K Ply

This site is being cleaned up under Washington’s cleanup law, the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). For more information about the MTCA process, visit Ecology’s cleanup process webpage.

Ecology oversees cleanup and monitoring work at the K Ply cleanup site. The Port of Port Angeles is the potentially liable party (PLP) who is conducting and paying for the cleanup.

Cleanup was conducted through a legal agreement, Agreed Order DE 11302 (download 5.1 MB), between Ecology and the port. This agreement was signed on May 19, 2015.

Last updated: September 17, 2026

The port conducted cleanup in 2015. Cleanup included removing over 50,000 tons of contaminated soil, treating contaminated groundwater, and monitoring soil and groundwater. Ecology now monitors the site to make sure cleanup actions are working as intended.

Ecology’s 2026 periodic review (download 22.2 MB) found that the cleanup is generally working as intended. However, concentrations of diesel in groundwater remain above cleanup levels. Diesel levels may not reach cleanup goals within 10 years of the cleanup work (by 2026), as planned. The property owner, the Port of Port Angeles, in coordination with Ecology, will collect data to inform a decision on whether more cleanup is needed to address diesel concentrations.

The port also samples groundwater twice a year to monitor the cleanup effectiveness. The next periodic review occur in about 5 years.

The K Ply site, which is also known as PenPly or Peninsula Plywood, is located at 439 Marine Drive in Port Angeles. The Port of Port Angeles owns the property.

From 1941 to 2011, a plywood mill operated on the K Ply property under various owners. Soil and groundwater were contaminated with petroleum products, hydraulic oil, and a chemical used to treat wood.

In the beginning of the cleanup process, we thought the K Ply and Marine Trades Area were one site. But investigations at the Marine Trades Area from 2005 to 2011 showed there were separate sources of contamination at the two locations.

Partial Cleanup and Site Investigation
Agreed Order DE 9546 required the port to do a partial cleanup and develop a Remedial Investigation (RI), Feasibility Study (FS), and preliminary draft Cleanup Action Plan (CAP) for the K Ply site.

In 2013, the port completed a partial cleanup when they tore down the former mill and stabilized the site.

Cleanup Construction
After a public comment period in 2015, the port began cleanup construction. Cleanup activities included:

• Soil cleanup: The port removed over 50,000 tons of contaminated soil. They kept the clean soil on the site and reused it during construction.
• Groundwater cleanup: The port used bioremediation to clean up contaminated groundwater. They added nutrients and oxygen to excavated areas before adding clean soil. Nutrients and oxygen encourage natural organisms to grow. These organisms use contaminants for food, which breaks down the contaminants. This causes contaminant levels to decrease.

Cleanup Monitoring
The port is responsible for sampling groundwater twice a year to monitor the cleanup effectiveness.

In 2017, an environmental covenant was filed with the county because some contamination remains at the site. The covenant prohibits any activity that:

• may result in the release or exposure to the contamination, or
• that creates a new exposure pathway without prior approval by Ecology.

With the covenant in place, Ecology reviews conditions about every five years to ensure continued long-term effectiveness of the cleanup action.

2015 Public Comment Period
Ecology held a public comment period for this site from April 2 to May 4, 2015. Documents available for public review and comment included: an Agreed Order, Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study, Draft Cleanup Action Plan, SEPA determination and checklist, and Public Participation Plan. Learn more by reviewing this fact sheet (download 606 KB).

We received six comments and responded to them in a Responsiveness Summary (download 314 KB). After reviewing the comments, we determined no changes were needed and finalized the report.

2026 Public Comment Period
Ecology held another public comment period from May 14 to June 15, 2026, for public review of a draft periodic review report. We received three comments and responded to them in a Responsiveness Summary (download 309 KB). After reviewing the comments, we determined no changes were needed and finalized the report.

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