West Seattle, Washington
07 Friday
When last we checked in on the future Morgan Junction EV-charging lot, the city said construction would start in October. That month ended with no sign of construction, so we checked in again.
While the project website now says “late 2025” for the start of construction on the eight-charger lot, we asked Seattle City Light spokesperson Jenn Strang if they could be more specific, and Strang said November, adding, “We’re currently working through pre-construction activities with the contractor.” As we reported a month ago, Zenisco Inc. won the contract with a bid of $823,250.
The photos and report were sent by Matthew;
Just wanted to give you a heads up about some more tire dumping in the West Seattle Greenbelt off Highland Park (Way) towards the bottom of the hill. About 100 tires were dumped about 200’ up from the gate. The gate has been unlocked for some time and allowing this commercial level dumping again. Awhile back, there were at least 100 tires dumped by the gate. Seems like the perpetrators are back. And, now, there’s an abandoned van nearby.
That van has been there since at least 10/14/25. Several neighbors and members of the West Duwamish Greenbelt Trails group have sent in Find It Fix It reports.
No action yet, though, so we’ll check with city departments tomorrow. That area also has had several fire reports lately, with another one (described as “very small”) around 9 pm tonight.
From toddlers to seniors, an all-ages contingent of volunteers spent Green Seattle Day – this past Saturday – at Lincoln Park. Forest steward Lisa McGinty sent photos and this report:
So grateful for our volunteer community! On October 25th, 47 volunteers joined the fun and helped give 300 native trees, shrubs, and ground-covering plants their forever homes.
WSHS student band Fleabag played for volunteers as they worked to help restore a forested area in the park.
Lincoln Park was one of 17 sites that hosted the Green Seattle Partnership’s annual event.
This year, GSP is celebrating 20 years of restoring Seattle’s Parks and green spaces.
That work party was of course before the weekend windstorm, but Lisa told us she’s been back to the area since then and it all weathered the storm pretty well. P.S. To find future events that you can help with, go here!
That’s a baby octopus, photographed by “Scuba Jess.” She’s a West Seattleite who’s not only a diver and photographer, but also a children’s book author, and this weekend she launches something new:
Jess – aka Jessica Alexanderson – hopes to see you at her book launch Sunday:
We’re hosting a book launch party for A Recycling Adventure to the Steel Mill at Paper Boat Booksellers in West Seattle on Sunday, October 19th from 11 AM–1 PM.
This is the third book in the “Recycling Is Like Magic” series, written by local author Scuba Jess, who loves to dive right here in West Seattle. The story takes readers on an exciting journey through a steel mill right here in West Seattle to learn how metal is melted and recycled — showing that recycling really is like magic!
Thanks to NUCOR Steel in West Seattle, we’ll be giving away free books and cookies while supplies last. It’s a fun way for families to learn more about the amazing recycling happening right in our own backyard.
We’d love it if you could share the event with your readers—West Seattle families would really enjoy it!
Event: A Recycling Adventure to the Steel Mill — Book Launch
When: Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, during the West Seattle Farmers Market
Where: Paper Boat Booksellers, 6040 California Ave SW
Details: Created with Nucor Steel Seattle and packed with PNW scenes. Meet local diver/author Scuba Jess, hear a reading, and snap a pic at the “recycling superhero” photo spot. NUCOR will give away copies of our third book. Costumes welcome!
Previous books in the series include “The Girl Who Recycled One Million Cans.”
(WSB photo, this morning)
While the park expansion less than two blocks away languishes, another city project in Morgan Junction appears to be approaching construction. Checking on the Morgan Junction electric-vehicle-charging lot site between Fauntleroy and Morgan, north of 42nd SW, we discovered the winning bidder’s contract was finalized just this past Monday. Zenisco Inc. beat out eight other bidders, according to this page on the city’s bidding website, which says the contract amount is $823,250. Zenisco’s project gallery is heavy on telecom work. This is a Seattle City Light project, as we’ve been reporting since 2022, and we have a message out to SCL to ask how soon they expect construction to begin. Back in April, SCL had projected it would start this month and be ready in spring, just a few months after an estimate that it would be finished this fall.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Today’s West Seattle Ecology Fair at Our Lady of Guadalupe was about more than just connecting with resources (as shown in our first report) – it was also an opportunity to hear about climate science.
