Rayonier Mill cleanup

We define cleanup sites by the extent of contamination. Because we don’t yet know how far contamination from the mill spreads, we don’t know the formal boundaries of this cleanup site. Currently we are focused on a study area that includes:

• Property owned or leased by Rayonier (uplands area)
• Marine sediments next to the property (marine area)

Investigating the study area is the responsibility of Rayonier.

After completing the cleanup in the study area, we will investigate contamination beyond the study area to draw site boundaries that clearly define responsibility for cleanup.

Completed reports on the study area

The study area has been the focus of recent investigations. The study area is made up of two sections: the upland portion of the former mill property and the marine area next to the former mill.

Three technical reports have been prepared and were reviewed during a public comment period in 2019. The first and second reports describe the contamination in the upland and marine areas of the Rayonier Mill study area. The third report describes and compares options for cleanup of soil and groundwater in the upland area and for marine sediments.

We approved the following reports as final in August, 2021.

• Upland Data Summary Report (Volume I), Plates, Appendices
• Marine Data Summary Report (Volume II)
• Cleanup Alternatives Evaluation Report (Volume III)

Our work with tribes

The Rayonier Mill cleanup affects the Port Angeles area and we involve tribal representatives to make our work successful. In 1999, we formally agreed with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe that we would not move forward with major cleanup decisions without the Tribe’s concurrence.

Other tribes we work with on the Rayonier Mill cleanup include:

• The Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe
• The Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe

Our work with stakeholders

The cleanup is important to the people living in the vicinity. We involve stakeholders and invite agencies and the public to participate in the cleanup process. People are invited to share their comments on milestone cleanup plans and documents. Some of the groups we work with include:

• City, county, state, and federal agencies
• Port Angeles Business Association
• Olympic Region Clean Air Agency 

When will cleanup be finished?

If you have followed the activity of this cleanup project, you have likely noticed changes to the dates of cleanup goals at Rayonier Mill. Dates associated with cleanup goals are estimates. We follow a process to maintain accountability and motivate progress that allows for updates and extensions to the timeline.

For example, as the overseeing authority, it is important for us to maintain the ability to request major revisions to complex reports when they don’t meet our standards. We have also extended the timeline to adjust to major changes in the Sediment Management Standards, which significantly impacted our approach to cleanup in Port Angeles Harbor.