Puget Sound has a rich history of land and industry – but industrial practices from long ago may have had unseen lasting impacts on our soils and waters today.
For nearly a century, a Tacoma-based copper smelter, operated by the Asarco Company, spread lead, arsenic, and other heavy metals into the air. This is now known as the Tacoma Smelter Plume, or TSP. Over time, those compounds settled into the soils around Puget Sound, where they remain to this day.
In the spring & summer of 2026, KCD and the WA Dept of Ecology will be coming to local community gardens in parts of the region that may have been exposed to the TSP, and testing soils on-site free of charge.
If you live in a possibly affected area (check your address here: Dirt Alert) and wish to have your soils tested, or if you wish to learn more about the TSP and its effects, please join us at the final 2026 SoilSHOP series, happening at the Vashon Island Strawberry Festival.
We will be at the festival on Saturday the 18th, 10am-6pm and Sunday the 19th, 10am-5pm. We are only able to test on Sunday, but we will be collecting samples the whole time. You will get your results via email within a few days.
Questions? Contact miranda.smith@kingcd.org or 425-773-5060.
Sponsored by KCD with funding from WA Dept of Ecology.