Organizer Vince Stricherz (above) explained that keynote speaker Dr. Nick Bond (below) has most recently been studying heat waves.
Bond is state climatologist emeritus and is currently with the UW Climate Impacts Group. His general theme was that warmer temperatures aren’t just a matter of comfort – they bring health threats.
He started with a mention of the unprecedented 2021 heat wave. “We will have other heat waves,” he warned. “What I want you to be thinking about all the time is who’s vulnerable, who’s at risk.”
He showed the range of temperatures that year – “we blew away records,” not just in Seattle. It wasn’t just the heat – it was the humidity, he noted, with “considerably higher dewpoints” – especially in irrigated areas of the state like the Yakima Valley, “where people were outside working and exposed to these hazardous conditions.”
The context for the heat wave, meanwhile, was record dry conditions following a dry spring. “That set the stage for the heat wave being particularly intense.” And it wasn’t a one-time thing – precipitation trends have evolved over the past century-plus. In the last few decades, “there is a systematic decrease … we don’t know how that’s going to continue, it could be a fluke … but that may be a systematic trend we’re seeing in the climate around here.”
The heat wave took a toll in lives – an estimated 450 more deaths in Washington, 815 in British Columbia, and 69 times the usual number of emergency-room visits in the Pacific Northwest. Hospitals were putting some people in garbage bags full of ice to lower their body temperatures. The “heat dome” overall brought more deaths from various causes overall: “It’s a big deal.”
It’s not just our region, he said, showing heat-wave frequency, duration, season, and intensity all increasing nationwide. And it’s not just daytime highs – it’s increased nighttime temperatures, particularly in this area; “more and more are staying in the 60s.” Yes, it’s not “unfit for human habitation,” but – “our nights are getting warmer.”
So when you take together the hottest days and hottest nights, those events are more common than in the past. “It’s not just heat-related illness that’s the problem” – hot weather also brings more traumatic injuries, kidney problems, pregnancy complications. Farm workers in our state “are exposed to more heat”.- more work outside the confines of an air-conditioned tractor, for example.
Then he moved on to the marine heat waves called “blobs” – unusually warm ocean water, with a sudden jump starting about 10 years ago. “Unprecedented conditions, and it had major effects on all sorts of natural and human conditions. One of the things that happened that year (2015)” – he showed a slide of snowless Snoqualmie in March 2015, “when the snowpack is usually at its peak.”
(In Q&A he was asked to elaborate on what that means for the water supply, and he said possibilities will be impounding more water in reservoirs and better water management.) That meant less snowmelt for streams, and salmon died (he showed a White Salmon River photo from 2015).
“It also led to a harmful algal bloom” that lasted longer than usual, leading to the closure of razor clam fishing and more.
Yet another component – wildfires.
They’ve been trending upward too, and he had two charts for that. We’re not having more fires but they’re burning more acres, more intensely, and we’re getting more smoke.
He had a chart for “extremely bad air quality” in September 2020, and one showing increased areas across the West, and even the rest of the country, with increases in “projected wildfire emissions.”
That could mean thousands of extra deaths per year by mid-century. “The numbers that are coming out are really, I think, pretty alarming.”
Then he moved on to “projections of changes in July-September air temperatures.” But he noted that “what we do now mostly affects the distant future” – the end of this century.
In the shorter run, less cold weather and more hot weather means fewer cold-weather-related deaths but those are outstripped by the increased hot-weather-related deaths.
He also noted that food-borne pathogens rise with temperatures, too. And he spotlighted the fungus Valley Fever, which has largely been found in the Southwest but can “travel up to 75 miles in the air” and is likely to spread much further north by the end of the century.
Other potential threats that aren’t as well-studied yet include “degraded water quality in small water systems” and “mental-health-related morbidity” as things become.”
He summarized, “There’s always going to be some folks who reject the science that’s coming out now … but there are plenty of actions being taken on behalf of the environment,” like the state climate-resilience strategy, the Puget Sound Partnership, those fighting for environmental justice, and the Earth Ministry of many faith communities – like the ones who presented today’s event. “In both western and eastern religions, there’s a feeling that we should be good stewards for the environment. … This gives me hope that we can achieve some things we want to achieve. …. I think in Washington State we are prosperous enough to do something about this.”
