DRCC-Duwamish River Community Coalition

Mission

DRCC elevates the voice of those impacted by the Duwamish River pollution and other environmental injustices to advocate for a clean, healthy, and equitable environment for people and wildlife. We promote place-keeping and prioritize community capacity and resilience.
Our vision is an empowered Duwamish Valley Community thriving in a healthy and just environment.

Description

DRCC was formed in 2001, following the designation of the Lower Duwamish Waterway as a federal Superfund site. Our purpose is to ensure that information about the Cleanup is transparent and accessible to the impacted community, and that their opinions about the cleanup plans are heard by Responsible Parties and the Environmental Protection Agency.                                          

In the years since, we have expanded our mission to include the many issues that come along with living in an Environmental Justice community. Our North Star continues to be community--our work, projects, and direction are always guided by community priority. Our current projects include our Clean Air program, Duwamish Air Improvement Study for Youth, Duwamish Valley Affordable Housing Coalition, Flood Community Advisory Group, and Duwamish Valley Youth Corps, among others. All of these projects reflect the concerns of our community.

We listen to community needs; organize and collaborate with community to develop solutions; provide pathways to policy-makers; and whenever possible, hire from within the community in order to build capacity and share power. DRCC’s strength lies in its recognition of our neighbors as ourselves; we depend on one another and are never stronger than when we work together towards our greater good–a healthy, resilient, welcoming Duwamish Valley.