Port Angeles Harbor's FRESH START
Presentation Abstract
In 1995, citizens and environmental organizations from around western WA challenged an industrial giant and the WA State Department of Ecology (Ecology). The object: Rayonier, Inc. The reason: the company planned to exit the City of Port Angeles WA without removing its mill pollution. Rayonier operated an ammonia-based pulp mill on the Strait of Juan de Fuca for nearly seven decades. Amongst many contaminants released by the mill, to make its bright white pulp for paper, plastics, fabric and other products, it emitted significant amounts of dioxins. The USEPA rated this mill the worst air, land and water polluter in WA State and one of the worst in the U.S. Mill owners and Ecology planned little evaluation of site contaminants when the mill closed in 1997. The public said NO, and was successful in petitioning the USEPA to assess the area's contaminants. Sampling and analysis of mill site soils, town soils, and Strait sediments ranked the area a Superfund level site. In 2000, the cleanup process was transferred to Ecology. In 2007, with the establishment of the WA State Puget Sound Partnership for the purpose of cleaning up Puget Sound, the Rayonier cleanup project morphed into an entire Port Angeles Harbor cleanup and now ranks as a priority State cleanup program. Harbor sediments have been widely sampled and analyzed, as have soils from more waterfront mills. Most waterfront polluters have agreed to participate in cleaning up the Harbor area. We see a FRESH START of the Harbor and waterfront area resulting in healthier marine life, water and air. The presenter will show slides of the area and analytical findings for each of the cleanup sites and discuss what is ahead for the Port Angeles City's waterfront.
Session Title
Session S-04F: Advancing Sediment Remediation in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Restoration
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 8:30 AM
End Date
1-5-2014 10:00 AM
Location
Room 602-603
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Paper mills--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Port Angeles; Brownfields--Washington (State)--Port Angeles; Hazardous waste site remediation--Washington (State)--Port Angeles; Remediation ecology--Washington (State)--Port Angeles
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Rayonier, Inc.; Washington (State). Department of Ecology
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Port Angeles (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Port Angeles Harbor's FRESH START
Room 602-603
In 1995, citizens and environmental organizations from around western WA challenged an industrial giant and the WA State Department of Ecology (Ecology). The object: Rayonier, Inc. The reason: the company planned to exit the City of Port Angeles WA without removing its mill pollution. Rayonier operated an ammonia-based pulp mill on the Strait of Juan de Fuca for nearly seven decades. Amongst many contaminants released by the mill, to make its bright white pulp for paper, plastics, fabric and other products, it emitted significant amounts of dioxins. The USEPA rated this mill the worst air, land and water polluter in WA State and one of the worst in the U.S. Mill owners and Ecology planned little evaluation of site contaminants when the mill closed in 1997. The public said NO, and was successful in petitioning the USEPA to assess the area's contaminants. Sampling and analysis of mill site soils, town soils, and Strait sediments ranked the area a Superfund level site. In 2000, the cleanup process was transferred to Ecology. In 2007, with the establishment of the WA State Puget Sound Partnership for the purpose of cleaning up Puget Sound, the Rayonier cleanup project morphed into an entire Port Angeles Harbor cleanup and now ranks as a priority State cleanup program. Harbor sediments have been widely sampled and analyzed, as have soils from more waterfront mills. Most waterfront polluters have agreed to participate in cleaning up the Harbor area. We see a FRESH START of the Harbor and waterfront area resulting in healthier marine life, water and air. The presenter will show slides of the area and analytical findings for each of the cleanup sites and discuss what is ahead for the Port Angeles City's waterfront.
