West Seattle, Washington
23 Tuesday
Fifteen months after the first modernized berth at Terminal 5 saw its first cargo call, it’s had another first – the long-delayed first use of shore power. That capability was originally supposed to be up and running by the time the first berth opened; we’ve been reporting on the delays for months, attributed to a variety of factors from labor negotiations to hardware/software problems. Today, the Northwest Seaport Alliance just announced the first plug-in has happened:
The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s Terminal 5 welcomed MSC Brunella as the first vessel to plug-in to the terminal’s shore power infrastructure. On Monday, April 10th, the commissioning phase of the Terminal’s shore power project component was finalized as the nearly 9,000 TEU vessel successfully utilized clean energy from the City of Seattle’s electrical grid to power the vessel while at berth.
Terminal 5 is the first international container terminal in the NWSA gateway with shore power capability, making this inaugural plug-in a significant environmental milestone in the Pacific Northwest.
Shore power infrastructure reduces diesel particulate matter and greenhouse gas emissions by allowing vessels to turn off their diesel engines and ‘plug-in’ to the local power grid while being worked at the dock. Seattle City Light has been a critical collaborator throughout this project. …
In addition to needing landside infrastructure at marine terminals, a ship must have special equipment installed to accept shore power. The NWSA is glad to see the cargo shipping industry increasing the number of shore power capable vessels, with more than half of the vessels that call NWSA being shore power capable. Once the infrastructure is fully installed throughout the gateway, the NWSA expects all capable ships will plug-in. …
You can read the entire announcement here.
(Photos of last week’s SPU work by Tom Trulin)
Seattle Public Utilities workers are expected to return tomorrow to 45th SW, where Fauntleroy Creek – one of our city’s few salmon-bearing streams – goes under the street in a culvert that’s currently clogged. Creek stewards have been keeping us up to date on efforts to unclog it, as the backup has led to ponding.
Here’s what SPU has to say about what’s going on:
Three weeks ago, when water started to pond upstream, SPU investigated and determined that the culvert was mostly blocked with debris. During this time, SPU has been assessing repair options and actively monitoring and evaluating the culvert and upstream conditions. As soon as (tomorrow), SPU will use a pump and bypass system to attempt to lower the water level upstream of the culvert to better assess conditions in the culvert. During this temporary work, you can expect periodic noise from the pumping equipment and slower traffic in the work area. This work would occur during daytime hours. SPU will continue to perform work at the culvert to eliminate the blockage and may change strategies depending on the culvert and weather conditions.
The culvert needs to be replaced – as we’ve previously reported – and SPU says it’s currently “in the process of developing a design,” but because “there are requirements from State and Federal agencies that must be met and reviewed during the culvert’s design process … the design will not be completed for several years, with construction anticipated to start in summer 2026.” You can see the preliminary design concept on the project website.
(SPU photo, 2021)
The dates are set for this year’s opportunities to get free compost in West Seattle: 9-noon Saturday, April 22nd – yes, yet another way to spend your Earth Day this year! – and 9-noon Saturday, May 6th. On both dates, Seattle Public Utilities, ECOSS, and Lenz Enterprises will team up to offer it while supplies last. Bring your own container to the north lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor).
On Earth Day – April 22nd – again this year, electric-vehicle drivers have the opportunity to help others learn about plugged-in driving, and people with questions about it have the chance to get answers. This year it’ll all be happening nearby, at the Duwamish River Community Hub on the southeast corner of downtown South Park’s main intersection, 14th Avenue S./S. Cloverdale. Organizers include the Seattle Electric Vehicle Association and Express CU – different EV models and even test drives will be offered, noon-3 pm on Saturday, April 22nd. If you’re an EV driver interested in participating, the link is on this page (as well as the link for RSVPs).
