Harris Avenue Shipyard

Last updated: April 2025

Información en español

2025: Fact Sheet

The Department of Ecology (Ecology) is overseeing a cleanup of the Harris Avenue Shipyard site on the Bellingham waterfront. The Port of Bellingham is the Potentially Liable
Person (PLP) cleaning up the site.

We held a comment period from February 10 to March 12, 2025, on a legal agreement, called a consent decree, between Ecology and the Port of Bellingham (Port). It requires the Port to implement the Cleanup Action Plan (CAP) for the upland area of the site. The CAP is presented as an exhibit to the consent decree. 

The in-water area of the site will be addressed under an amendment to the consent decree in the future.

We received four comments and responded to them in our Response to Comments Summary document. No significant changes were made to the documents, and they will be finalized.

• February 10, 2025 – March 12, 2025:  Hold a public comment period on the legal agreement (consent decree) for the upland area. If ten or more persons request a public meeting or hearing about the consent decree, Ecology will provide notice and hold a meeting or hearing.
• Spring 2025: Respond to the public comments received.
• Mid to late 2025: Clean up the upland area and obtain permits for the in-water cleanup.
• Late 2026: Hold a public comment period on the legal agreement (amended consent decree) for the in-water area.
• 2027: Begin cleanup of the in-water area.

This cleanup action is expected to take about three years for the entire site.

Join our email list to receive updates about the Harris Avenue Shipyard cleanup site. Email Kristen Forkeutis, Public Involvement Coordinator, at Kristen.Forkeutis@ecy.wa.gov to be added to the list. Unsubscribe at any time.

The Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) is Washington’s environmental cleanup law. It provides requirements for contaminated site cleanup and sets standards that protect human health and the environment. Ecology enacts MTCA and oversees cleanups. The MTCA site cleanup process is completed in steps over a variable timeline.

Current Harris Avenue Shipyard cleanup site Public Participation Plan

This plan describes how Ecology will share information with the community and how you can share information with us. Ecology will review this plan as the cleanup progresses and amend/update it as necessary.

Location
The Harris Avenue Shipyard cleanup site is located at 201 Harris Avenue in Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood. The site consists of approximately 5 acres of contaminated soil and groundwater (upland area) and 5 acres of contaminated marine sediment (in-water area). 

Background
Shipbuilding activities began in the early 1900’s, and in 1966 the Port began leasing to other industrial operations.

The State of Washington and the Port own the property within the Site. The Port and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources have a management agreement for the harbor-area parcels, including the aquatic and historical infill lands.

In 1998, the Port began voluntarily investigating sediment at the Site. Based on this work, Ecology and the Port entered into a legal agreement (agreed order) in 2003 to complete a comprehensive sediment investigation. In 2010, Ecology and the Port entered into a second agreed order to investigate upland soil and groundwater. 

Contamination
Investigations conducted by the Port found contamination from former shipbuilding and other historical operations. Contaminants are present in soil, groundwater, and in-water sediment at concentrations that represent a potential threat to human and ecological health. Contaminants include the following: 

• Upland soil and groundwater: petroleum hydrocarbon compounds and metals    
• In-water sediment: polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, semivolatile organic compounds, and metals

The contamination must be addressed under the state’s toxics cleanup law, the Model Toxics Control Act.

Bellingham Bay Action Team
The Harris Avenue Shipyard site is one of 12 sites coordinated through the Bellingham Bay Action Team (BBAT). BBAT is a bay-wide multi-agency effort to clean up contaminated sediment, control sources of sediment contamination, and restore habitat, with consideration for land and water uses. In 2000, participants in this initiative developed the Bellingham Bay Comprehensive Strategy.

• Harris Avenue Shipyard - Final Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Volume I - June 2019
• Harris Avenue Shipyard - Final Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Volume II - June 2019
• Harris Avenue Shipyard - Final Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Attachments - June 2019
• Harris Avenue Shipyard - Response to Comments - RI/FS - June 2019
• Harris Avenue Shipyard - Fact Sheet - RI/FS - March 2019
• Harris Avenue Shipyard - Final Cleanup Action Plan - February 2021
• Harris Avenue Shipyard - Pre-Remedial Design Investigation - October 2021
• Harris Avenue Shipyard - Engineering Design Report - June 2023

Español
Le ofrecemos servicios de traducción e interpretación sin costo. Para solicitar una copia de esta información en español, llame a Kristen Forkeutis al 425-240-4353 o envíe un correo electrónico a kristen.forkeutis@ecy.wa.gov. Si necesita servicios de interpretación, solicite un intérprete y permanezca en la línea mientras lo comunicamos.