Lockheed West Seattle is a 40-acre former industrial shipyard on Elliott Bay in Seattle, Washington. Shipbuilding and repair operations ran at the site from 1946 to 1987. Those operations released paint, metal scrapings, and sandblast grit directly into the bay. The EPA added the site to its National Priorities List in March 2007, which flagged it for formal investigation and cleanup.
The site's sediment contains 30 contaminants of concern. These include heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, and zinc, along with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs), dioxins and furans, and other industrial chemicals. These contaminants built up in resident fish, shellfish, and crab. The Washington Department of Health issued a fish consumption advisory warning people not to eat those species from the waterway. Salmon are safe to eat because they only pass through Elliott Bay rather than living there year-round.
Lockheed Martin Corporation is the responsible party for cleanup. The EPA finalized its cleanup plan in August 2013. The selected methods included dredging and excavating contaminated sediment, placing a cap of clean sediment over the site, disposing of removed material at a permitted landfill, and using enhanced monitored natural recovery in some areas. Lockheed Martin began construction in August 2018. The company removed over 100,000 cubic yards of contaminated mud and shoreline debris and placed 6 to 9 inches of clean sediment across the site. Cleanup construction was completed and all cleanup levels were met for all contaminants. Human exposure is currently under control, and groundwater is not a concern at this location.
The EPA completed a Five-Year Review on September 15, 2023, to confirm the cleanup continues to protect public health and the environment. The next Five-Year Review is estimated between September and November 2028. Operation and maintenance activities are estimated to begin between May and July 2025. Tribal members from the Muckleshoot and Suquamish Tribes exercise treaty rights to harvest seafood in the area and participate in government-to-government consultations with the EPA about cleanup decisions.
Community members can contact the EPA Remedial Project Manager or the Community Involvement Coordinator. Lockheed Martin maintains a public hotline at (800) 449-4486 for questions about the cleanup. Site documents are available for review at the EPA Region 10 Superfund Records Center, 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 155, Seattle, WA 98101.
