Our Radioactive Parks?

Sorry for the short notice but our representative, Gerry Pollet let me know about a meeting this Wednesday that I think many Pinehurst residents might be interested in attending. Apparently, Magnuson Park contains a large amount of radioactive contamination from the Navy. Work is going to be done to clean it up but probably not to the standards we’d expect unless people get involved.

PUBLIC MEETING:
Wednesday, May 29th
The Mountaineers (7700 Sand Point Way NE)

5-8 PM Open House
7 PM Q and A / Public Comment

Radioactive Contamination at Magnuson Park
Adjacent to “Arena Sports” Building 27
What are the Risks?
What are the Cleanup Plans?
Why Wasn’t The Public Informed Earlier?

Dear residents of Northeast Seattle,

I’m writing to inform you about an important public meeting on the radioactive contamination and proposed cleanup conducted by the Navy in Magnuson Park, under oversight of our state Department of Ecology. The contaminated area includes the building attached to, and the area surrounding, Building 27, housing Arena Sports. Work with radioactive radium was done in areas of Building 2 (south of the NOAA access road) and Building 27 when the Navy operated Sand Point Naval Air Station.

While Seattle Parks and the Navy have known of this contamination since 2009-2010, it has only recently been made public. In addition to concerns over impacts of hundreds of truckloads of contaminated soil and debris leaving the park at the same time Sand Point Way will be undergoing major repairs with detours, I want to be sure that residents of Northeast Seattle and other park-users understand and can comment on the proposed cleanup plan and the level of risk which would remain under the Navy’s workplan. I have asked that the Department of Ecology be the lead state agency for this effort, and that the public meeting include an opportunity for the public to ask questions and give formal comment.

The Navy’s workplan does not address our state’s hazardous waste-cleanup standards. Our Model Toxics Control Act requires that cleanups ensure future exposures to cancer causing contamination not cause more than one additional cancer for every 100,000 exposed persons.

For a public park and the health of our children, meeting our state’s protective cleanup standard is very important. However, the levels of radioactive radium and strontium proposed to remain would result in risks of cancer in children which may be 240 to 800 times higher than allowed under our state’s standards. Records indicate that contamination may have also spread through storm sewers and under the parking lot to the north shoreline of Lake Washington at the park, which is not addressed in the workplan.

I encourage you to come to the meeting with questions and comments.

Gerry Pollet
State Representative | 46th Legislative District
Gerry.Pollet@leg.wa.gov
206-729-3234 (District office)

P.S. For more information, check this https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/gsp/sitepage.aspx?csid=1359 website. You can e-mail comments to ching-pi@ecy.wa.gov.