More Cleanup Considered For Everett Weyerhaeuser Mill E Site

This in Tuesday afternoon from the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Current and past owners of the Weyerhaeuser Everett Mill E site along the Snohomish River will investigate suspected contamination and plan supplemental cleanup work, under a proposed legal agreement with the state Department of Ecology.

Ecology seeks public comment through July 21, 2020 on the agreement – called an agreed order – and a work plan with the Weyerhaeuser Company, the site’s former owner, and the current owner, M.A.P. #2, LLC. A public participation plan for the site in northeast Everett is also available for comment.

The site underwent a cleanup in 1999 in which contaminated soil and groundwater were isolated and contained on parts of the property. The site undergoes annual monitoring. Soil and groundwater samples from that monitoring indicate that arsenic may be present at levels above state cleanup standards in other parts of the site.

The supplemental investigation and planning will measure and map any additional contamination, and evaluate alternatives to address it, as needed. The contamination likely is from past wood treatment and milling operations, and lies within part of the arsenic plume from Everett Smelter emissions more than a century ago. Potential releases of arsenic may be harmful to human health and the environment.

For more information:

·       Ecology’s Mill E website

·       Fact sheets (PDF) in English, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese

·       Everett Smelter cleanup: Lowland area

To comment:

·       Online comment app

·       Mail: Dept. of Ecology; Attn Ronald Timm, Site Manager; 3190 160^th Ave. SE; Bellevue WA 98008-5452

·       Email: Ronald.Timm@ecy.wa.gov

Ecology will review and consider all comments before finalizing the agreement and plans.