When we first reported last month on plans for the spring Duwamish Alive! multi-site habitat restoration/cleanup event, the full list of West Seattle opportunities was still a work in progress. Now with less than two weeks to go, there are four West Seattle sites still accepting volunteers for April 15th – one of which is for kayakers. Duwamish Alive! is set for 10 am-2 pm that day, rain or shine, at these West Seattle locations (and others further south in the watershed):
Pigeon Point, Seattle with Delridge Neighborhood Development Assn
həʔapus Village Park, Seattle with DIRT Corps
Herrings House Park, Seattle with Green Seattle Partnership
Duwamish River Kayak Cleanup, Seattle with Puget Soundkeeper Alliance
You can go here to find the links.
Now that it’s April, our area’s next two recycling and shredding events are in view:
RECYCLING – Fauntleroy Church‘s twice-yearly Recycle Roundup is set for 9 am-3 pm Saturday, April 22nd. Drive up, ride up, walk up, and drop off your recyclables – here’s the list of what will and won’t be accepted this time. The church is at 9140 California sW.
SHREDDING – Again this year, John L. Scott Real Estate-Westwood (WSB sponsor) is presenting free shredding in conjunction with a donation drive for the White Center Food Bank:
John L. Scott Westwood and Evergreen Home Loans are sponsoring a shred event Saturday, April 29th, from 2-5 PM @ Westwood Village, located in the parking lot (west of) the old Bed Bath and Beyond Building. Please consider a monetary or food donation to the White Center Food Bank – once again they are teaming up with us for this community event. We would love to surpass last year’s $477 in donations and 370 lbs. of food.
(Photo by Tom Trulin)
No, the Seattle Public Utilities workers near 45th/Wildwood were not there for a water break again. This time, it’s related to Fauntleroy Creek; thanks to creek steward Judy Pickens for explaining. She says they were working on a partial blockage of the culvert that carries the creek underground in the area. Judy says SPU started assessing the situation a few weeks ago, and then came to work on it today. The blockage had resulted in a “duck pond” about 12 feet deep and they needed to drain some of that water away to get to the culvert itself. Creek volunteers have been keeping watch to be sure fry in the creek weren’t disturbed – as Judy notes, “It’s a delicate time for fish in the creek. Smolts have been heading to saltwater earlier than last year and we have lots of home hatch in the lower creek.” She says this culvert has had a blockage before, about a decade ago. SPU has had a culvert-replacement project on the drawing board for years.
As previewed here, a team from Seattle Public Utilities was out at 17th/Holden this afternoon, talking to people in the neighborhood about the SW Holden Natural Drainage Systems project. It’s intended to be both a stormwater-filtering project and also a traffic-calming plan, as the city considers that stretch of Holden wider than it should be for a “neighborhood street.” Dropping in to see what’s new as the plan reaches 30 percent design, we learned they’re now just focusing on the south side of Holden:
That’s for two reasons, the project team said – one, the stormwater from the north side already goes into a system that takes it to the treatment plant, while the south side goes toward Longfellow Creek, so the “natural drainage system” filtering will carry an environmental benefit. Second, the Seattle Fire Department – which has Station 11 just a block away, at 16th/Holden – voiced concerns about narrowing the street too much and making it unusable as a main response route. So at the 17th/Holden intersection, the road will be narrowed to 25 feet from the current 36 feet. Some parking will be lost on the south side, while it’ll be retained on the north side. They’ll also be adding ramps for crossing at 17th/Holden as well as 16th/Holden.
We asked about the ex-substation parcel on the southwest corner of 16th/Holden; the curbcut there will be removed as part of the project, which would have to happen even if/when the site is redeveloped, because the entry would have to be off the alley on its west side.
The plan also will drain more water from the southeast side of the 16th/Holden intersection than originally envisioned, sending it to the “natural drainage” via two “inlets.”
All this is currently under review by SDOT, according to the project team; once that department gives its approval, they’ll move on to the 60 percent design phase, which also will require review and approval. Construction is tentatively expected to start sometime nect year.
