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Department of Ecology News Release - November 30, 2007
07-353
OLYMPIA - Anacortes-area residents and other interested parties may review and comment on a proposed Agreed Order for cleanup efforts at the old Custom Plywood mill site on Fidalgo Bay.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) proposes entering the Agreed Order with Concorde Inc. of Burlington, the site's owner. Ecology's Toxics Cleanup Program will accept comments beginning today (Friday, Nov. 30, 2007) and continuing through Jan. 2, 2008.
The site covers a large part of Anacortes waterfront near 35th Street and V Avenue. A sawmill and wood-box factory and then a plywood mill operated there for almost a century. Fire destroyed the mill in 1992. Now the abandoned site is littered with building remnants and debris, which make it a public hazard. Soil samples collected during investigations performed between 1993 and 2000 showed elevated levels of petroleum (gasoline, diesel, and oil), arsenic, cadmium, chromium, lead, and PCBs. Contamination also has been detected in marine sediments and groundwater.
The site is near a state aquatic reserve and the Tommy Thompson Trail, two significant public resources. Cleaning up contamination will improve environmental conditions at and around the site, and reduce toxic threats to local residents and resources.
The Custom Plywood mill site is one of several cleanup projects planned around Fidalgo Bay. Other sites include the Dakota Creek Industries shipyard; a former Shell Oil tank farm; the former Scott Paper mill; the Pier 2 log haul-out site; and the MJB Properties site.
These sites and the former Whitmarsh Landfill bordering neighboring Padilla Bay have been identified as early action areas under the Puget Sound Initiative, a directive from Gov. Chris Gregoire to clean up and restore the health of Puget Sound by 2020. Gov. Gregoire's plan will speed the cleanup of toxic chemicals, restore waterways and salmon habitat, and prevent sites from becoming more polluted and more complex, which would lead to even higher cleanup costs.
Ecology also is working with the Samish Indian Nation on an investigation and study of a possible cleanup project in Fidalgo Bay. The tribe wants to remove old pilings from a causeway that makes up part of the Tommy Thompson Trail. Chemicals leach from the pilings into Fidalgo Bay; other contaminants also may be present. The tribe wants to replace the causeway with a structure that will allow for a more natural flow of water. That will improve dissolved oxygen levels, which will benefit habitat.
In January, Ecology expects the results of a study of Fidalgo Bay sediments. The study aims to characterize the bay's present health and identify possible contamination sources. Sampling was done in late August and early September.
For the Custom Plywood site, the proposed Agreed Order outlines the investigation and cleanup process Concorde would follow. Concorde agrees to prepare a work plan for explaining how contamination in soil, groundwater, surface water, and sediments will be sought out and analyzed; issue a report that details the investigation's results and proposes alternatives for cleanup actions; and craft a cleanup action plan to identify a preferred cleanup and a schedule to do work.
You may view the proposed Agreed Order at:
You may submit comments to: Andy Kallus, Site Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program, Washington Department of Ecology, 300 Desmond Drive, Lacey, WA 98504-7600; e-mail akal461@ecy.wa.gov
Once the public comment period ends, Ecology will review and respond to all comments. The Agreed Order could be amended based on comments Ecology receives.
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Media Contact: Seth Preston, 360-407-6848; cell 360-584-5744; e-mail spre461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
