Translate
Our commitment to the Duwamish Watershed
Transportation services
Metro bus service
Several Metro bus routes serve South Park, Georgetown, and the industrial corridor.
Accessible transportation options are available for people who may need additional assistance getting to work, medical appointments or other services.
King County's Regional Trails System (RTS)
The RTS is one of the nation's most extensive multi-use networks with more than 175 miles of trails for recreation and non-motorized mobility and commuting. The RTS connects communities from Bothell to Auburn and Seattle to the Cascades. And the RTS continues to grow, with an overall vision of 300 miles of trails. If you are looking for alternative ways to get around our region, enjoy nature, and live a healthier lifestyle, check out King County's regional trails.
Nearby trail and bike map resources:
King County International Airport-Boeing Field
King County International Airport—also known as Boeing Field—is one of the busiest primary non-hub airports in the nation. The airport serves small commercial passenger airlines, cargo carriers, private aircraft owners, helicopters, corporate jets, and military and other aircraft. It's also home to various Boeing Company operations as well as The Museum of Flight.
King County Aerospace Alliance
The King County Aerospace Alliance was convened by King County Executive Dow Constantine to unite local jurisdictions, public sector groups, business and labor toward one goal—fostering the long-term economic vitality, growth and global competitiveness of the local aerospace industry—a major and indispensable source of family-wage jobs in King County. Since 2012, the King County Aerospace Alliance has worked with stakeholders to cultivate opportunities to collaborate and share information that will support King County's Aerospace Sector.
South Park Bridge
The South Park Bridge, which began operating in 1931, is one of only a few crucial connections to the Lower Duwamish industrial area and the South Park neighborhood. In 2014, King County opened a new bridge to replace the old deteriorating structure closed in 2010. In addition to a new, state-of-the art replacement bridge, King County also built intersection improvements, new rain gardens, riverbank enhancements and street and drainage improvements.
Environmental services
Wastewater treatment
King County’s Wastewater Treatment Division. Formerly known as Metro, the clean-water utility now operated by King County has made remarkable progress improving regional water quality and the health of the Lower Duwamish.
WTD works to protect public health and the environment by:
- Building, operating, and maintaining treatment plants, pipes, and other sewer related infrastructure that allow us to transport and treat wastewater;
- Cleaning up contaminated sediment, controlling combined sewer overflows, and preventing pollution;
- Inspect and regulate businesses to keep new and ongoing sources of pollution out of the waterway
- Providing education on our systems and clean water;
- Recovering resources such as water, energy, and biosolids from wastewater; and
- Planning to meet future wastewater needs.
The Public Health – Seattle & King County On-site Sewage/Septic System Program provides educational, advisory and permitting services for owners of on-site sewage systems (OSS) such as septic tanks. They also have information on private wells, plumbing, gas piping and onsite-sewage systems.
Stormwater
King County’s Water and Land Resources Division provides stormwater services in unincorporated parts of the drainage, and County properties including the King County International Airport.
They are responsible for coordinating the County's compliance with state and federal stormwater management regulations that protect water quality, and implementing a variety of stormwater management programs focused on the protecting public safety and properties from stormwater runoff. These programs include:
- Planning, mapping, design, construction, inspection, maintenance, and repair of stormwater facilities;
- Investigation of reported drainage and water quality problems;
- Water quality code compliance;
- Enforcement to address surface water hazards;
- Updates of stormwater facility design standards; Public education;
- Response to rate payer requests for adjustment of surface water fees;
- Stormwater emergency response; and
- General technical assistance related to all of these programs.
Stormwater Pollution Prevention Manual provides best management practices (BMP's) for managing stormwater on commercial, multi-family and residential properties.
Green River stormwater retrofit planning project: A study that estimated the amount and cost of stormwater infrastructure that would be needed in the Duwamish River Watershed, or Water Resource Inventory Area (WRIA) 9, to improve stream flow and water quality to levels comparable to those found under fully forested conditions.
Local Hazardous Waste Management Program
Businesses and households can get help from the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program and support concerning the safe storage and disposal of hazardous materials so they don’t end up in the Duwamish.
King County Water Quality Monitoring
King County monitors the ecological health of the Green-Duwamish River in a variety of ways, including collecting and analyzing water, sediment, and benthic invertebrate samples. King County has been conducting monthly baseline water quality monitoring at several sites along the Green-Duwamish River beginning in the early 1970s.
Health services
Public Health Centers
Public Health Seattle-King County operates the White Center Public Health Center. There are other Community Health Centers nearby not affiliated with Public Health Seattle-King County.
Advice on fishing for safe seafood to eat
The only Duwamish seafood safe to eat is salmon. In the Duwamish River, the seafood that spend their entire lives in the river (perch, sole, flounder, crab, mussels and clams) are unsafe to eat. They have high levels of toxic chemicals (such as PCBs) that you cannot see. Toxic chemicals can harm unborn babies, infants and young children the most – impacting their memory, attention, motor skills and language development.
South Park Community Center Open Space Design Plan: Rapid Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Findings & Recommendations
Environmental Health Services (EHS) staff conducted a rapid Health Impact Assessment (HIA) to inform Seattle Parks & Recreation’s design and planning decisions that could improve the health and well-being of South Park children and other residents, particularly in light of the existing inequities the community already faces. Our rapid HIA process included a desk-based review of published literature, best practices and recent community recommendations; and consultations with technical subject matter experts and community representatives. We focused on these health determinants: air pollution, environmental noise, crime and safety, social and mental health, physical activity, heat, and pedestrian safety.
Download the report: South Park Community Center Open Space Design Plan HIA