Health concerns cancel Alki Point Lighthouse tours until at least next year

(File photo, from U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary)

The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, whose volunteers manage weekly tours of the historic Alki Point Lighthouse, had already announced tours were canceled for last Sunday and this Sunday, as often happens for midsummer staffing challenges. But now there’s new word that tours are canceled for the rest of the season and won’t resume any sooner than next year. Here’s the explanation:

Recent testing has revealed a higher level of lead in the lighthouse structure (from old paint) than was previously found. The Coast Guard, out of an abundance of caution, will not allow public access to the site until the lead level can be significantly reduced.

We are hopeful that a remediation plan and funding will come through and that the lighthouse will again be able to welcome visitors at some point, although we do not have a timeline yet.

The lighthouse was built in 1913 and is a West Seattle icon. We’ll follow up Monday to try to find out more about how the problem was found and what process will ensue to try to mitigate it.

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