As reported here Thursday, Seattle City Light has confirmed the locations of 31 new on-street electric-vehicle-charging stations around the city, including five in West Seattle. A few questions arose, and we took them to SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang. First – a clarification: The one location we hadn’t already reported, the 6000 block of 16th SW, is not actually on the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus – Strang says it will be on the “west side of 16th Ave SW, opposite the South Seattle College campus. It will be located near the walkway leading to the Duwamish Cohousing complex.” Readers, meantime, asked what’s being done to deter thieves from hitting the new chargers’ cords, as they have with others. Strang says, “The curbside Level 2 chargers have charging cables that automatically retract.” And that led t the question, what’s going on with the still-not-back-in-service chargers on 39th SW south of West Seattle Bowl? Strang explains, “In early March we installed two cables on the chargers at 4535 39th Ave SW, and our technician was unable to get the chargers to deliver a successful charge. Following various attempts to troubleshoot the issue with the manufacturer, it was determined additional parts are needed. We are waiting on the delivery of parts to continue troubleshooting the issue with the 39th Ave SW chargers and to complete repairs on the other chargers that had cables stolen.”
(WSB photo, last Saturday)
Thanks to Waste Management for sending the totals from last Saturday’s recycle/reuse/shred event at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). By the numbers:
TOTAL HAUL: 17,230 pounds of items dropped off by 417 participants
ELECTRONICS: 9,252 pounds
PAPER TO SHRED: 5,560 pounds
HOUSEHOLD ITEMS: 1,532 pounds
STYROFOAM: 550 pounds
BATTERIES: 171 pounds
LIGHT BULBS: 100 pounds
PROPANE CANISTERS: 65 pounds
Along with WM, this free event was presented by were the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, West Seattle Junction Association, Seattle Public Utilities, Friendly Earth, Northwest Center, Seadrunar, and Styro Recycle.
Next up: Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW) hosts its spring Recycle Roundup 9 am-3 pm Saturday, April 22nd (here’s what will be accepted); John L. Scott Westwood (WSB sponsor) hosts a shredding event Saturday, April 29th, 2-5 pm in the northwest lot at Westwood Village (bring a donation for White Center Food Bank). More on both events as they get closer.
(Governor’s office photo)
That’s Gov. Jay Inslee, during a visit this afternoon to the encampment cleanup on what’s mostly state-owned land by the (also state-owned) 1st Avenue South Bridge. This was the second day of an extensive cleanup at the site; workers at the site this morning told us they expected to be there two or three more days.
(WSB photo)
The governor used his visit to focus on the fact that 30 people had been living there and have been placed in shelter/housing, and to repeat his criticism of the State Senate for not allotting as much money on housing as he wants them to.
Back in October, we reported on a city plan for a new “natural drainage system” – basically stormwater-filtering landscaping – along a stretch of SW Holden in Highland Park. As we subsequently learned, the project is also meant to assist with traffic calming on what the city considers a too-wide section of the street. Seattle Public Utilities has announced the next step in the project – an on-site opportunity to talk with city reps one week from today, at 17th/Holden, 2:30-5:30 pm Tuesday, March 28th. The city website says the plan is just getting to 30 percent design and is still not expected to go into construction before next year. You can review and comment on early design concepts at next week’s drop-in event, SPU says. The city has already installed “natural drainage systems” in other areas, including a section of 17th further south, between Kenyon and Henderson.
Streets are blocked off around the area beneath the south end of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, as the encampment cleanup begins. We reported last week that the long-planned cleanup was scheduled for this week, so we went down this morning to see if it had begun. We couldn’t get close because of the closures, but heavy equipment and hauling trucks were in view:
So were State Patrol vehicles (much of the area is WSDOT land):
As for the people who had been living at the encampment, we reported last week that outreach workers said 30 had been connected with shelter/housing. City Councilmember Lisa Herbold had a few more details on this in her weekend newsletter, quoting the Regional Homelessness Authority, which told her:
I’m pleased to share with you that KCRHA and our partners at PDA, WSDOT, and the City have completed the work with individuals at the encampment located at SW Michigan and the 1st Avenue bridge.
