RG Haley International

Last Updated: March 2024

Información en español

2024: Fact Sheet  |  Blog  |  Response to Comments

Ecology held a 30-day comment period (February 12 - March 12, 2024) to review a legal agreement for the cleanup of the RG Haley International Site (Site) on the Bellingham waterfront.   

The legal agreement, called a Consent Decree, is between Ecology, the City of Bellingham (City) and the Port of Bellingham (Port), and it requires the City and Port to implement the cleanup action plan for the Site. It includes an updated version of a cleanup action
plan finalized by Ecology in 2018.

Ecology has reviewed and considered the public comments received on the legal agreement. Based on Ecology’s evaluation of the comments, no changes to the document were necessary, and it is being finalized.

During 2024, the City will obtain permits for construction of the cleanup action.

Construction is anticipated to begin in early 2025 and take about three years.

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 the MTCA and oversees cleanups.

The MTCA site cleanup process is completed in steps (see graphic) over a variable timeline.

• February 12 – March 12, 2024: Public comment period on legal agreement.
• February 27, 2024: On-site walking tour hosted by RE Sources 
• Spring 2024: Ecology responds to public comments received. (Download Response to Comments)
• Late 2024: Obtain permits for construction of the cleanup action.
• Early 2025: Begin construction of the cleanup action.

Construction of the cleanup action is expected to take about three years.

Current RG Haley cleanup site Public Participation Plan 

This plan includes information for the public regarding opportunities to get involved in the Site cleanup process. The outreach activities and mechanisms presented reflect Ecology’s current plans for keeping the public informed and for receiving information and comments from the public. 

Background
From the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, the Site was used for industries including lumber, coal and wharf operations. Various companies treated wood on the property. RG Haley International Corporation was the last company to treat wood there (1955 to 1985). The preservative used in the wood-treating operations was pentachlorophenol mixed with a diesel-like carrier oil. This mixture was released during operations, contaminating soil, groundwater, and sediment. 

Location
The Site is located at the end of Cornwall Avenue on the Bellingham waterfront and consists of approximately 6 upland acres and approximately 60 acres of in-water area. 

The City of Bellingham owns the majority of the upland portion of the Site and the State of Washington owns the majority of the in-water portion. 

Contamination
The City completed an environmental investigation (called a Remedial Investigation/ Feasibility Study) of the Site.  The remedial investigation found petroleum hydrocarbons, pentachlorophenol (PCP), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and dioxins/furans at concentrations in the soil, groundwater, and sediment that must be addressed under the MTCA.

Bellingham Bay cleanup
Other contaminants from nearby overlapping sites are also present at the Site. They include mercury in sediment from the Whatcom Waterway site, and municipal refuse, phthalates, metals, and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) from the Cornwall Avenue Landfill site. Ecology is overseeing cleanup activities at these sites as well. (See map above.)

Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot
The RG Haley site is one of 12 sites coordinated through the Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot.  The Pilot 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.

En español

El Departamento de Ecología le invita a revisor los documentos para el sitio que está contaminado RG Haley en Bellingham.  

Si le gustaría recibir este documento en español, por favor llame a 425-240-4353 y espere a que un intérprete se una a la llamada o envíe un correo electrónico a preguntas@ecy.wa.gov.  Traducciones de avisos públicos para los sitios de limpieza de la Bahía de Bellingham se preparan bajo solicitud.