Weldcraft Steel & Marine

Updated: June 2025

Información en español

Read the Fact Sheet 

Ecology invites you to review and comment on the following documents for the Weldcraft Steel and Marine cleanup site on the Bellingham Bay waterfront.

• Draft Cleanup Action Plan: Ecology’s plan describing the cleanup work to address contamination at the site. This plan is combined into one document with the Agreed Order.
• Agreed Order: Legal agreement between Ecology and the Port of Bellingham (Port) requiring the Port to implement the cleanup action plan. This legal agreement is combined into one document with the Cleanup Action Plan.
• State Environmental Policy Act – Determination of Non-Significance: Ecology’s determination that the cleanup work is not likely to harm the environment.
• Public Participation Plan: Describes how Ecology will inform the community about site activities and ways to become involved.

Ecology will consider all the comments received during this public comment period and may make changes to the documents. If the documents require significant changes, we will hold another public comment period. If no significant changes are made, Ecology will finalize the documents, and the Port will begin designing the cleanup.

Any new or amended legal agreements will be available for review during a future public comment period. Construction of the cleanup action is anticipated to begin between 2026 and 2028.

Join our email list to receive updates about the Weldcraft Steel & Marine 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 Weldcraft Steel & Marine cleanup site Public Participation Plan.

This plan describes how Ecology will share information with the community and how you can share information with us. Ecology will review this plan as the cleanup progresses and amend/update it as necessary.

Background
The site is located at 2652 N Harbor Loop Drive, adjacent to Squalicum Harbor on the Bellingham Bay waterfront. The site is about 3.3 acres (2.5 acres on land and 0.8 acres in the water).

Weldcraft Steel and Marine operated on the property between 1946 and 2000. Various activities took place, including boat construction, repair, and maintenance; wood and metal fabrication; painting; canvas and plastic work; and concrete work. Since 2004, the property has been occupied by a boat repair company that is unassociated with the contamination being addressed. The Port of Bellingham owns both the upland and in-water portions of the site.
 
Contamination
Past environmental investigations found contamination in soil, groundwater, and sediment above WA State cleanup levels:

• Soil: petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and volatile organic compounds.
• Groundwater: petroleum hydrocarbons, metals, and volatile organic compounds.
• Sediment: metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This contamination was addressed by the previous cleanup work in 2004.

Bellingham Bay Action Team
The Weldcraft Steel and Marine site is one of 12 sites coordinated through the Bellingham Bay Action Team (BBAT). BBAT 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.

Need help or have questions? We offer translation and interpretation services at no cost. If you need these services, email kristen.forkeutis@ecy.wa.gov or call 425-240-4353. If you call, ask for an interpreter to be connected with one.

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.