Q&A ensued.
What about the current political climate and federal funding cuts? “That has had some real repercussions” – even the state has had to make some cuts. “It’s not like the work is ending but it’s had some real consequences for projects looking at the impacts – real things that are happening right now.” Bond was also asked about climate migration but said that’s not his area of expertise, “but there are folks working on that.”
One problem – in response to another water-related question – Bond said “it’s been noted we have 21st century problems with 20th century infrastructure and 19th century laws. … In some areas of the country we’re seeing groundwater withdrawal at unsustainable rates.”
One of the fair participants, from The Heron’s Nest, mentioned some resources, such as the Tree Equity Network – “really focused on the data for us (regarding) tree canopy loss” regarding development cutting trees – the trees with which they’re replaced “takes multiple generations.” They said The Heron’s Nest – which is in east West Seattle – has become a coalescing point.
Another person brought up the energy-gulping status of AI. But: “Does it present any hope or help for the environment?” Bond said it’s being used and “has had some benefits,” especially in forecasting.
OLG hosted the Ecology Fair as part of the Season of Creation observance, which runs through October 4.
The West Seattle Ecology Fair, happening until 2 pm, is full of info you can learn of – maybe in surprising ways, like the Wolf Haven trio above, whose table includes models of skulls and scat from wildlife large and small, plus life-size wolf and coyote representations. You can learn about saving wild salmon, too:
LeeAnn is representing Save Our Wild Salmon, focused on the Columbia and Snake River salmon, but with suggested actions you can take to help. Lots of everyday-living info too – for example, if you want to figure out how to use less plastic, you’ll find a table where you can do just that:
Keeping polluted stormwater out of the sewer system and out of Puget Sound is the longtime mission of RainWise, represented here by Sarah and Hibo:
If you checked out RainWise years ago, you should know the project has evolved to be easier to connect with – and they have events coming up to which you can bring questions (or ask them here). Thinking about spending less time in your car? If you have questions about bicycling, Marlo‘s part of the team at the West Seattle Bike Connections table:
Those are just a few of the organizations here in the Walmesley Center gym at Our Lady of Guadalupe (35th/Myrtle, northeast side of the intersection, main entrance off Myrtle). Among the others is prolific West Seattle cleanup squad A Cleaner Alki, whose founder Erik Bell is here. Coming up at noon is keynote speaker Nicholas Bond, Emeritus Washington State Climatologist. We’re staying for his presentation and will add toplines to the story later. (Update: We published that separately here.)
(Wednesday sunset photographed by Tony Tschanz)
Sunsets like that one are a reminder of our region’s beauty mixed with danger, like that posed by wildfires. So what can you do? This Saturday, find out! Originally inspired by Pope Francis‘s environmental encyclical, this is the third year Our Lady of Guadalupe is hosting the West Seattle Ecology Fair, in partnership with other peninsula faith communities and environmental/sustainability organizations. The Eco-Fair is coming up Saturday (September 27) at OLG’s Walmesley Center gym:
Organizations from throughout Puget Sound will be at this fair to answer your questions on what we can do to stabilize our rapidly changing natural world. Our keynote speaker is Nicholas Bond, Emeritus Washington State Climatologist. He will discuss implications of climate change on human health, as well as broader impacts on wildlife in our region, and he will offer ideas of actions we can take.
Some exhibitors will be;
Beyond Plastic Puget Sound
Climate Reality Project (King Coungy.)
Puget SoundKeeper
Save The Wild Salmon
WA Climate Impacts Group
The keynote presentation is expected at noon. Admission is free; Walmesley Center is on the northeast side of the OLG campus at 35th/Myrtle.
The chillier, soggier months ahead mean prime time for reading, among other things. We’ve heard lately from several West Seattle authors publishing new books. This week, writer/professor/journalist Bob Wyss is out with “Black Gold: The Rise, Reign, and Fall of American Coal,’ and will be at a local bookstore for a reading in two weeks. Here’s the announcement he sent us to share with you:
West Seattle Author’s New Book; Book Talk Set for Paper Boat Booksellers Oct. 9
A new book by West Seattle author Bob Wyss, “Black Gold, The Rise, Reign, and Fall of American Coal,” was released this week by the University of California Press. Wyss will give an inaugural talk about the book on Oct. 9 at Paper Boat Booksellers, 4522 California Ave. SW, at 6:30 p.m.
