Sunnydell Dryke Shooting Range

Sunnydell Dryke Shooting Range is an active shooting range located at 292 Dryke Road near Sequim, Clallam County, Washington. The site has been used as a shooting range since the Sunnydell Gun Club opened in 1967.

In 2004, Clallam County Department of Health and Human Services sampled surface water and sediment from two ponds on the property after receiving a complaint about water coming onto a neighbor’s property. Samples had high levels of lead, which is a common contaminant (from lead shot) at shooting ranges.

In 2009, Ecology and the property owners entered into an agreed order (legal agreement) to investigate contamination and evaluate cleanup options. In 2010, a study collected over 100 samples from soil, sediment, and surface water at the site and the adjacent property. They also installed groundwater monitoring wells to collect groundwater samples for analysis.

The sampling found that soil, sediment, and surface water at the site is contaminated with lead (from lead shot) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) (from clay targets). However, lead and PAHs were not found in groundwater.

After reviewing the sampling data, Ecology entered into another legal agreement with the property owner which required the property owner to carry out Ecology’s Cleanup Action Plan. The Cleanup Action Plan included lead shot collection from active shooting range areas, removal of contaminated soil and sediment from a northern pond area, and implementation of other best management practices.

Because this is an active shooting range, lead shot will continue to build up over time. Therefore, Ecology requires best management practices which include ongoing controls and required maintenance at the site to prevent exposure to contaminants. For example, shot size is restricted to #8 or smaller to limit the shot fall areas. A full list of best management practices is in the 2013 Cleanup Action Plan (download - 3.3 MB).

In 2025, Ecology conducted a periodic review of this cleanup site. Ecology requests the property owner provide a lead management plan describing how lead will be regularly removed from active shooting range areas. Other than the lead management plan, Ecology is not requiring further cleanup at this time.

The property owner is responsible for continuing to implement best management practices and monitoring groundwater at least once between each periodic review. The next periodic review will be in about five years.