Port Angeles Rayonier Mill Site

700 N Ennis Port Angeles, Clallam County
Facility Site ID: 19
Cleanup Site ID: 2270

  • Site Status

  • Cleanup Started

  • Brownfield

  • This site has received funding as part of our Brownfields Program.
    Brownfields Public Funding: $200,000.00

More about cleanup

June 12
8:00 am
–
Aug. 12
11:59 pm

Public Comment Period

We invite you to review and comment on documents, and attend an open house about the Rayonier Mill cleanup on the shores of Port Angeles. The study area of this site is moving to the next phase of cleanup. Your feedback is an important part of this process.

Documents Available for Review:

A fact sheet (download 1.6 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 finalize the documents, including any changes based on public comments, then file with the Superior Court for entry as an Order. At that point, Rayonier will submit required cleanup plans to Ecology following the schedule outlined in the consent decree and Interim Action Plan.

How to Submit Comments:

The public comment period is open from 8:00 AM on June 12, 2025 to 11:59 PM on August 12, 2025.

You can submit your comments to the Washington Department of Ecology using one of the following methods:

Public Meeting and Open House

Ecology will host a public meeting and open house during the comment period to provide information, answer questions, and accept written comments.

Date: Tuesday, July 8, 2025

Time: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM

  • Presentation begins at 6:00 PM followed by a Q&A session
  • Open house before and after the presentation

Location:
Field Arts & Events Hall, Donna M. Morris Theater
201 W Front Street, Port Angeles, WA 98362

Contact & Additional Information

For assistance or information regarding the public comment period:

For media inquiries:

Stay Informed:

To receive updates about this site and other cleanup efforts in Port Angeles:

  • Visit the Rayonier Mill project home page for the additional information about the cleanup and public involvement opportunities.
  • Join the Cleanups in Port Angeles email list.
  • Subscribe for updates using the blue "Subscribe to this site" button at the top of this 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. For more information about this new subscription tool, please visit Ecology’s blog.
  • View our 2024 status update on Port Angeles cleanup sites.

Site Description

Rayonier Mill Study Area is located along the shoreline and in the eastern portion of Port Angeles Harbor. The Study Area includes a marine and an upland portion.
Rayonier Mill Study Area is located along the shoreline and in the eastern portion of Port Angeles Harbor. The Study Area includes a marine and an upland portion.

Visit the Rayonier Mill project home page for more information and the latest news about the cleanup. 

Rayonier ran a pulp mill on the property from 1930 to 1997, and then afterwards dismantled the mill.  When the mill was running, sulfite and acid would break down wood chips into cellulose fibers. Operations at the mill contaminated air, soil, groundwater, and sediments.

The extent of contamination at the site is unknown, so we decided to focus on a study area that includes the former mill property and adjacent marine environment.

The amount and type of contamination vary across the upland portion of the Study Area. Most of the contaminated hot spots were cleaned up with interim actions in the 1990s and 2000s. Over 30,000 tons of contaminated soil was removed from the site.

A note on the Brownfield Program Funding

In 2008, the City of Port Angeles and the Port of Port Angeles created the Port Angeles Harbor Works Development Authority (Harborworks) with the intention of acquiring the Rayonier Mill property to integrate redevelopment into the cleanup.

In 2010, Harborworks received an Ecology (Brownfields Program) Integrated Planning Grant for $200,000. Harborworks used these funds to conduct due diligence and market analysis in support of their plans to acquire the property. After the market analysis, they determined that they no longer wanted to acquire the property.

Contaminants

Contaminants found in soil and groundwater include:

  • Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)
  • Metals (such as arsenic and lead)
  • Dioxins
  • Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs)
  • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
  • Ammonia

Many of the same contaminants found in soil are also present in sediment, including:

  • Phenols
  • Phthalates
  • Wood debris
Places to see print documents
No documents found.
There may be more documents related to this site. To obtain documents not available electronically, you will need to make a public records request.

Places to see print documents

  • Southwest Regional Office
    300 Desmond Dr SE
    Lacey, 98503-1274
    Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.
  • Port Angeles Library
    2210 South Peabody Street
    Port Angeles, 98362
    This location may only have print documents available during open comment periods.

Contaminants 14

Contaminant Type
Soil
Groundwater
Surface Water
Air
Sediment
Bedrock
Metals - Metals Priority Pollutants C C
Metals - Metals - Other C C
Halogenated Organics - Polychlorinated biPhenyls (PCB) C C
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum Products-Unspecified C C C
Non-Halogenated Organics - Phenolic Compounds C C
Halogenated Organics - Dioxins/Furans C C C
Non-Halogenated Organics - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons C C C
Metals - Arsenic C C
Other Contaminant - Other Deleterious Substances C
Metals - Lead C
Metals - Mercury C
Other Contaminant - Bioassay Failure C
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Diesel C
Pesticides - Pesticides-Unspecified C
S
Suspected
C
Confirmed Above Cleanup Levels
B
Below Cleanup Levels
RA
Remediated-Above
RB
Remediated-Below
R
Remediated
This contaminant list was based on our best information at the time it was entered. It may not reflect current conditions at the site.