As of today, 30 individuals moved into shelter or emergency housing placements. Three individuals who have a shelter match have not been at the location for several days and their whereabouts are unknown. One individual declined services. One individual encountered issues when arriving at their referred shelter location, and that person is not at the program or the encampment.
(WSB file photo)
One simple way to help orcas and other marine life – join in the one-day, twice-yearly work parties that comprise Duwamish Alive! Registration has begun for some of the sites where volunteers will be working during this spring edition. Here’s the announcement from Sharon Leishman of the Duwamish Alive! Coalition:
Duwamish Alive! Celebrating Earth Month
Sat. April 15 10:00 – 2:00 at Multiple Volunteer SitesDuwamish Alive! is a collaborative effort in improving the health of our river and its watershed. Starting at 10:00 am volunteers will be restoring native habitat in multiple urban parks and open spaces in the ongoing effort to keep our river alive and healthy for our communities, salmon and the Puget Sound. Proving that many individuals working together can make a substantial difference in improving the health of our region.
Volunteers’ efforts include a river cleanup by kayak, shoreline salmon habitat restoration, and native forest revitalization. To volunteer, visit DuwamishAlive.org to see the different volunteer opportunities and register for the site of your choice, or email info@duwamishalive.org
Seola Pond [map] has new native plants courtesy of steward Scott Dolfay and students from Explorer West Middle School and Westside School (WSB sponsors). Scott says the annual restoration event happened last Saturday, and this time a King County grant program provided $3,500 to help make it happen.
Scott says he started this work in 2017 and it’s become an annual event, “always with neighbor volunteers and students & teachers from at least one of the 3 schools near the pond; Explorer West, Westside, and The Bridge School.” Scott says the weather was perfect – they did the planting a bit later this year so it wasn’t quite as cold.
Before students got to work, he walked them around the pond “explaining about native vs. invasive plants, the pond’s fauna, and the history of the effort.”
After the students left, he had other visitors: “As I was cleaning up, Mr. Darrell Wallis walked up. He has been mowing the grass with his riding mower on the west and south sides of the pond for years. He announced it was his 86th birthday that day. When I started in 2017 he was skeptical but has been won over seeing the results. Later, two separate elderly bird watchers showed up, happy to see to new work now on the south side.” Scott added, “I could have used at least twice the number of plants but it’s a good start. We planted several trees including one good sized Bosnian pine, I know, not native, but a great tree. As other grants come up I’ll apply so in time the area will be filled in.”
We’re just back from the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) north lot, where organizers and volunteers have just wrapped up three hours of free recycle/reuse dropoffs and shredding. Our photos show some of what they received.
As we noted when visiting at the start, there was a big line in the early going, but volunteers say that by 11 am, it was “no waiting” mode.
Also, they say there was plenty of truck capacity this year, so none of the dropoff stations had to close early
Partners in making this happen were the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, West Seattle Junction Association, Seattle Public Utilities, and Waste Management, Friendly Earth, Northwest Center, Seadrunar, and Styro Recycle. They’ll be tallying up the numbers in the days ahead and we’ll publish a followup when that’s available.
P.S. If you missed this, the Fauntleroy Church Recycle Roundup, also a free dropoff event, is happening on Saturday, April 22nd, 9 am-3 pm. And if you’re looking for other options regarding some items that don’t just go in your regular solid-waste carts or dumpsters, see this page on the SPU website.
(March 2022 WSB photo)
One more reminder – two days remain to get ready for this year’s first free dropoff recycle/reuse/shred event in West Seattle, 9 am-noon (or until the available trucks fill up) Saturday (March 18th) in the north lot of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). For the list of what will and won’t be accepted, see this flyer. Organizers include the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, West Seattle Junction Association, Seattle Public Utilities, and Waste Management, Friendly Earth, Northwest Center, Seadrunar, and Styro Recycle. The college is at 6000 16th SW – if you’re driving, approach the lot entrance from the northbound side of 16th.
