Picture of the Day - June 26, 2009

Seattle's Gasworks Park

Photo courtesy of Winston Rockwell. Today's picture by photographer Winston Rockwell is a bit of a departure from the stunning landscapes and magnificent wildlife specimens that he usually treats us to, but it is a great photograph with a very intriguing story behind it nonetheless. Here he is to tell us about it: "Gasworks Park in Seattle is the site of a former coal gasification plant that operated from 1906 until 1956, turning coal into 'syngas' for fuel. In the early 1960's, the city bought the site for a park, cleaned it up a bit, and in 1972, opened it to the public. Today, it's used for everything from weddings to protest gatherings. But Gasworks Park has an ugly little secret. Like most plants of its type, the gas conversion facility here produced lots of chemical byproducts, resulting in contaminated soil and groundwater at the site. The city cleaned the site up before opening it to the public, but the EPA and Washington State Department of Ecology demanded additional efforts to stop benzene leaks that were a suspected source of pollution in Lake Union, which the park borders, and there are still places fenced off where signs warn visitors not to go. Today, most of the chemical toxins have been neutralized, though soil and groundwater contamination is still present. Much of the old facility is still standing, rusting tanks and ductwork and pumps that serve as a jarring visual counterpoint to the manicured lawns and the sparkling water of Lake Union just yards away. While most people look at Gasworks Park as a place to gather for candlelight vigils or to fly kites or watch fireworks over the lake on the Fourth of July, to me these rusting, 100-year-old structures serves as a vivid reminder that the things we do today will impact the lives of our great-great grandchildren, and we would do well to remember the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy, which said in part, "In our every deliberation, we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations." Let us today consider the impact of OUR decisions, and preserve the natural beauty we have left, so that seven generations from now, our descendants will be able to enjoy the wonders of nature as we do today."    --Winston "Rocky" Rockwell Visit www.northwestnaturalimagery.com where you can enjoy many more of Winston Rockwell's amazing images.     Visitor Comments... Name: Ben Sammons Town: Land of Pines, NJ Very well done Mr. Rockwell!     Name: Phyllis Helton Town: Bristol, VA Wow and Amen!!!   Comment on today's picture  |  View previous "Pictures Of The Day"  |  Submit a photo Why I publish the "Picture Of The Day"