Western Port Angeles Harbor

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

We performed a harbor sediments investigation that identified two separate sources of sediment contamination in Port Angeles Harbor. We divided the Harbor into the Western Port Angeles Harbor Study Area and the Rayonier Mill Study Area.

Ecology investigated Port Angeles Harbor as part of a broader 2008 initiative to clean up Puget Sound. We found toxic substances in the harbor’s sediment that posed a threat to human and environmental health. We then started the cleanup process for the site as directed by the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA; Washington’s cleanup law).

Ecology signed a legal agreement called an Agreed Order (AO) with the potentially liable persons (PLPs) responsible for the site’s cleanup. The PLPs who signed the AO include:

• Georgia-Pacific LLC
• Merrill & Ring
• Nippon Paper Industries USA Co., Ltd,
• The City of Port Angeles
• The Port of Port Angeles

These five PLPs are collectively known as the Western Port Angeles Harbor Group. Owens Corning is another PLP that will work with Ecology and the group during the next phases of cleanup.

The AO required the PLPs to complete a Remedial Investigation (RI) and Feasibility Study (FS) for the site. The RI identifies contaminants, measures how much there are, and shows where they are located. The FS suggests several cleanup options that will protect human health and the environment. It also compares the cleanup options based on cost, protectiveness, permanence, and other factors.

Ecology finished the RI/FS and opened the report for public comment. After the comment period, we reviewed the feedback and finalized the site’s RI/FS. You can find the public comments and our responses in the 2020 Responsiveness Summary. The PLPs used the RI/FS to create the preliminary Draft Cleanup Action Plan (DCAP). Ecology used that draft to prepare the DCAP for the next phase of cleanup. The DCAP explains how cleanup will happen and why we chose the proposed options. It also includes the cleanup’s schedule, standards, and requirements.

Ecology will hold a public comment period for a Consent Decree (CD), the DCAP, and a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) decision. The CD is a legal agreement that makes the PLPs responsible for cleanup. This site received a SEPA determination of nonsignificance. This determination means the cleanup is unlikely to cause significant environmental harm.

The site’s Remedial Investigation identified what contaminants are present. We also located the areas where contamination concentrations are high enough to require cleanup under the Model Toxics Control Act. The contaminants that require cleanup include:

• Dioxins/furans
• Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
• Carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs)
• Metals, such as mercury

People, pets, or wildlife may be exposed to hazardous chemicals by physically contacting or consuming contaminated sediment. Eating contaminated seafood can also expose people and wildlife to hazardous chemicals.