The last piece of the Georgia-Pacific West site is one step closer to cleanup

As recently as 2007, the Georgia-Pacific West Pulp and Tissue Mill was the cornerstone of downtown Bellingham. Eighty years of paper manufacturing operations left the area contaminated, and we’ve been working with the Port of Bellingham to clean it up. We invite you to comment on a legal document that makes sure the remaining contamination is addressed.

The 74-acre Georgia-Pacific West cleanup site is divided into two separate areas, the Pulp and Tissue Mill Area and Chlor-Alkali Area. The Pulp and Tissue Mill Area was cleaned up in 2016 and is being redeveloped for residential and commercial use. It currently features community-centered activities, including the Portal Container Village and Waterfront Bike Park. The Lignin Operable Unit within the Chlor-Alkali Area was cleaned up in 2022 and a portion of the property was redeveloped as the Millworks affordable housing project. Over the next three to five years, the last piece of the Chlor-Alkali Area will be cleaned up in phases and eventually used for commercial, retail, and industrial uses.

Background

The 36-acre Chlor-Alkali Area housed a chlor-alkali plant that used mercury to produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide for mill operations, and stored petroleum for energy needs. These practices contaminated the soil and groundwater with mercury, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and petroleum hydrocarbons. Learn more about the cleanup action plan that will address the contamination.

Public comment period

A 30-day public comment period for this site opens Monday, June 1, 2026, 12 a.m. and closes Wednesday, July 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m. We invite you to review the following documents online or at the Bellingham Public Library:

• Consent Decree: A legal agreement between Ecology and the Port of Bellingham. It requires the port to carry out the cleanup action plan, which is Ecology’s plan to address contamination at the Chlor-Alkali Area of the site. It also settles the Port’s liability.
• Updated Public Participation Plan: Describes how Ecology will inform the community about the site activities and ways to become involved.

Please provide your feedback and comment in one of three ways:

1. Comment online
2. Email a comment to John.Rapp@ecy.wa.gov
3. Mail a comment to:
   John Rapp, Site Manager
   Washington Department of Ecology
   913 Squalicum Way, Unit 101
   Bellingham, WA 98225

Join us for two public events on Wednesday, June 10, 2026

RE Sources, a local nonprofit organization, will host a walking tour of the site, followed by an open house hosted by Ecology. Staff from Ecology and the Port will be available to answer questions.

Walking tour: 3:30–5 p.m.

• Prepare for a one-mile unpaved loop
• Register
• Location: Meet us at the white tent at the Portal Container Village on West Laurel Street

This walking tour is funded by a Public Participation Grant from Ecology.

Open house: 5–7 p.m.

• Drop in during a two-hour open house to speak with staff about the cleanup site
• While no formal presentation is planned, handouts and visuals will be available
• Location: Meet us at the white tent at the Portal Container Village on West Laurel Street

Bellingham Bay cleanup

The Georgia-Pacific West 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.