RG Haley International

Last Updated: May 2022

Información en español abajo

 

Response to Comments

Response to Comments Summary (April 2022)

Blog

"Cleaning up: Getting ready for more Bellingham Bay cleanup" (April 2022)

 

Outreach Materials (2022)

Fact Sheet Postcard

Engineering Design Report

Report, Tables, Figures Appendix A Part 1 Appendix A Part 2 Appendices B through I

Virtual Site Tour

www.re-sources.org/RGHaley Visit webpage for an informational virtual tour video. This tour is funded through a Public Participation Grant from Ecology.

RG Haley site continues towards cleanup
Ecology held a 30-day public comment period (January 31 – March 1, 2022) on the engineering design report (see links above) for the RG Haley cleanup site (Site) on the Bellingham waterfront. The report represents 30% completion of design work and provides details, refining the cleanup action selected by Ecology in 2018.  

Through a legal agreement with Ecology, the City of Bellingham (City) completed a pre-design investigation then prepared the engineering design report. Following public review, the City will use the report to develop construction plans and specifications.

Ecology has reviewed and considered the public comments received on the engineering design report. Based on Ecology’s evaluation of the comments, no changes were necessary in the document, and it is final.

Later in 2022 through 2023, the City will proceed with permitting activities and additional investigation to develop 60, 90 and 100% complete construction plans and specifications.

Also in 2023, Ecology expects to issue a legal agreement for public review requiring the City to implement the construction plans and specifications. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2024.

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 425-324-5901 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.

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.

• January 31 – March 1, 2022:  Ecology held a public comment period on the Engineering Design Report.
• February 8, 2022: RE Sources hosted an on-site walking tour through an Ecology Public Participation Grant.
• 2022:  Ecology will address public comments and will work to finalize the engineering design report (representing 30% complete design work).
• 2022/2023:  City will proceed with permitting activities and additional investigation to develop 60, 90 and 100% complete construction plans and specifications.

Also in 2023, Ecology expects to issue a legal agreement requiring the City to implement the construction plans and specifications for public review. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2024.

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.