Cleanup To Start This Month At Kimberly Clark Site On Everett Waterfront

It looks like clean-up will resume this month at the site of the Former Kimberly-Clark plant which is now owned by the Port of Everett. Here’s information out this week.

In mid-February 2020, Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. (K-C) hired Burlington-based Interwest Construction Inc. (ICI) to complete its State-regulated upland cleanup and crushed material removal at the former waterfront mill site located at 2600 Federal Avenue in Everett, Washington.

ICI is expected to mobilize on site in early-March and kick-off the project by March 15. The work will be completed in two phases; first K-C’s second interim action cleanup (IAC) under the State’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) to remove areas of contaminated soil on site (K-C completed the first IAC in 2014).

The second phase includes removal of the crushed material on approximately 32-acres of the 46 upland acres. All the material for both phases will leave the site by truck. K-C has also contracted with Everett-based Clear Water Services for water treatment.

The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the Snohomish County Health District have established the regulatory framework for this project and will oversee their respective portions of the work. Best practices for protecting water and air quality have been incorporated into the plans.

While the property is now under Port of Everett ownership following successful closing of the $33 million negotiated Purchase and Sales Agreement between the Port and K-C in October 2019, the former property owner remains responsible to fully-fund this work with no financial burden to the taxpayers of the Port District.

Contractually, the cleanup must be complete by December 31, 2020. The Port is supporting the effort by providing K-C access to local, clean fill to backfill the site once the contaminated soil and crushed material is removed.