Tru-Grit Abrasives Inc

The Department of Ecology is overseeing a cleanup of the Tru-Grit Abrasives Inc (Tru-Grit) site. Ecology identified two potentially liable parties (PLPs) who are conducting and paying for the cleanup: CanAm Minerals, Inc. (CanAm) and the Port of Tacoma (Port).

Cleanup is being conducted through a legal agreement, Agreed Order No. DE 8978 (download 3.8 MB), between Ecology and CanAm. This agreement was signed on July 11, 2012. The Port, who are the current landowners, signed an amendment (download 517 KB) to the agreed order which added them as a PLP to the site. This amendment was made effective on August 4, 2026.

Last Update: August 10, 2026

Cleanup for the entire site is ongoing. CanAm and the Port of Tacoma are studying the site and considering cleanup options. Once the studies are complete, Ecology will review the findings. The studies and considerations (called a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study) will inform the development of a draft Cleanup Action Plan. Before Ecology approves these documents, the public will have an opportunity to review and comment on them.

Right now, the Port has proposed an interim action cleanup at the site. The purpose of this interim action would be to remove contaminated sediment from an in-water area, specifically the lower slope area, in preparation for the US Army Corps of Engineers’ larger Blair Waterway Federal Navigational Channel deepening project. The Port of Tacoma is performing this interim action work.

Image description: Steps of Washington's cleanup law, the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). The red rectangle shows where the Tru-Grit site is currently in the process for the full cleanup work.

The Tru-Grit site is located at 1110 Alexander Avenue in the Tacoma Tideflats, on the northeastern side of the Blair Waterway. The site has been used for grit processing since at least 1993.

In 2007, the Port of Tacoma acquired the property. CanAm Minerals, Inc. (CanAm) continued operations at the site under a lease with Port until the lease expired on July 31, 2020. Today, CanAm is still in operation at a different property, located at 3701 Taylor Way, and is now known as KleenBlast.

Contamination at the site is in marine sediment in and along the shoreline of the Blair Waterway. 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.

Ecology inspections from 2005 - 2011 found that grit, which contains high levels of copper and zinc, had escaped from a storage pile at the site. The grit has been found around the property, under a ship-to-shore conveyor, and in Blair Waterway sediments. In 2008, sediment sampling found copper and zinc contamination in the Blair Waterway near Tru-Grit.

Ecology will keep the public informed as the cleanup progresses. To receive updates about this site:

• Sign up for updates by clicking the blue “Subscribe to this site” button at the top right corner of this page. Subscribers receive a weekly automated email whenever there’s an open comment period, a new document, or other cleanup news. You can read more about this feature on Ecology's blog.
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