King County will work collaboratively with the Port of Seattle to find a safe disposal site for dredging material contaminated by PCBs. Before today's unanimous vote, Executive Ron Sims wrote the commissioners in support of the motion to reverse an earlier decision to dispose of the dredgings in Elliott Bay.

Executive Sims, Councilmember Larry Phillips and David Dicks, Executive Director of the Puget Sound Partnership, commended the commission for its vote as the type of action needed for the region to meet its goal to clean up Puget Sound by 2020.

"I am steadfast in my commitment to aggressively meet the challenge of recovering the health of Puget Sound," said Sims. If we are going to recover the Sound by 2020, it means we may need to consider options that exceed regulatory requirements for clean-up efforts. I have directed county staff to work with Port staff to consider upland disposal options and financing of other alternatives."

"I am very encouraged that the Port Commission has passed a motion today directing Port staff to develop with King County a cooperative effort to dispose of the contaminated sediments from the Terminal 30 project in an upland site," said David Dicks.

"We at the Puget Sound Partnership look forward to working with the Port and King County to come up with a solution that will not cause a delay in the project but protects Puget Sound," Dicks continued. "To that end we pledge to work with our federal and state agency partners to ensure that the Port receives the necessary permits to enable upland disposal in a time frame that works for the project.

"Protecting and restoring Puget Sound will take the efforts of many diverse entities and we are glad that the Port of Seattle has shown its commitment to the Sound with its action today."

Sims and King County Councilman Larry Phillips praised the Port of Seattle's commitment to be among the ‘greenest, cleanest and most energy efficient" ports in the world. The county is currently partnering with the Port on an effort to dispose of cruise ship wastewater biosolids at King County sewage treatment facilities.

"I am pleased by the Port's decision to put the health of Puget Sound first, and go above and beyond in disposing of contaminated sediments in the Terminal 30 dredging project," said Phillips, Chair of King County's Regional Water Quality Committee. "As I have said in the past, to the extent that King County shares any responsibility for contaminated sediments at the project site, I support King County partnering with the Port in clean up efforts. Safeguarding the environment and cleaning up our vital waterways are as much a part of this region's future economic success as the Port's work to expand shipping and trade opportunities."

Sims noted that historical discharges from a King County combined sewer overflow pipe at Lander Street have contributed to the contamination of the site being dredged. County staff will work with Port staff on technical solutions, upland disposal options and financing of other alternatives to the original plan to dump and cap the dredging in Elliott Bay.