This Thursday night, West Seattle Meaningful Movies (and a few of its counterparts elsewhere in the city) are taking on the topic “Saving Native Plants to Save Ourselves.”
We are showing a couple of short videos on Zoom and hosting a discussion about how and why to ditch your grass and plant native plants.
Join us for a conversation about the movies INSECT APOCALYPSE and WHY LAWNS MUST DIE. You can choose to watch these two short videos on your own, in advance of our event, or you can watch them with us as a group at on March 16th. Join us on Zoom at 6 PM for a quick introduction and then we will watch the short videos together. Afterwards, at approximately 6:30, we will have community conversation about the films. We will be joined by climate activist and native plant hero Andrea O’Ferrall and native plant experts Marcia Smith, Chris Fuentes, and Bibi Powell. They will share tips on how to get rid of your grass, and suggestions for native, waterwise plant options. Afterwards, we will all have a discussion about what we can do to support a healthy environment in our neighborhoods and backyards.
(WSB photo, 2022 dropoff event)
Another one-week-to-go reminder today: We are exactly a week away from the year’s first big free dropoff event for recyclable/reusable items that aren’t part of regular weekly pickups. Shredding will be offered too. It’s happening 9 am-noon (or until the available trucks fill up) Saturday, March 18th, in the north lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). Organizers include the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, West Seattle Junction Association, Seattle Public Utilities, and Waste Management, Friendly Earth, Northwest Center, Seadrunar, and Styro Recycle. To see what will and won’t be accepted, check out this flyer.
P.S. If you can’t get to this event, the next Fauntleroy Church Recycle Roundup – also a dropoff event (but no shredding) – is set for Saturday, April 22nd. More details on that as it gets closer.
Thursday morning, we shared the invitation from Louisa Boren STEM K-8 for you to visit during “Community Week.” One more note from the school this morning- they’re planting more trees in a nearby wetland and raising money for 5th and 8th graders to go to camp, through tree sponsorships!
(WSB photo: STEM students at Delridge Wetland in 2018, celebrating steward Willard Brown)
Throughout their years at Louisa Boren K-8, students have been active stewards of the Longfellow Creek Watershed. With support from the DNDA and Seattle Parks, students have been the primary stewards of the Delridge Wetland Project, and have planted hundreds of native plants and trees along Longfellow Creek, and within the Delridge and Myrtle Greenspace. They have consistently raised salmon within the Salmon in Schools program and created habitat within the schools own Native Plant and Pollinator gardens. For over a decade Boren students have made their mark improving natural areas surrounding the school.
This week 5th graders are adding more trees to the watershed and are looking for your help in the form of tree sponsorship. Funds raised from this event will cover a portion of outdoor education camp tuition with any remaining funds going directly into purchasing more native trees and plants for the watershed. Please use this link for donations. Thanks for supporting student learning and stewardship.
(Alki Beach, photographed this week by James Bratsanos)
The state Ecology Department has published its BEACH report for last summer’s swimming season – and all the local beaches where water quality was tested had a perfect summer, except one (you can probably guess which one). The Beach Environmental Assessment, Communication and Health program does regular bacterial testing at 59 beaches around Puget Sound and the ocean coast. Overall, the new report says 2022 was much better than 2021, when the late June/early July heat wave factored into many advisories and closures. This past summer, not so much. But let’s get to the local results. King County’s beach scorecard is here; testing was done regularly at Alki Beach Park, Lincoln Park, and Richey Viewpoint (Constellation Park). The first two “had excellent water quality and met swimming standards during all periods sampled,” according to the report. The third “had good water quality, meeting swimming standards during all periods sampled,” but, the report adds, “This beach was preemptively closed due to a sewage spill from a nearby condominium complex between July 5 and July 25.” (Here’s our initial coverage of that situation; the closure lasted four weeks at Cormorant Cove, which is outside the testing area.) The report says this year’s testing will start the week of May 22, and they’ll be updating their map weekly between Memorial Day and Labor Day.