Black Gold is an environmental history of a product that was once familiar in every West Seattle home. Coal not only warmed winter’s chill it was the spark that powered railroads, the mighty steel and other industries, and it was the primary source that eventually created the American empire. However, America paid a price for burning coal – it was dirty and dangerous, and today it threatens to dangerously overheat the planet at a time when an American President wants to revive it. In West Seattle that means not only dangerously higher temperatures but rising sea levels on our Puget Sound coastline, increased toxic smoke as forest fires become more frequent, and possible droughts as glaciers disappear and winter snow decreases in the mountains.
Black Gold and its message has already drawn some press attention including a national interview at Sea Change Radio on its August 19 broadcast that can be found here. Natural History magazine is publishing an excerpt in its October issue. More information about the book can be found here.
About the Author
Bob Wyss has been a West Seattle resident for seven years. Previously, he was a reporter and editor at the Providence Journal for thirty years, a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut for fifteen years, where he is currently Professor Emeritus. He is the author of three previous books, The Man Who Built the Sierra Club, A Life of David Brower, Brimfield Rush, and Covering the Environment, and edited the anthology How I Wrote the Story. His work has appeared in the The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Boston Globe, Hartford Courant, Smithsonian, and Rhode Island Monthly.
Thanks to all the local authors who send announcements of new books, local readings, and other news – West Seattle is a hotbed of reading, with several thriving book clubs whose meetings we routinely list in our West Seattle Event Calendar. Much of our book-related coverage is archived here, newest to oldest.
(King County photo, 2024 cleanup season)
The second of three seasons of in-water Duwamish River cleanup is about to begin. This is for the removal of contaminated sediment, in the works for decades, involving Boeing, the City of Seattle, and King County. Here’s the overview:
Construction in the upper reach, the southernmost two miles of the site, is scheduled to occur from October to February for three years, ending in February 2027. In-water construction activities are restricted to these months to protect certain fish species. LDWG completed in-water work for the first construction season from November 2024 – February 2025, with the second season beginning October 1, 2025.
Beginning October 1, the construction contractor will begin dredging contaminated sediment near the South Park Bridge and Duwamish River People’s Park.
Compared to the first construction season, cleanup activities this season will be more visible as the work moves closer to the South Park Bridge, homes, parks, and marinas. The community can expect multiple barges and equipment working on the water, lights for safe work during dark hours, and typical construction equipment noise.
Season 2 construction hours will be weekdays and Saturdays and will occur during both the daytime and nighttime. Work hours will vary based on factors, such as tides and the type of work being conducted (e.g., dredging or placing clean material). Work will be coordinated with Tribal fishing. During the first three weeks of October, in-water construction work is not currently planned for Mondays and Tuesdays when Tribal fishing is most active.
The dredged sediment goes by barge to a landfill on the Columbia River. More background on the contamination and cleanup are here. Cleanup-work updates will be on this website, including upcoming dates – not yet finalized (we’re told the ones currently listed online are likely to change) – for South Park Bridge closures.
P.S. For backstory, see our report from last year, before the first season of this work began.
(WSB photo, 2024)
Set your calendar for Saturday, October 18, one of two days a year when hundreds of volunteers work simultaneously in multiple areas along the Duwamish River and in its watershed – Duwamish Alive! You can register early for some of the events. Here’s what organizers asked us to share with you:
Duwamish Alive! Saving Our Salmon, Saves Our Orca
Saturday, October 18th 10 – 2 at Multiple Local SitesJoin Duwamish Alive! this fall as our salmon are returning in our Duwamish River and Longfellow Creek, with this watershed-wide effort in improving the health of our salmon by restoring their habitat, which provides food, shelter, and cool, clean water that salmon need. Volunteers will be restoring native habitat in multiple urban parks and open spaces by removing invasive weeds, planting native plants, removing debris, and learning about healthy habitat. This is a family-friendly event, all ages welcomed and encouraged. Tools and instruction are provided.
