A complicated and uncomfortable alliance of environmental groups, big business, and government has unified in an effort to clean up the polluted, 5-mile stretch of the Lower Duwamish River, or rather, its hazardous soil beneath.

Polychlorinated Biphenyls, known as PCBs, and other toxic waste that has settled into the river's soil is targeted for removal, due, in part, to the "remedial investigation" coordinated by the federal Environmental Protection Agency and the Lower Duwamish Waterway Group.

After six years in the making, the remedial investigation was finally revealed to a crowd of 350 citizens on Nov. 29, at Concord Elementary School in South Park, a community whose homes and industrial buildings hug the river's western edge.

The Lower Duwamish Waterway Group is comprised of those the EPA deems the worst offenders of polluting the river. They include the Port of Seattle, the City of Seattle, King County, and Boeing, specifically its partially outdated Plant 2, which occupies 109 acres, a dozen buildings, and nearly three-quarters of riverfront. In its heyday, Plant 2 turned out over fifteen, B-17's a day during the war effort. But back in the 1940s, Boeing and others paid little attention to the harm done to the river. By the mid-70's, environmental agencies were organized, and PCB's were outlawed.

The Waterway Group was told by the EPA to establish risk assessments as part of the investigation, and the EPA raised the bar with stricter recommendations. But questions remain.

EPA's risk assessments and other findings may seem as murky as the river herself to the non-scientist. Blame for the pollution, how toxic the soil, and what needs be done depends on whom you talk to.

Boeing spokesman Dean Tougas said that PCBs at Boeing's Plant 2 came from electrical transformers, and from Boeing Field via the bonding agent between cement squares that made up the "flight line," or tarmac, in front of the Boeing Flight Center.

"We discovered that the expansion joint compound contained low levels of PCB's from waste oil products in the 40's and 50's. We removed and replace it with nontoxic material."

"Slip 4" is a finger of water on Plant 2's northern border containing a storm drain that empties into the river. An EPA hotspot, it continues to spew hazardous waste.

"There is a web of storm drain pipes that lead into slip 4," Tougas said. "This network lies under Boeing, but also under city property, as well as the Georgetown Steam Plant.

"We have cleaned our portion of the storm drain. It was in bad shape since the 2001 earthquake." He said Boeing's storm water is filtered, but that the Duwamish River receives untreated storm water that "contains junk running off roofs, streets, and parking lots."

"PCB's have existed in Boeing's sediment from years ago. We discovered it in 1995, and have been eager to remove it, and other chemicals, for 10 years. We are awaiting approval from the EPA, and the Army Corps of Engineers.

One troubling, archaic 1940s-era structure on Plant 2 called "building 210" sits just north of the 16th Avenue South bridge, and across the river from Duwamish Waterway Park. Once a heroic structure producing flying machines during WWII, it's history since reads like a leaky diaper with toxic waste.

"We are doing everything we can," said Tougas. It's Boeing's hope we can demolish that building. Part of the pilings are over the river, so, again, we are waiting for permits."

Shawn Blocker is EPA project coordinator for Boeing Plant 2, for the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act. While the Lower Duwamish River was listed a Mega-superfund site six years ago, Boeing itself falls under Recovery Act because it addresses a current company's treatment, storage, and removal of hazardous waste. A superfund site is considered inactive where past, improper disposal has taken place.

"We're going to clean the place up," said Blocker, who paints a more menacing picture of Boeing's contribution of muck in the river. He said that removing Plant 2's buildings is not necessarily a viable solution. "Sometimes it is better to leave a building in place as sediments stay put. Yes, removing a building makes it easier to access the soil underneath, but it may move the toxic sediments into ground water.

"Plant 2 has the most diverse group of pollutants on the river, not just PCB's, but an additional 40 contaminants in its soil, including semi-volatile organic compounds, volatile organic compounds and petroleum contaminants. Most industries along the river have contributed just one. These chemicals are Boeing's relics of the past, and are now haunting them."

Still, Blocker credits Boeing for being a responsible player in the cleanup effort.

"I have the advantage of having a responsible party with financial resources to clean things up," he said of Boeing. "Money has not been an issue with any contention between the EPA and Boeing. They're not Ma and Pa Kettle."

BJ Cummings is the coordinator for the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, an EPA advisory group. She has been pushing for river cleanup for 14 years, and coordinates community concerns relating to proposed cleanup plans. The coalition receives grants from the EPA, and has retained independent technical experts to scrutinize the EPA's research.

She said that Boeing and the others were quick to point out that the data unveiled at the Concord Elementary School meeting was a "study," and not a "plan."

"When we finally see Boeing's clean-up plan we'll take a look. Now their toxic stew left over from past plane production oozes into the river. We want to make sure the community has a voice, and that the cleanup will have local accountability.

"We want to know 'is it good science? And does it meet a community standard?' That may be stricter than the study's standards."

She complained that in some instances the EPA used best-case scenarios to draw rosier conclusions. The Duwamish River Cleanup Group works together with the South Park Neighborhood Association, the Georgetown Community Council, the Duwamish Tribe,

Washington Toxics, the Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, People for Puget Sound, and others.

"We've taken thousands of samples," she said. "EPA's assessment is where we have concerns. At low tide, a long strip of beach is exposed, and kids living in riverfront homes play there. The EPA's assessment assumes that children only play on the beach 65 days, during summer. You're getting a much different conclusion on health impact if kids are playing on the beach year-round. I have a 9-year-old who'd be out here every day unless I physically prevented him.

Cummings pointed out that the Suquamish tribe has treaty rights to fishing the river, and said that the EPA soft-peddled risk assessments of fish.

"We have to think about future use. If the EPA (falsely) believes the cleanup is complete, our health isn't going to be protected.

"In South Park, homes and industry butt up against each other. Some residents like the industrial feel of the area. They just want it to be clean industry where their health is not compromised."

Dan Cargill is source control project manager for the Lower Duwamish River, Region 10, Washington State Department of Ecology. He acknowledges Tougas' claim that Boeing has dealt with the hazardous joint compound.

"They removed 88,000 linear feet," he said, but is concerned some old material remains.

He said contaminants from past disposal and current leaks coming from the northwestern paved surface of Boeing Field run into drain lines and out slip 4 into the Duwamish River.

"This land used to be where the river ran before it was redirected, so this is now landfill, and ground water is just one foot below the surface. Any crack could carry contaminated material and find its way into storm drains."

In addition to Boeing's culpability, Cargill said that the Georgetown Steam Plant, now a museum, has some contamination. Also, he agrees with Tougas that some storm drains carrying pollution from city sources run under Boeing property, and out slip 4.

Cargill also believes the little guy is a major part of the problem, and solution.

"People must change how they live to clean the river. Cars are the biggest source of pollution to the river," he said.

"Copper from brake pads, additives in cooling fluids, oil leaks, radiator leaks, gasket leaks, zinc that comes off steal-belted tires. And don't wash your car in the street. Eventually this drains into the river, too.

"Every tail pipe is dumping things out. But if you look at where we were in our 1945 survey of pollution sources, it was an industrial waste dump. Areas of habitat have reappeared in the last 20 years. Kingfishers, ospreys, otters, seals. It's no longer a dead zone."

For links and updates, visit www.duwamishcleanup.org and for EPA information, Google "Lower Duwamish Waterway site."

Steve Shay may be contacted at steves@robinsonnews.com