(WSB photos/video unless otherwise credited)
That’s the city’s newest surveillance camera. It’s just been installed high on a pole overlooking this stretch of Detroit Avenue SW [map] in southeast West Seattle.
That area between industrial businesses and a greenbelt is so notorious for illegal dumping, Seattle Public Utilities says, they’ve recovered thousands of tires and even this boat:
(Seattle Public Utilities photo)
So they’re trying something new – a motion-activated camera that will play this warning message when set off and will then photograph potential illegal dumpers:
We talked at the site with SPU’s Clean City division director Lee Momon, about why this spot was chosen and what happens to people caught by the camera, among other things:
Illegal dumping totaled more than (corrected) 1.9 million pounds last year alone, SPU says, resulting in that $1.7 million cost that Momon mentioned. If someone is caught and identified via the camera (which cost $9,000), they’ll “reach out and inform them about the violation and find a resolution (that) could involve cleaning fees, violation fees, or community service.”
You can report illegal dumping on public property any time via Find It Fix It, via the form linked here (where you’ll also see a map of currently reported dumping sites), or by calling 206-684-7587.
Those candles are part of a revived recycling program that Canna West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is relaunching starting today. The program is the resumption of a pre-pandemic commitment, and also an initiative led by Canna’s owner to encourage change in her entire industry. Here’s the announcement explaining the return of Canna Collect:
Back in 2019, Canna West Seattle launched a one-of-a-kind recycling program to collect all cannabis and hemp packaging sold through both its stores. With an incentivized program called Canna Collect, customers were encouraged to bring back their packaging in exchange for loyalty points and discounts within the Culture Shop (Canna’s sister lifestyle store).
Behind the scenes, the team putting the program together intended to collect the packaging and commission an artist who could convert the materials into a massive sculpture. The sculpture was meant to help raise awareness as a symbol of the damaging environmental impact the cannabis industry is responsible for. What they learned was that the various materials collected actually could not be safely merged. Much of it couldn’t even be recycled, Mylar being the number-one pollutant.
The program resonated with thousands of customers donating monthly, but due to unexpected regulations and roadblocks, the actual result was just collecting and storing empty cannabis packaging. Canna worked hard to find innovative companies to potentially partner with – companies that could possibly find use for or convert the materials – but had no luck.
Just as the program was really gaining momentum through community support and national media coverage, the pandemic hit, and everything came to an instant halt. Priorities shifted to keep the staff safe and serve the community, while the recycling program was put on the back burner until further notice.
Stalled for an unpredictable amount of time, the program was always intended to be resumed once everyone felt it was safe again to do so. Now almost 3 years later, the Canna Collect recycling program is relaunching with a new aim.
“We desperately need industry change to decrease industry waste.” says Maryam Mirnateghi, CEO and Founder of Canna West Seattle. “If climate is truly a priority to our representatives, then they need to look at the regulations that they are imposing on the cannabis industry that are directly impacting the environment and hurting small business.”
The original end goal was to bring awareness to the pollution cannabis packaging is causing, and to motivate industry leaders and state representatives to work together to change regulations and create business and environmentally friendly alternatives. It is meant to make customers more aware of what kind of cannabis packaging they are purchasing their products in, and in turn, to create more eco-conscious consumers.
“While we’ve had to make some modifications to our recycling program, our end goal still remains the same,” Mirnateghi continues. “Only now we’ve partnered with Northwest Island Botanicals, who is upcycling the glass jars we collect into therapeutic candles that will be sold at our Culture Shop. A portion of those proceeds will be donated to customer-choice local charities. In addition, we will be encouraging and helping our customers to contact our legislators.”
To learn more about the Canna Collect Recycling Program, visit cannawestseattle.com. There you’ll find details about what packaging will now be accepted, who to contact in Olympia which includes a simple copy and paste letter to send to your local politicians. Keep an eye out for future petitions or initiatives! “It’s time to bring the cannabis community together to create real environmental change,” Mirnateghi concludes.
Canna West Seattle is at 5440 California SW; the Culture Shop is across the street at 5435 California SW.
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