Cleaning up: Weldcraft Steel & Marine cleanup advances on Bellingham’s waterfront

Beginning in the 1940s, industrial and marine operations contaminated a small corner of Squalicum Harbor, both in the water and on the land. We’re working with the Port of Bellingham to clean it up, and we invite you to comment on the cleanup action plan to address contamination of the Weldcraft Steel and Marine site. 

Located at 2652 N Harbor Loop Drive, Weldcraft Steel and Marine operated on the property between 1946 and 2000. Various activities including boat construction, repair, and maintenance; wood and metal fabrication; painting; and more contributed to the contamination of soil, groundwater, and marine sediment.

Soil and groundwater at the site contain petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and volatile organic compounds and still need to be cleaned up. The sediment contamination, which contained metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, was cleaned up in 2004 by the Port. About 6,800 cubic yards of contaminated in-water sediment and a marine railway were removed.

After studying the site and comparing cleanup options, the Port of Bellingham selected the following actions to address the remaining contamination on the land:

• Remove petroleum
• Capture soil vapors
• Cap contaminated soil
• Monitor groundwater and soil vapor
• Ensure long-term protection from exposure to pollutants

Further investigations will verify the details of the cleanup, which is expected to begin between 2026 and 2028.

During this comment period, other documents for review include an agreed order, a legal agreement between Ecology and the Port of Bellingham requiring the port to implement the cleanup action plan, a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) - Determination of Non-significance, and a public participation plan.

We invite your comments

You can review documents at the Weldcraft Steel and Marine webpage or at the Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Avenue, Bellingham, WA 98225.

Comments will be accepted through July 30, 2025. Please submit comments online, by email, or mail to:

John Rapp, Site Manager
Washington Department of Ecology
913 Squalicum Way, Unit 101
Bellingham, WA 98225

On-site walking tour

RE Sources, a local nonprofit organization, will host an on-site walking tour to provide project information. Ecology and port staff will be available to answer questions. This walking tour is funded by a Public Participation Grant from Ecology.

• Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025
• Time: Noon – 1:30 p.m.
• Location: Meet at the parking lot behind LFS Marine & Outdoor and look for the blue canopy.

For more information about RE Sources and the walking tour, visit their website.

Bellingham Bay Cleanup

The Weldcraft Steel & Marine site is one of 12 Bellingham Bay cleanup sites coordinated through the Bellingham Bay Action Team (BBAT). BBAT is a bay-wide multi-agency effort to clean up contaminated sediment, control sources of sediment contamination, and restore habitat, with consideration for land and water uses.