Tag Archives: Water and Air Pollution

Voices

OPINION: Impact of Cruises on Puget Sound Waterways and Beyond

by Tom Barnard, Iris Antman, and Jordan Van Voast

They’re doing the right thing, for the wrong reason. The Port of Seattle has decided that cruise demand in the foreseeable future does not warrant the construction of another cruise terminal adjacent to Pioneer Square and instead plans to promote Terminal 46 (T46) for other uses, primarily cargo. It’s possible that cruise ships’ dismal track record on health and the environment played a part in the cancellation, but, more likely, the change of plans was a business decision.

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Community

‘Rain Gardens’ Turn Backyards Into Water Treatment Facilities, Benefiting Marine Life

by  Ben Adlin

Seattle’s frequent rainfall is responsible for much of the region’s natural beauty, from old-growth forests to the creeks and rivers that flow into Puget Sound and the Salish Sea. But rain can also be catastrophic to area ecosystems. When precipitation falls on roofs, roads, and other hard surfaces, it sweeps pollutants like heavy metals directly into local waterways, disrupting marine environments and devastating wildlife.

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Features

Shape Our Water: Shelagh Brown, Reconnecting Communities With Nature

by Ben Adlin

Shape Our Water is a community-centered project from Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and KVRU 105.7 FM, a hyperlocal low power FM station in South Seattle, to plan the next 50 years of Seattle’s drainage and wastewater systems. Funded by SPU, the project spotlights members of local community-based organizations and asks them to share how water shapes their lives. Our latest conversation is with Shelagh Brown, a member of the Alphabet Alliance of Color. 

Shelagh Brown won’t reveal her secret hideaway. All she’ll say is it’s a nearby lake with a lone public entrance, where the water is clean and powerboats are forbidden — a little slice of paradise. She’d like to keep it that way.

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News

Newly Elected Legislator David Hackney Hopes to Bring Change to the 11th District

by Chetanya Robinson

David Hackney’s victory over 18-year incumbent Zack Hudgins to serve as a representative in Washington State’s 11th Legislative District was decisive, with Hackney earning 61% of the vote. 

For Hackney and his supporters, it signalled that the 11th District — which encompasses Renton, Tukwila, part of Kent, and a slice of South Seattle that includes SoDo, the Industrial District, Georgetown, and South Park — wanted new leadership. “I think they were ready for change,” said Hackney in an interview with the Emerald. “I think they saw in me the energy of an organizer — someone that was going to be fighting inside and outside of Olympia on critical issues.”

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