Tru-Grit Abrasives Inc. cleanup, Tacoma

Extended: Ecology extended the comment period from September 10 to September 24 after re-uploading the draft Interim Action Plan with Appendix C included.

We invite you to review and share your comments on three documents related to an interim action cleanup at the Tru-Grit Abrasives Inc. site on the Blair Waterway. Interim actions are early partial cleanups before a full cleanup at a contaminated site.

• Draft Interim Action Plan (10.6 MB): Ecology and the Port of Tacoma are proposing to dredge and remove contaminated sediment from parts of the waterway. The work must happen before the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deepen the waterway, which they plan for 2028. The plan includes a schedule, permitting requirements, and monitoring plans.
• State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Non-significance (5.8 MB): We determined the proposed cleanup is not likely to cause significant environmental harm. We considered environmental, historical, and cultural factors in this process.
• Public Participation Plan (1.27 MB): Ecology’s outreach plan. It describes how we will inform the public about this site and provide opportunities for public review and comment.

To aid in your review, we also prepared a fact sheet (1.1 MB). The fact sheet summarizes the key points of the documents listed above.

Your feedback is an important part of this process. We haven't made any final decisions yet.

Cleanup details

The port will remove about 8,400–12,600 cubic yards of contaminated sediment from two areas. These areas are in the water on the lower slope of the waterway. They overlap the side slopes of the deepening project. After construction, the port will monitor within the dredged areas to confirm that the work was successful. After Ecology determines that the contaminated sediment was successfully removed, workers will place a cap of clean material over the dredged areas. It will be at least six inches thick. The cap will help protect the remaining contamination during the deepening project.

This interim action is not intended to serve as the final cleanup for this area. It will not limit or prevent any future cleanup actions.

Background

The site has been used for grit processing since at least 1993. Marine sediment and the shoreline are contaminated. Sources of the contamination include minerals from an offloading facility operated by Tru-Grit and its parent company, CanAm Minerals Inc., as well as past shipyard operations.

The port acquired the property in 2007. CanAm continued operations at the site under a lease until 2020. Ecology has identified two potentially liable parties responsible for cleaning up the site: CanAm Minerals Inc., who signed an agreed order in 2012; and the Port of Tacoma as the current landowner. The port signed the amended agreed order in July 2026.