Can’t volunteer? Visitors are welcome to view the river and the returning salmon at həʔapus Village Park, learn about the river, its ecosystem, salmon and how to care for this special place. Stop by the informational tables and find out why we say this is a “pink” year.
We are honored to help steward these locations which are the ancestral lands and waters of the Duwamish Peoples who have been here for thousands of years.
To volunteer, visit DuwamishAlive.org to see the different volunteer opportunities and register for the site of your choice, or email info@duwamishalive.org
Many of the sites are in West Seattle. Those ready to accept volunteer registrations now include this one.
(WSB photo, Saturday)
Were you among the hundreds who dropped off recyclables at Fauntleroy Church during this past Saturday’s Recycle Roundup? Here’s the grand total – and the date for the next one:
Area residents and businesses cast a strong vote for the environment on Saturday by dropping off 11 tons of recyclables during Saturday’s Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church. That brings to 395 tons that the congregation and zero-waste recycler 1 Green Planet have collected since partnering for these free community events in 2010. The spring roundup is set for Saturday, April 25, 9 am-3 pm in the church parking lot (9140 California Ave. SW).
(Photo by Dennis Hinton: Gerry Goit finishes clearing channel so spawners coming in under ferry trestle can reach the creek’s mouth)
By Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog
Saturday’s work party to clear the way for coho spawners to reach the mouth of Fauntleroy Creek was mostly about weeding. A dozen volunteers moved a few drift logs mired in the sand, then turned to addressing beach vegetation chocking the channel. They had the way cleared an hour later but will keep an eye out to make sure it stays open through spawning season.
(Photo by Diana Spence: Fred Fleischmann and fellow volunteers survey magnitude of weeding task)
Salmon Watch 2025 will officially start with the annual drumming on Sunday, Oct. 26, at 4 pm at the house below the fish-ladder viewpoint (SW Director & upper Fauntleroy Way SW). A few volunteers will get a head start by monitoring Fauntleroy Cove for schooling spawners, then two dozen watchers will begin checking the spawning reach daily.
The first spawners in modern history came into the creek in 1994. Since then, 20 has been typical for this small urban creek. Last year was anything but typical, however, when a record 347 had come in by Nov. 24.
If spawners come in, the Fauntleroy Watershed Council will host a weekend open creek for the general public and we’ll announce it here.
(WSB photos)
The second hour of today’s six-hour Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church has just begun. We were there for photos half an hour ago and one volunteer told us it had been “nonstop.” However, no backup – it’s always a very efficient operation with partner 1 Green Planet, with multiple bins, trucks, and boxes ready for whatever you’re dropping off:
Here again is the long list (PDF) of what you can bring for free recycling (and a shorter list of what they won’t accept). They’ll be there till 3 pm.
But don’t wait until the last hour unless that’s absolutely the soonest you can get there – they try to avoid an end-of-day backup. The church offers this service to the community twice a year; if you miss today’s Recycle Roundup, watch for advance announcement of the date for the next one, in spring.
Two more quick weekend previews – both for events happening tomorrow (Saturday, September 20):
FAUNTLEROY CHURCH RECYCLE ROUNDUP: Those are the first big collection containers to arrive from 1 Green Planet (DTG is its parent company) for tomorrow’s Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW). 9 am-3 pm Saturday, ride up, walk up, drive up with items on this list for free dropoff. Organizers just have one request: Don’t wait till the last hour if you can possibly get there sooner!
ALKI BEACH CLEANUP: As part of the International Coastal Cleanup, volunteers will spend two hours cleaning up Alki – details here. To help, show up at Alki Bathhouse at 10 am Saturday.
We’ve been watching for the “mid-September” start of the road closure for resumption of a drainage project along Sylvan Way just west of Delridge Way [map], and just found crews setting out cones, barricades, and signs a short time ago. Seattle Public Utilities announced three weeks ago that the project would resume after three years on hold. Here’s the official construction notice for the work, expected to continue through the end of the year.
(WSB photos)
One week from today – Saturday, September 20 – it’s the next Fauntleroy Church Recycle Roundup. We’re reminding you today in case you want to spend part of this weekend deciding what to recycle! The church partners with 1 Green Planet twice a year to accept a wide variety of dropped-off items – offering the service free of charge – and the time window is 9 am to 3 pm, so you don’t have to rush and get caught in a big backup. The church’s lot is at 9140 California SW; here’s the list of what will and won’t be accepted next Saturday:
Here’s the PDF version.
