Department of Ecology Seeking Comments on Everett Waterfront Cleanup

The Washington State Department of Ecology is asking Everett residents for your thoughts on the cleanup that is getting underway on the Everett waterfront. The comment period opened Friday and will run until November 8th. Below is a bit of history on the site as well as documents for your review and a link to give feedback…

The public is encouraged to review and comment on proposed plans for digging up and taking away contaminated soil at the North Marina Ameron/Hulbert site near Port Gardner Bay.

The Washington Department of Ecology is seeking comments from Oct. 10 to Nov. 8, 2014, on a draft consent decree. That’s a legal agreement between Ecology, the Port of Everett (the site owner) and three past or current site operators, which requires them to do specific cleanup work.

Also available for comment are a draft cleanup action plan, which describes the proposed cleanup actions for the site; the draft State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Nonsignificance (DNS) and checklist; and a draft public participation plan, which describes how people can keep informed and take part in the site’s cleanup.

The North Marina Ameron/Hulbert site is located between 11th and 13th streets, west of West Marine View Drive. It’s southwest of the Legion Memorial Golf Course in western Everett.

Operations on the site began in the late 1800s. Primary uses included shingle and saw milling, marine support services, and concrete pole manufacturing. In 1991, the Port of Everett bought the property from Ameron International. The port has used the site to stockpile soil from other port properties. Ameron leases part of the site to make concrete poles.

The cleanup investigation showed historic operations at the site contaminated the soil and groundwater. Contamination includes heavy metals like arsenic, various chemicals and petroleum-related products. Sampling results for nearby marine sediments showed concentrations below cleanup levels.

The port did investigations and partial cleanup actions (1991, 1993, 2005-2007) to dig up contaminated soil. The port and other liable parties also conducted emergency actions between 2011 and 2014 to address exposed soil contamination and improve stormwater lines.

Review documents

• Ecology’s website for the North Marina Ameron/Hulbert site
• Everett Public Library, 2702 Hoyt Ave.
• Ecology’s headquarters at 300 Desmond Drive SE in Lacey. Please contact Carol Dorn for an appointment at 360-407-7224 or Carol.Dorn@ecy.wa.gov.

Submit comments

• Mail them to Andrew Kallus, Department of Ecology, Toxics Cleanup Program, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.
• Email them to Andrew.Kallus@ecy.wa.gov.

Ecology identified Port Gardner Bay as a high-priority, early-action cleanup area under the Puget Sound Initiative. An Ecology team is working with site owners, area tribes and others to clean up 11 Port Gardner sites.

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