Grantee Research Project Results
The Duwamish Valley Research Coordination Network: Building Capacity for Tribal, Community, and Agency Research in Urban Watersheds
EPA Grant Number: R840483Title: The Duwamish Valley Research Coordination Network: Building Capacity for Tribal, Community, and Agency Research in Urban Watersheds
Investigators: Malone, Melanie , Almeida, Catherine De , Johnson, Brittany , Lopez, Paulina , Sheikh, Amir , Wolfle Hazard, Cleo A
Current Investigators: Malone, Melanie , Almeida, Catherine De , Johnson, Brittany , Lopez, Paulina , Wolfle Hazard, Cleo A
Institution: University of Washington- Bothell , University of Washington , Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: November 1, 2022 through May 10, 2025
Project Amount: $1,267,559
RFA: Cumulative Health Impacts at the Intersection of Climate Change, Environmental Justice, and Vulnerable Populations/Lifestages: Community-Based Research for Solutions (2021) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Watersheds , Endocrine Disruptors , Environmental Justice , Human Health
Description:
(1) Build community capacity for data-collection, environmental assessment, visioning, and dissemination; (2) Use data-collection and predictive pollutant modeling to identify and prioritize cleanup and planning needs; (3) Develop replicable data collection, data storage, and dissemination methods to promote community data ownership and equip community members with the resources and techniques necessary to continue monitoring and implementing environmental improvements in the face of a changing climate.
Approach:
Our research is community-led and community-owned in order to ensure the project serves community needs and priorities. We will build capacity within the community so they may have ownership over environmental testing and cleanup processes, and truly develop a bottom-up and reciprocal approach in which our team of researchers supports community needs, rather than a top-down approach that is extractive, short term, and prioritizes academic needs over community ones. The first step of our project is to ensure that the products we create meet the needs of the communities they will serve. Initial surveys, interviews, and sharing of previously collected data will determine the extent and degree of contamination at the site as well as the research guidance and reports that will be most useful to community leaders. Monitoring of soil, water, and sediment contaminants (PAH, PCB, metals, dioxin/furans) will take place throughout the watershed and repeat during stormwater surges. Contaminants will then be mapped and high-risk areas identified using 3D models of the landscape developed using drone imagery and sampling results.
Expected Results:
These socio-environmental data will be linked to restoration and cleanup efforts taking place within the watershed both on federal and local levels, will help to target future cleanup efforts and plan for climate change impacts, and will be shared and developed in partnership with the community through workshops, interviews, databases, reports, and open-access peer-reviewed publications.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 1 publications for this projectSupplemental Keywords:
human health, risk assessment, soil, water, PAHs, community-based decision-making, site surveys, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mapping, modeling pollutant dispersal, Northwest, Environmental JusticeProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.