Separate from the upcoming emergency repair work on one of the culverts that carries Fauntleroy Creek underground, Seattle Public Utilities is ramping up for the 2-year project to replace another one, on 45th Avenue SW north of the Endolyne business district. At the meeting organized by the Fauntleroy Community Association earlier this summer (WSB coverage here), SPU promised a full community briefing/Q&A gathering, and they’ve just announced it will happen on October 2:
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is hosting a public meeting with light snacks in the Vashon Room at the Hall at Fauntleroy located at 9131 California Ave SW. The project team will share information and project updates about the 45th Ave SW Culvert Replacement Project on October 2, 2025 from 5:30 pm-6:30 pm!
There are three culverts on Fauntleroy Creek: a lower culvert at Fauntleroy Way SW, a middle culvert at 45th Ave SW, and an upper culvert at California Ave SW. SPU is implementing a phased program to replace two of these culverts, those at 45th Ave SW and at California Ave SW. The Fauntleroy Way Culvert [east of the ferry terminal] and associated fish ladder were built in the late 1990s and are not part of the Fauntleroy Creek Culverts Replacement Program.
The October public meeting is your opportunity to hear from the 45th Ave SW Culvert Replacement Project team and ask questions … The presentation will include a project overview, design update, and expected construction impacts during the two years of construction. In addition, you will hear status updates for the Emergency Culvert Repair work under California Ave SW.
SPU plans to replace the aging culvert under 45th Ave SW near SW Wildwood Pl. The culvert is a structure that channels Fauntleroy Creek under the roadway. Replacing this culvert will restore fish passage, reduce the risk of culvert failure, improve resilience to anticipated climate change, and provide safer working conditions for crews.
SPU also plans to replace the aging culvert under California Ave SW. As design begins for that project, SPU has determined that an emergency repair is necessary to establish stabilization until the culvert can be replaced with a fish-passage structure in the future.More information can be found on the program website.
Here’s the city’s current timeline for this project:
• Planning and Early Design: 2018 – 2023
• Mid-Design: 2023 – 2024
• Final Design: 2024 – 2025
• Construction: Spring 2026 – Summer 2028
Got room for a tree? Seattle Public Utilities‘ Trees for Neighborhoods program just might have one – or more – to give you, free! Here’s the announcement we were asked to share with you:
We have many remaining free yard trees from this year’s program, and are looking for residents, businesses, schools or places of worship that might have some yard space and interest in planting trees.
This is an annual program that offers 1,000 trees per year with a tree species list of about 12-14 species that changes every year. Seattle residents, businesses, or schools who apply can receive free tree(s) delivered to their home, school, or business with a water bag and a bag of mulch for every tree! Along with tree delivery, water bags, and mulch, participants who receive a tree(s) will get summer watering reminders for the next 5 years, be invited to free mulch giveaways and free pruning workshops, as well as other educational opportunities to continue supporting our tree stewards for years to come after they plant their trees. This Fall, we will be hosting Planting and Care workshops (both in person across the city and virtual) to teach participants how to plant and care for their tree(s) before tree deliveries start in October – November.
(Here’s) an insert that showcases the yard trees we have remaining; more information about them is listed on our website as well. There is an application process because we want to make sure we know where to deliver the tree(s) someone applies for, what Planting and Care workshop they would like to attend, and have the correct contact information for each participant for watering reminders, future event invitations, and any programmatic updates this Fall.
The application to apply can be found with the QR code on the insert or by using the direct link below:
civiform.seattle.gov/programs/free-trees
That’s the new flooring inside the South Transfer Station in west South Park. We checked in with Seattle Public Utilities this afternoon to see if it was going to reopen on the announce revised date, tomorrow, and the reply was “yes.” Here’s the official announcement:
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is pleased to announce that the South Transfer Station, located at 130 S. Kenyon Street, will reopen to the public on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, following a temporary closure for critical safety upgrades.
The project included the replacement of over 35,000 square feet of tipping floor, ensuring continued safe and efficient operations for both customers and SPU staff. With this work now complete, SPU welcomes all public customers and account holders back to the station.
