survive the upcoming hot summer. These preparations aided a long-term Herring’s House project, aimed at creating a native plant species area and an eventual incorporation of a native sculpture at the entrance of the park.
The Duwamish Alive! Coalition will muster volunteer groups at sites along the river and in its watershed again this fall – October 17 is the date, and when it gets close, volunteer opportunities will be listed at duwamishalive.org.
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