SEATTLE - It's an embarrassment for the City of Seattle.  The city has a new training facility for firefighters, but it's been barred from using water, a real problem for fire training. 

Construction is all but finished on Seattle's $33 million Joint Training Facility in White Center, but the burlap sacks over the fireplugs are the first hint that something's not right. 

Firefighters can train here, but not with one essential ingredient: water.  It's been banned while federal regulators assess the environmental damage caused by the project. 

"We have 30 years of investment in this property and the creek as a whole," said B.J. Cummings, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition. 

Environmentalists and the Duwamish tribe fought construction of the Joint Training Facility because it was built on wetlands that feed Hamm Creek. 

The salmon-bearing stream was restored over three decades by John Beal, an activist who died of a heart attack soon after the Joint Training Facility opened. 

Finally the Army Corps of Engineers responded to Beal's complaints and cited the city and put a stop work order on the site. 

The corps believes the site doesn't have a proper drainage system to handle high volume fire hose water.  Recently, it negotiated a settlement with Seattle that includes modifications to this water retention area, but fire officials still aren't sure when they'll resume training with a firefighter's best friend - water. 

"We're all hoping that this could be resolved as soon as possible," said Fire Chief A.D. Vickery.  "It's a state of the art facility and we would really want it to be fully usable.  I think we can come to that resolution here." 

The Joint Training Facility project was managed by the city's Fleets and Facilities Department.  A spokesperson was not available Friday for comment.