Tacoma Port Earley Business Center
Cleanup Status
Cleanup Updates
In 2025, the Port proposed an Interim Action to remediate petroleum contamination and remove four underground storage tanks at the site. Ecology agreed to the Port planning the interim action. The proposed Interim Action focuses on removing contamination at the site before a full site-wide cleanup plan is ready. This interim action will include taking out four old underground storage tanks. It also includes cleaning up an area with petroleum products like gasoline, diesel, and oil.
This cleanup will only cover part of the site. A full cleanup plan will be proposed later.
Cleanup of the Entire Site
In 2013, Ecology held a public comment period for a legal agreement and a public participation plan. We received one comment during that time. You can read the comment and our response in the 2013 Responsiveness Summary (download 1.8 MB). More background is available in the 2013 Fact Sheet (download 0.5 MB).
After the comment period, Ecology finalized a legal agreement, called Agreed Order DE 9553, with the Port of Tacoma. The Port is responsible for cleaning up the site. The agreement requires the Port to study contamination, explore cleanup options, and develop a cleanup plan.
In 2023, we updated the agreement to include more work. The Port is still studying the site and starting some early cleanup activities. Once those studies are complete, the Port will draft a full cleanup plan. We’ll share that draft with the public and open another comment period.
If you’d like to get updates about this site, you can click the blue “Subscribe to this site” button at the top of the page.
Background
Tacoma Port Earley Business Center (EBC) is located at 401 East Alexander Avenue in the Tacoma tide flats.
During World War I, a shipyard and sawmill operated on the site. Shipbuilding resumed during World War II. Parts of the property were used for ship repair, dismantling, and salvage until about 1960.
The Port of Tacoma purchased the EBC property in 1960. The Port leased out the site for a variety of businesses and industries, including a shipyard, ship dismantling operations, and other industrial uses. In 1983, the US Environmental Protection Agency designated much of the Tacoma tide flats as a national Superfund site. EBC is located within the Superfund site. Contaminants include chlorinated solvents, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), PCBs, pesticides, and metals.
Documents 22
Legal 5
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Port Coordinator Change Letter | 7/30/2024 | Agreed Order |
| Tacoma Port Early Business Center - AO DE 9553 | 12/5/2023 | Agreed Order |
| Earley Business Center Amendment 1 to Agreed Order DE 9553 | 11/27/2023 | Agreed Order Amendment |
| Earley Business Center Final Agreed Order DE 9553 | 4/10/2013 | Agreed Order |
| Environmental Covenant - Port of Tacoma Peninsula | 5/5/2003 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
Outreach Information 4
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Tacoma Port Earley Business Center - Fact Sheet for 2025 Interim Action | 7/16/2025 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
| Final Responsiveness Summary | 4/3/2013 | Responsiveness Summary |
| Fact Sheet | 2/6/2013 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
| Earley Business Center Public Participation Plan | 1/16/2013 | Public Participation Plan |
State Environmental Policy Act 1
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Tacoma Port Earley Business Center - 2025 SEPA DNS and Checklist | 7/14/2025 | SEPA Documents |
Technical Reports 12
Places to see print documents
-
Southwest Regional Office300 Desmond Dr SELacey, 98503-1274Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.
Contaminants 14
| Contaminant Type | Soil |
Groundwater |
Surface Water |
Air |
Sediment |
Bedrock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metals - Metals Priority Pollutants | C | |||||
| Metals - Metals - Other | C | C | S | |||
| Halogenated Organics - Polychlorinated biPhenyls (PCB) | C | C | S | |||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Non-Halogenated Solvents | S | S | ||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons | C | C | S | |||
| Halogenated Organics - Halogenated Solvents | C | C | ||||
| Other Contaminant - Asbestos | C | |||||
| Metals - Arsenic | S | C | S | |||
| Metals - Lead | C | S | ||||
| Metals - Mercury | C | S | ||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Benzene | S | |||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Diesel | C | C | ||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Gasoline | C | C | ||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Other | C | C |
- S
- Suspected
- C
- Confirmed Above Cleanup Levels
- B
- Below Cleanup Levels
- RA
- Remediated-Above
- RB
- Remediated-Below
- R
- Remediated
Public Comment Period
Ecology invites you to review and share your comments on documents related to the cleanup of hazardous substances at the Tacoma Port Earley Business Center cleanup site. Your feedback is an important part of this process.
We are seeking public input on the following two documents:
1. Draft Interim Action Plan – The plan of how to remove petroleum contamination and four underground storage tanks from an area of the Earley Business Center site. It includes a schedule and cleanup requirements.
2. State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Non-Significance (download 1.1 MB) – Based on an environmental checklist, Ecology has determined that the proposed cleanup is not likely to result in significant environmental impacts.
A fact sheet (download 0.6 MB) summarizing these documents is also available to help guide your review.
After the public comment period, we will carefully consider and respond to comments. We will work with the Port of Tacoma to finalize the documents, including any changes based on public comments. We will post updates and a Responsiveness Summary on Ecology’s Tacoma Port Earley Business Center webpage. Cleanup design and construction will begin following the schedule outlined in the Interim Action Plan.
How to Submit Comments:
The public comment period is open from 8:00 AM on July 17, 2025, to 11:59 PM on August 18, 2025.
You can submit your comments to the Washington Department of Ecology using one of the following methods:
Sandy Smith, Site Manager
Washington Department of Ecology
PO Box 47775
Olympia, WA 98504-7775
Email: Sandy.Smith@ecy.wa.gov
Stay Informed:
For any questions regarding this public comment period, please contact Abby Zabrodsky, Public Involvement Coordinator:
You may also stay informed by subscribing to the Earley Business Center cleanup page. Those subscribed will receive a weekly automated email update whenever there is a comment period, a new document, or an update to the cleanup details. To subscribe, please click on the blue "Subscribe to this site" button at the top of this page. Visit Ecology’s blog to learn more about this new feature.