1. Alondra Villanueva ESS 315
Gas Works Park
Alondra Villanueva
ESS 315

2. Site description
Gas works park is a 20 acre park located at 2101 n northlake way.
Industrial facilities were developed on the site in 1903 and gasification began in 1906

3. Seattle Gas Light Company – est. 1906
Seattle Gas Light Company opened a gas works plant in 1906 in a location called brown’s point in 1906
The original process of getting energy was to pass steam over superheated coal to produce a cheaper and cleaner hydrogen gas
This process required large amounts of fresh
water so brown’s point was an ideal
location right by lake union

4. Seattle Gas Light Company – est. 1930s
Approximately 30 years after the original establishment of the seattle gas light company, a new gasification process was developed that used crude oil because of its cheaper price than coal
In 1906, seattle gas company ceased operations when natural gas became available
A tar refinery also operated on the site, refining
materials obtained as a by-product of the
gas manufacturing process and
producing coal tar-based products

5. Aftermath of Seattle Gas Company
After years of water and air pollution filling the environment, the plant closed in 1956 to much relief of nearby residents of wallingford
In 1962, the facility was sold to the city of seattle
Studies done by the washington state department of ecology and the epa documented sediment contamination in lake union
High levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHS), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCS), and elevated concentrations of arsenic, copper, lead, zinc, and other metals
The property was transferred to the city in 1973 and by the mid-70s, most of the old equipment was removed, park landforms were created, and by-products of the original gas plant were covered with soil

6. Contaminants Contamination includes:
Industrial and commericla activities on the uplands
In-water and over-water operations that have caused or resulted in spills
and leaks
Shoreline extension
Storm water discharges
Wastewater disposal
Other discharges to lake
HIGH LEVELS OF:
POLYCYCLIC AROMATIC HYDROCARBONS (PAHS)
POLYCHLORINATED BYPHENYLS (PCBS)
ARSENIC
LEAD
CHARCOAL
COAL-TAR PITCH
MERCURY AND OTHER METALS

7. Gas Works Park
A master plan of the park included experimental methods of bioremediation of the site
Industrial waste deposits were as thick as nine feet spread across the park over vashon till of glacial origin
Unpredictable ground water tables
caused layers of oil-filmed water
to perch within two feet of ground
surface
Bioremediation was done by
allowing water and air into the soil
along with sewage sludge and sawdust,
and then sewage sludge, biomass,
leaflitter, and free fly ash from a
cement factory for the acidic areas
Hills keep stormwater flowing, while in valleys where water is allowed to permeate, the process lifts hydrocarbons into active bacterial bio-zone. In this way rainwater engages in the process of cleansing the soil, resulting in a system that constantly revives itself

8. Gas Works Park (CONT.)
The most polluted soil and construction rubble was placed in a large pile to form the base of the Great Mound or Kite Hill, then capped with 18 inches of hard-packed clay
This hill helped rainwater flow faster, avoiding the permeation of clay and the disturbed material
Topography of rolling hills and valleys were created with the purpose of breaking down pollutants
GAS WORKS PARK UNDERWENT AN ENVIRONMENTAL CLEANUP IN 2000 AND 2001 – TWO FEET OF CLEAN TOPSOIL WAS PLACED OVER A PROTECTIVE BARRIER AND A GROUNDWATER REMEDIATION SYSTEM WAS INSTALLED AND OPERATED FROM 2001 TO 2006

9. Recent Work in Gas Works Park (FALL/WINTER 2016)
ADDITIONAL GROUNDWATER INVESTIGATION WORK TO TAKE PLACE DURING PLAY AREA RENOVATIONS
PUGET SOUND ENERGY IS DOING ADDITIONAL INVESTATIONS OF THE CONTAMINATED GROUNDWATER TO TELL WHERE THE ARSENIC IS IMPACTING GROUNDWATER UNDER PLAY AREA
ELEVATED CONCENTRATIONS OF ARSENIC WERE DETECTED IN SOIL AND GROUNDWATER SAMPLES COLLECTED BENEATH PLAY AREA DURING 2013 SUPPLEMENTAL UPAND INVESTIGATION (NOTE: ARSENIC IS A CONCERN FOR GROUNDWATER BELOW THE SURFACE OF THE PARK, THERE IS NO RISK FOR PARK USERS COMING INTO CONTACT WITH ARSENIC
IN-WATER CLEANUP OF CONTAMINATED SEDIMENT IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN IN LATE 2018

10. WORK CITED http://www.lakeunionhistory.org/Gasworks_History.html
Way, T. (2013). Landscapes of industrial excess: A thick sections approach to Gas Works Park. Journal of Landscape Architecture,8(1),
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