Scott Paper Mill

From the late 1800s to 1978, a lumber mill and later a pulp mill operated at the Site. More recently, multiple entities used the Site as a log yard, a staging area for oil field equipment, boat manufacturing, storage and modular home assembly. Seafarers’ Memorial Park now occupies the northern part of the Site; the southern portion is mostly vacant.
The mills left behind widespread contamination from their operations, ranging from wood waste to industrial chemicals. For example, the pulp mill used wastes from the lumber mill and discharged wastewater directly to Fidalgo Bay. Soil contaminants found above Washington State cleanup levels included metals, diesel and motor oil-range petroleum hydrocarbons, carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (cPAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dioxins/furans. Many of these contaminants were also found in groundwater (low levels) and nearby marine sediments.
In 1999, the Port of Anacortes and Sun Healthcare Systems conducted an independent cleanup action to remove petroleum-contaminated soil and wood debris on one of the parcels within the Site. The Washington State Department of Ecology, through the Puget Sound Initiative, worked with the Port of Anacortes and Kimberly-Clark (which had purchased Scott Paper) to clean up the remaining contamination and restore the area’s environment. Cleanup was completed in 2012. Now the former mill site features a beautiful waterfront park, which provides unprecedented public access to the shores of Fidalgo Bay. This successful cleanup shows how the public and private sectors can work together to protect the environment and human health, and provide benefits to the local community.

The Remedial Investigation/Feasibility were completed for this site along with Cleanup Action Plan in 2009. The cleanup was completed under a Consent Decree in 2012.  Confirmational monitoring is being conducted periodically.

A selection of documents are listed below.  Additional electronic documents can be found under the "View Electronic Documents" link located in the right hand column.

Five-Year Review

Other Technical and Public Involvement Documents