The Port of Seattle is developing a plan to restore habitat on property it owns along the Lower Duwamish River.

Last week the port held an open house to introduce the first draft of the Lower Duwamish River Habitat Restoration Plan, scheduled to be made public in August.

The intent of the Port's public process will be to develop a "master plan" for the coexistence of natural habitat and the water dependent businesses on the waterway, said Joseph Gellings, a planner for the Port of Seattle.

Several industry and manufacturing businesses live along the Duwamish River, and the waterway is also important to fishing and wildlife habitat.

The Lower Duwamish waterway was designated as a Superfund site in 2001 by the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency. Boat manufacturing and repair, marina operations, airplane parts manufacturing, metals fabrication, combined sewer overflows, and storm drains have contributed to contamination of the waterway.

Wayne Grotheer, director of seaport professional and technical services for the Port of Seattle, told the approximately 50 residents who came to the meeting at South Seattle Community College's Georgetown Campus that the port was working to coordinate their plan with other projects underway aimed at cleaning up the waterway and preserving industry.

Some of those projects include a study by the Environmental Protection Agency, the city of Seattle, the Port and others to analyze the extent of contamination in the river and the risks to humans and the environment.

The Duwamish Valley Visioning Project is creating a long-range vision for the Duwamish River and its surroundings. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is going through a process to identify the general types of restoration projects that will be used to compensate for natural resource damage.

Also, the city of Seattle is updating its Shoreline Master Program, which establishes policies and regulations that govern development and uses on and adjoining the city's shorelines.

The major challenge will be how to balance the incredible job resource with important natural habitat.

Gellings said the Port is actively reaching out to stakeholders in the maritime industry to try and understand their day-to-day operations and help determine possible sites for habitat projects.

"We believe there can be a co-existence between maritime industry and habitat," Gellings said.

The scope of the planning area extends up north from the southern tip of Harbor Island to the south end of Boeing Field where there's a diverse mix of businesses along the river shoreline.

In the northern portions, the businesses center on heavy industry (concrete and drywall plants) and other companies that rely heavily on access to the river. Gellings said there are fewer options there for habitat restoration projects than in the central and southern segments of the planning area where fewer water dependent businesses are.

Heather Trim, a member of People for Puget Sound, said she was unhappy about how the Port was handling the public input process and that it was more "top down" than she would like.

"This isn't a truly collaborative process," said Trim. "It's not too late. You guys could do this differently."

The Port should facilitate workshops and get residents and business owners looking at maps and discussing possible issues, she said, instead of just taking public comment.

Trim also said she and others are "suspicious" of the Port's motives and that it may be trying to "forestall" the other processes working in conjunction.

Gelling responded saying his agency is looking for "every opportunity to coordinate" with the other studies of the Duwamish waterway. However, he reminded Trim that each process had distinct goals that aren't necessarily related.

A city of Seattle staffer then spoke up in agreement that the Port needed to be at the table as much as possible with the city during its shoreline update process because it does include future habitat restoration work.

The release of the draft this summer will be followed by a second open house and public hearing in September with a revised plan announced in October. The Port Commission is expected to make a decision by the end of the year.

A master plan will identify parcels of land for potential habitat projects and what they would look like once funding is available. Grotheer said money for restoration is currently uncertain but may come from industry and other businesses.

For more information, go to http://www.portseattle.org/community/environment/Duwamish.shtml.

Rebekah Schilperoort may be reached at 783.1244 or rebekahs@robinsonnews.com