Site Cleanup

The Port Angeles Rayonier Mill cleanup is a large and complex process.  It includes a marine (water and sediments) investigation and an uplands (soil and groundwater) investigation.  There have also been several interim actions (partial cleanups).

Read more about:

• The marine investigation
• The uplands investigation
• Interim actions

Currently, Rayonier is investigating the Study Area until the full site can be identified.  Ecology will be conducting two investigations to help determine the full extent of contamination from the site:

• Port Angeles Harbor Sediments Study
• Rayonier Mill Off-Property Soil Dioxin Study

The Cleanup Process

Ecology uses strict cleanup guidelines from the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) to clean up polluted sites.  MTCA provides a standard cleanup process (see below) and opportunities for public involvement .
  

Remedial Investigation The remedial investigation (RI) looks at the type of contamination on a site and where it is located.  This information is used to evaluate potential impacts to human health and the environment.
Feasibility Study The feasibility study (FS) evaluates possible cleanup alternatives.  It is often combined with the RI, although for this site, the studies are being completed in separate steps.
Cleanup Action Plan The cleanup action plan (CAP) describes the selected cleanup method(s) and how they will be implemented.  Ecology will write the CAP and oversee its implementation.
Cleanup The details of the cleanup will be determined in the remedial design.  This design will then be used to implement the remedy.	Interim Actions Interim actions are actions that partially address cleanup of a site.  They can  happen at any time during the cleanup process.
MTCA Cleanup Process - Port Angeles Rayonier Mill Site