• City of Tacoma QA
  • City of Tacoma OpenData




 

Scoping Work for Tire Removal at Les Davis Marine Park

Scoping Work for Tire Removal

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Dec. 2, 2014

MEDIA CONTACTS

Gwen Schuler, Media and Communications, gschuler@cityoftacoma.org,(253) 591-5160

Stacy Ellifritt, Media and Communications, stacy.ellifritt@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5152

Scoping Work for Tire Removal at Les Davis Marine Park to Begin in December

Working jointly with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources and the Nisqually Tribe, the City of Tacoma is taking proactive steps to ensure the continued health of life in Tacoma’s waterways.

In December, a professional dive team from the Nisqually Tribe will conduct an underwater survey to determine what it would take to remove a tire buffer at Les Davis Marine Park, located on Ruston Way in Tacoma.The tire buffer was implemented years ago to ward divers away from the fishing pier, and could pose environmental risks to the area.   

“According to the Department of Natural Resources, as tires sit stationary underwater, they could begin to leach contaminants such as petroleum and lead,” said Assistant Division Manager Jennifer Hines from the City of Tacoma’s Public Works Department. “These toxicants have a negative effect on both plant and animal species in the surrounding tidal areas.”

The underwater survey is estimated to be completed by the end of December, and the team will then work together to develop a plan for permanent removal of the tire buffer. Additional updates will be available once the removal plan and project timeline have been drafted.

Divers are asked to stay at least 100 yards from the fishing pier at all times.

“This effort is in keeping with the City’s on going commitment to ensure that the waterway remains the asset it has become,” said Hines. “In 2006, the City and its partners completed a $105 million remediation of the Thea Foss Waterway. This work was performed in coordination with an aggressive revitalization of the waterfront corridor. With millions of dollars invested and a legacy on the line, it is imperative that the City of Tacoma do what it can to avoid recontamination of the waterway, especially now that it has emerged as a tremendous economic and environmental asset to the community.”

###



]]>