South State Street MGP

Last Updated: February 2025

2020 Fact Sheet  |  Información en español

The northern portion of Boulevard Park is also the South State Street Manufactured Gas Plant (SSSMGP) cleanup site - so named for its industrial past. Ecology, the City of Bellingham (City), and Puget Sound Energy (PSE) are working to clean up the site. 

In 2020, Ecology finalized the cleanup action plan and an associated environmental
review document for the site. Since then, the design (or engineering) of the cleanup action plan has been underway through the completion of multiple pre-remedial design investigations. See “Technical Reports” below to review these pre-remedial design documents. 

The engineering design report of the final cleanup action is complete. The report represents 30% completion of design work and provides details that refine the cleanup action plan selected by Ecology in 2020.

A future legal agreement will require the City and PSE to clean up the site.

Want to learn more?

• Visit our 2021 blog and video to read about Ecology's SSSMGP fieldwork. 
• Take a virtual site tour. These videos were funded through a Public Participation Grant from Ecology.

• 2025: Complete the design (engineering) of the cleanup action. 
• Early 2026: Hold a public comment period for the legal agreement (consent decree) requiring the City and PSE to implement the cleanup action plan for the Upland Unit of the site – see map.
• Late 2026: Begin the cleanup of the Upland Unit.
• 2028: Hold a public comment period for the amended legal agreement (consent decree) requiring the City and PSE to implement the cleanup action plan for the Marine Unit of the site – see map.
• 2029: Begin the cleanup of the Marine Unit.

Join our email list to receive updates about the South State Street MGP cleanup site. Email Kristen Forkeutis, Public Involvement Coordinator, at Kristen.Forkeutis@ecy.wa.gov to be added to the list. Unsubscribe at any time.

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 MTCA and oversees cleanups. The MTCA site cleanup process is completed in steps over a variable timeline.

Current South State Street Manufactured Gas Plant cleanup site Public Participation Plan

This plan includes information for the public regarding opportunities to get involved in the 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.

Site History 
The South State Street Manufactured Gas Plant site is about 6 acres at the north end of Boulevard Park on the Bellingham waterfront. Portions of the property at South State Street near Bay View Drive are contaminated where a manufactured gas plant operated from the 1890s to the 1950s. The plant made home heating and cooking fuel (gas) from coal. Other potential sources of contamination also include historic railroad and lumber mill operations. 

Bellingham Bay Gas Co., a predecessor to Puget Sound Energy, was the first operator of the plant. Cascade Natural Gas bought and continued to operate the plant in the 1950s. Residential developers bought the plant property in the 1960s. The city of Bellingham acquired most of the gas plant property in 1975 for use as a park. The state and BNSF Railway Co. also own portions of the contaminated area.

An Agreed Order (legal agreement) in 2010 between Ecology, the City, and PSE requires the City and PSE to investigate contamination (remedial investigation) evaluate cleanup alternatives (feasibility study), and prepare a report of their findings. The legal agreement also includes provisions to take early cleanup actions if necessary. A 2019 amendment to the Agreed Order requires development of a cleanup action plan and design documents to address contamination at the South State Street MGP site.

Contamination
The City and PSE began investigating contamination at the Site in 2010 with Ecology oversight. Contaminants were found in soil, groundwater, and sediment above state standards established to protect human health and the environment. Contaminants include:

• carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs)
• benzene
• naphthalene
• cyanide
• selenium
• lead

Early Cleanup Action (Interim Action)
Historically, marine forces and storms caused shoreline erosion and damage to a public pier. This triggered the need for an early cleanup action to prevent further shoreline erosion and potential exposure to and movement of contaminated soil. The early action, called an interim action, was completed in October 2017.  The interim action:  

• Removed creosote-treated piles and a wood deck.
• Stabilized an existing concrete bulkhead.
• Stabilized approximately 450 linear feet of shoreline with rock.

Bellingham Bay Demonstration Pilot
The South State Street Manufactured Gas Plant 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.

• South State Street MGP - 2nd Agreed Order Amendment (May 2019)
• South State Street MGP - Fact Sheet - draft Cleanup Action Plan and SEPA Determination (June 2020)
• South State St MGP - Response to Comments - CAP and SEPA Determination (August 2020)
• South State St MGP - Final Cleanup Action Plan (August 2020)
• South State St MGP - Engineering Design Report (November 2024)

• Site orientation and park landmarks

• Sampling, July - August 2011

Español
Le ofrecemos servicios de traducción e interpretación sin costo. Para solicitar una copia de esta información en español, llame a Kristen Forkeutis al 425-240-4353 o envíe un correo electrónico a kristen.forkeutis@ecy.wa.gov. Si necesita servicios de interpretación, solicite un intérprete y permanezca en la línea mientras lo comunicamos.