Video: Effort underway to clean up Duwamish Waterway

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SEATTLE – City leaders want to kick-start environmental improvements on the Duwamish Waterway by getting local industries to fix up the parts of the waterfront they don't own.

One of the biggest problems with restoring the Duwamish River is finding a place to start. It seems like every inch is of it is covered with industry.

But if you get down right on the water, you can find some possibilities, and the City of Seattle owns some of them.

"We'll provide some of these properties that as we said are not pretty, but also aren't providing that environmental value," said Mayor Greg Nickels.

Some of the sites would be leased by the city to a private company that would restore them and get industrial companies along the Duwamish to pay for it.

All companies big and small are required by federal law to restore the waterfront. This plan allows them to do it without giving up property and jobs. The deal is being put together by Bluefield Holdings, Inc., a company that says it will save taxpayers dollars and take the risks.

"There is significant amount of risk associated with doing this. There's a risk of someone not purchasing it first of all. Second of all, there are risks doing habitat projects up and down the river," said Scott Lockert, Vice-President of Bluefield Holdings.

The full city council will have to approve this plan and still need to approve each project on a case by case basis.