Western Port Angeles Harbor cleanup

Ecology worked with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe to develop and review these documents. These documents are now available for public review and comment.

1. Consent Decree: A court-approved settlement agreement between Ecology and the responsible persons, outlining the cleanup process. Responsible persons include the City of Port Angeles, Georgia-Pacific LLC, Merrill & Ring, Nippon Paper Industries USA Co., Ltd, the Port of Port Angeles, and Owens Corning. The consent decree requires them to carry out Ecology’s Cleanup Action Plan.
2. Draft Cleanup Action Plan: This plan proposes how the site will be cleaned up. It divides the site into three sections called Sediment Management Areas (SMAs). We propose cleanup actions for each SMA based on how well they protect human health and the environment, manage costs, and fit with the harbor's current and future uses. The plan also includes the schedule, standards, and cleanup requirements.
3. SEPA Determination of Non-Significance: This checklist summarizes environmental impacts that may result from cleanup. Ecology determined the proposed cleanup is not likely to cause significant harm to the environment.

The fact sheet summarizes the key points from these documents.

Background

In the past, industries on the western shoreline of Port Angeles Harbor released waste directly into the harbor and lagoon. Contaminated stormwater was discharged into the harbor. Several pulp and lumber mills used saltwater-soaked wood debris as fuel. Burning this debris formed hazardous substances, like dioxin, that rose up through smokestacks and settled out onto marine sediments.

The contaminants include dioxins/furans, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs), and metals such as mercury. These substances can pose a risk to human health through direct contact with contaminated sediment or by eating fish and shellfish exposed to these contaminants. They can also harm marine animals living in the sediment.

Visit the Western Port Angeles Harbor Western Port Angeles Harbor webpage to learn more.