Weyerhaeuser Mill A
Background
A range of historical industrial activities were performed at this site, including pulp manufacturing, saw milling, ship building, shingle milling, and log handling. The facility produced approximately 300 tons of pulp per day while operating as a sulfite paper mill. Some of the waste materials from this production contributed to the contamination of the site. All pulping operations at the site ceased in 1980. The Port of Everett (the Port) purchased the property in 1983 and currently uses the site for container cargo handling. Samples collected from adjacent marine sediments were found to contain a large volume of wood waste, as well as contaminants including metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phenols, and dioxins/furans. Upland contaminants include metals, PAHs, petroleum, and several semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs).
Status
- January-March 2010: The Port conducts the initial phase of an Independent Upland Source and Groundwater Investigation
- August 2012: Ecology enters into an agreed order with the potentially liable parties – the Port, Weyerhaeuser Company (Weyerhaeuser) and Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
- March 2016: A draft Agreed Order, a draft Interim Action and a draft Public Participation Plan are released for public review and comment. The Potentially Liable Parties to this Agreed Order are the Port and Weyerhaeuser.
- August 2016: An interim cleanup action in a portion of the in-water area began to remove contaminated sediment and wood debris to increase navigational access to
the terminal. - April 2024: A draft Agreed Order and a Draft Interim Action plan are released for public comment. This interim action will divert stormwater drainage in preparation for the cleanup action at the site. The Potentially Liable Parties to this Agreed Order are the Port and Weyerhaeuser.
Additional information on the work accomplished to-date is provided below.
Independent Upland Source and Groundwater Investigation (January 2010)
In January 2010, the Port of Everett conducted the initial phase of an Independent Upland Source and Groundwater Investigation to evaluate potential contamination at the Site that may have resulted from historical uses of the property. This independent investigation was conducted in coordination with Ecology who provided technical assistance in the form of review and comment on the site investigation work plan. A report documenting the results of the upland investigation was provided to Ecology in March 2010.
Agreed Order (August 2012)
This first agreed order for the site is a legal document between Ecology and the Potentially Liable Parties (PLP) – the Port, Weyerhaeuser and DNR. The 2012 agreed order outlines the agreement to provide remedial action at the site where there has been a release or threatened release of hazardous substances. Notice of this agreed order was provided in June 2012.
The 2012 agreed order describes the studies that the Potentially Liable Parties agree to perform on the site and covers the following studies and documents:
- Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) – Explains the work needed to identify and analyze contamination at the Site.
- Draft Cleanup Action Plan – Uses the RI/FS to identify a preferred cleanup action and a schedule to remove and treat the contamination at the Site.
Draft Agreed Order for an Interim Action (March 2016)
This agreed order is a legal document between Ecology, the Port, and Weyerhaeuser for a proposed interim cleanup action in the in-water area (off-shore of Pacific Terminal). An Interim Action is a remedial action required to partially address cleanup of the site. Action took place during the 2016/2017 in-water work window as allowed by the Army Corps of Engineers permit for the project.
The Interim Action removed contaminated sediment and wood debris identified at the site and increase navigational access to Pacific Terminal. This work included dredging, transport and disposal of contaminated sediment and wood debris to an approved landfill facility. Dredged material suitable for open water disposal was placed on a disposal barge and transported to the open water disposal site. The action also included installing armor and habitat mix (rounded sand and gravel materials) along areas where a temporary side slope remains. Further details regarding the technical elements of the Interim Action can be found in Exhibit B (Interim Action Work Plan) of the proposed agreed order. An Interim Action report, documenting the cleanup actions taken, was written following the action and evaluated as a part of the final cleanup action for the site as identified in the 2012 agreed order.
This agreed order requires the Port of Everett to perform an Interim Action at the Weyerhaeuser Mill A site. It outlines the contamination at the site, the determinations that Ecology has made for the site, the purpose of the Interim Action, and the work that will be performed.
The Draft Interim Action Plan documents the need for an Interim Action and the scope of work to be completed at the site. Ecology determined that stormwater needed to be diverted at this site prior to site cleanup.
Documents 34
Legal 9
Public Information 6
Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
Weyerhaeuser Mill A Fact Sheet Comment Period April 5 2024 | 4/5/2024 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
Weyerhaeuser Mill A Responsiveness Summary to Public Comments June 2016 | 6/22/2016 | Responsiveness Summary |
Fact Sheet (Agreed Order DE 13119) - March 2016 | 2/23/2016 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
Public Participation Plan (Mill A) - March 2016 | 2/23/2016 | Public Participation Plan |
Fact Sheet (Agreed Order DE 8979) - May 2012 | 5/30/2012 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
Public Participation Plan (Mill A) - May 2012 | 5/30/2012 | Public Participation Plan |
Technical Reports 19
Places to see print documents
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Headquarters300 Desmond Dr SELacey, 98503Please 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 | ||||
Halogenated Organics - Polychlorinated biPhenyls (PCB) | C | |||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum Products-Unspecified | S | |||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Phenolic Compounds | C | |||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Non-Halogenated Solvents | S | |||||
Halogenated Organics - Dioxins/Furans | C | |||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons | C | |||||
Metals - Arsenic | C | |||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Organotins | S | |||||
Other Contaminant - Bioassay Benthic Failures | C | |||||
Other Contaminant - Other Deleterious Substances | C | |||||
Halogenated Organics - Other Halogenated Organics | C | C | ||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Gasoline | C | C |
- S
- Suspected
- C
- Confirmed Above Cleanup Levels
- B
- Below Cleanup Levels
- RA
- Remediated-Above
- RB
- Remediated-Below
- R
- Remediated
Public Comment Period April 08, 2024-May 07, 2024
Ecology invites you to review and comment on the draft Agreed Order and Interim Action Plan.
Submit comments via mail or email by May 7th, 2024. Or use the online comment form.
Ryan Hardwick
PO Box 47600
Olympia, WA 98504
ryan.hardwick@ecy.wa.gov
Next Steps
Ecology will review all comments received during the comment period and revise co. If no significant changes are made, the periodic review will become final. If significant changes are made, an additional public comment period will be held. We will hold an online public meeting if ten or more people request it.