SPU extends its appreciation to residents and businesses who postponed non-essential trips to the station during the closure and used alternative locations or donation/recycling options. Thank you for skipping a trip, planning ahead, and knowing where to go. Your efforts helped reduce congestion, supported a smooth upgrade process, and kept our community and workers safe. SPU appreciates your patience and cooperation.
To help keep the station running efficiently, SPU encourages customers to:
• Sort and secure loads before arriving
• Check station hours and accepted materials on the SPU website
• Use the “Where Does It Go?” tool for donation, curbside collection, and recycling options and disposal tips.
(File photo from a reader – that long stretch of greenbelt is the WDG)
The largest remaining contiguous stretch of forest in Seattle is right here on the peninsula. This community announcement coalition we invites you to answer a survey meant to help shape its future:
The Ridge to River Coalition (R2R) announces the 2025 West Duwamish Greenbelt Public Survey. All community members are invited to share experiences, connections, and ideas for Seattle’s largest remaining forest. To take the online survey, visit the R2R website r2rduwamish.org and click the “Share Your Ideas” button.
The West Duwamish Greenbelt is an amazing natural area in the city. It stretches from the West Seattle Bridge to White Center. The forest is a vital habitat for birds and animals. It offers opportunities for recreation, walking on trails to destinations, or simply enjoying the outdoors close to home.
The Ridge to River Coalition is a group of your neighbors from West Seattle and Duwamish Valley groups. R2R is working to create a community vision for the greenbelt that supports environmental stewardship, respects its cultural context and addresses the needs of the surrounding communities.
This is your opportunity to have a say in what would make the greenbelt welcoming and useful. The survey will help shape a community-led Vision and Concept Plan. In 2026, R2R will return to gather public feedback on specific proposals developed from survey responses and environmental studies by our consultant team.
This planning is made possible by a grant from the King County Parks Levy Fund. The Ridge to River Coalition is sponsored by the Seattle Parks Foundation in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation. Technical assistance is being provided by the National Park Service’s River and Trail Corridor Assistance Program.
Your survey responses will help shape the future of the West Duwamish Greenbelt. Several language options are offered. To learn about R2R and take the survey, visit the R2R website r2rduwamish.org and click the “Share Your Ideas” button, or go directly to the survey at https://survey.zohopublic.com/zs/AODzlN.
Thanks to the reader – who asked to be anonymous – who just sent that photo of tonight’s red moon. We noticed it while out and about a little while ago, high in the southeast sky, a followup to the deep-pink setting sun. Wildfire smoke will stay in the area a while, says the National Weather Service: “An upper level ridge will continue to keep conditions warm and dry through tomorrow. Hazy conditions will continue with the present pattern through at least this weekend due to smoke being put out by fires in the region.” And the smoke is low enough this time to affect air quality – mapping “moderate” according to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.
(Rendering of what the finished project is supposed to look like, from 2021 SPU document)
Along with announcing the upcoming emergency culvert repairs in Fauntleroy, Seattle Public Utilities has announced another project in West Seattle. SPU says work will resume – after almost three years – on a section of its “natural drainage” project near Delridge businesses including The Home Depot and Arco/AM-PM.
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is constructing natural drainage systems (NDS) in the Longfellow Creek Basin to address recurring drainage and flooding issues and provide water quality treatment for street runoff that drains to Longfellow Creek. During construction in 2022, crews encountered unexpected underground conditions and the project at this location was postponed. Construction will resume in mid-September 2025.
LOCATION
Sylvan Way SW between SW Orchard St and Delridge Way SW (near the Home Depot Store)SCHEDULE & HOURS
• Mid-September to end of 2025
• Monday through Friday, 7 am to 5 pmANTICIPATED IMPACTS
• Noise, dust, and vibrations typical of a construction site
• Full lane closure of Sylvan Way SW between SW Orchard St and Delridge Way SW, and parking restrictions near the work area
• Materials and equipment staged near construction activities
• Access to private property and businesses may be temporarily impacted
• Eastbound King County Metro bus stop may be temporarily impacted or relocated
• Pedestrian detours will be in place
Here’s the full construction-notice one-sheet (PDF).
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