Cleaning up the East Waterway
Developed in the early 1900s, the East Waterway was a hub of industry at the Everett Waterfront, being the home of two major mills, the Navy, shipyards, shipping terminals, and other industrial activities. With heavy and historic industry dating back to times when no environmental laws were in place and the sea was assumed to be vast and resilient, pollution was discharged into the bay. The historic pollution is now being addressed by the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) through the formal state cleanup process under an Agreed Order. The Port signed on to the Agreed Order with Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. (K-C), and the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The U.S. Department of the Navy (Navy) signed on to a separate Ecology Agreed Order to assist in the cleanup process. The project is just at the beginning stages and will likely take up to a decade to be addressed.