Project Vision and Goals

The Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) South Park Water Quality Facility (SPWQF) project is located on a 3-acre site along the Duwamish River in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood. The project will clean up historical soil and groundwater contamination on the site and install a new treatment system that removes a variety of pollutants from a 240-acre drainage basin before discharging into the river. 

The actual treatment facility will not occupy the entire 3-acre site—around an acre of land is available for community use. SPU is conducting a comprehensive planning and engagement process to inform the transformation of the site for the benefit of people and wildlife. 

Map of the South Park neighborhood in Seattle showing the location of the South Park Water Quality Facility and other projects including the South Park Pump Station, Drainage and Roadway improvements, and the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Project. The future Water Quality Facility site is at 8th and Kenyon along the Duwamish River, between Waterway Park and t̓ałt̓ałucid Park and Shoreline Habitat (tathtathootseed, pronounced “t-ahth-t-ahth-oots-eed”)
Map of the South Park neighborhood in Seattle showing the location of the South Park Water Quality Facility and other projects including the South Park Pump Station, Drainage and Roadway improvements, and the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Project. The future Water Quality Facility site is at 8th and Kenyon along the Duwamish River, between Waterway Park and t̓ałt̓ałucid Park and Shoreline Habitat (tathtathootseed, pronounced “t-ahth-t-ahth-oots-eed”)

Project planning is guided by Duwamish Valley Action Plan priorities in close coordination with key City, community, and industrial partners. The project is also informed by Shape Our Water, SPU’s 50-year plan that connects infrastructure investments to community- driven priorities and strengthens the capacity of communities to shape their built environment.   

The SPWQF project seeks to address multiple outcomes that address defined community priorities – remove pollutants from stormwater before it enters the Duwamish, clean up contaminated land, improve connection to the river through pedestrian and bike connections along the shoreline, and pursuing partnership opportunities with City, community-based organizations and industrial partners.   

South Park Neighborhood map displaying stormwater flow patterns with blue arrows showing how water moves through local streets from west of West Marginal Way to the South Park Water Quality Facility (click on the map to see a larger view)

We invite you to explore this website and learn more about the following:    

  • What the South Park Water Quality Facility is and why it’s important 
  • Where the project is located and what treatment technologies SPU is proposing to use 
  • What neighbors have shared—in youth workshops, in-person open house, and online survey—about ways people could utilize the site  
  • A description and visuals showing different design options and how people might access and experience the site 
  • The project schedule, including a rough timeline for design and construction 
  • Different ways to engage with us and provide feedback in whatever way you prefer—attend an event, take a survey, leave a comment, send us an email, or give us a call 

Project Schedule

Timeline chart displaying coordinated schedule for site cleanup, water quality facility construction, and community investments spanning 2023 through 2031
Timeline chart displaying coordinated schedule for site cleanup, water quality facility construction, and community investments spanning 2023 through 2031