A Puget Sound Initiative site - Reaching the goal of a healthy, sustainable Puget Sound.

PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD MARCH 02, 2020-APRIL 01, 2020

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Community open house cancelled, moved online!
Due to concerns about the coronavirus, we used an abundance of caution and cancelled our March 10th open house. To encourage the participation of as many as possible, we hosted a webinar instead on March 17th.

View the slides used in the webinar presentation.

View a recording of the webinar.
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Ecology is holding a public comment period for the draft Agreed Order and draft Public Participation Plan. You are invited to review the following draft documents through April 1, 2020:

• Draft Agreed Order (AO) - The proposed agreement, called an Agreed Order (AO), is a legal document between Ecology and Port Blakely. As part of this order Port Blakely will conduct a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study and develop a Draft Cleanup Action Plan for the site.
• Draft Public Participation Plan - Ecology is committed to providing the public with timely information and meaningful opportunities to participate in the cleanup process. As part of this process, Ecology has drafted a Public Participation Plan (PPP). This plan outlines how citizens and interested parties can learn about and provide input on the cleanup.

You can review electronic documents by clicking the link to the right. In-person review opportunities are currently suspended until Bainbridge Public Library and Ecology's regional offices re-open for public visits.

Submit comments online or by mail
Comments can be submitted until April 1,2020. Please submit your comments online through our eComments platform or you may send written comments to:

John Evered
Site Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program
PO Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600

BACKGROUND

Blakely Harbor Park, generally located at Blakely Avenue & 3-T Road, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110, is one of several sites that have been prioritized for cleanup under
the State’s Puget Sound Initiative. Between 1864, and 1922, a sawmill operated on the site. At its peak, the mill produced 100 million board feet of lumber per year. Today, Bainbridge Island Metro Park and Recreation District maintains 40 acres within the former mill property for recreational uses. Currently, the remainder of the former mill property is privately owned. 

Wood waste is present in marine sediment as a result of historic site uses. Recent soil and sediment sampling found contaminants associated with historic sawmill operations including metals, phenols, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and dioxins/furans above state standards. Additional testing will further assess the extent of contamination in the uplands and sediments. Contaminant concentrations do not currently pose an imminent threat to human health.

Ecology plans to work with Port Blakely to investigate soil, groundwater and sediment at the site, and to develop a cleanup action plan. This plan will identify appropriate remedial actions.

STATUS

Ecology and the Potentially Liable Party (PLP) Port Blakely are preparing to enter into a formal agreement call an Agreed Order for site cleanup of the upland and in-water areas. The Agreed Order requires the PLP to develop a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) Report and a draft Cleanup Action Plan (CAP) for upland and in-water contamination.

Investigation work to date includes:

• Early 1990s Site Sampling - identified potential contamination in the former mill area.
• 2008 - 2009 Site Sampling - identified potential sediment contamination at the site.
• 2019 Sediment Data Report - further characterized sediment contamination prompting further investigation of soil and sediment at the site.

SITE DOCUMENTS

March 2 - April 1, 2020 Public Comment Documents

• Blakely Harbor Park draft Agreed Order
• Blakely Harbor Park Public Participation Plan

Public Involvement Materials
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• Blakely Harbor Park Final Fact Sheet

Technical Documents

Blakely Harbor Park Sediment Investigation Final Data Report exceeds the size restrictions.  Please contact the site manager John Evered for the complete report.

• Blakeley Harbor Park Final Data Report
• Blakely Harbor Park Surface Soil and Sediment Data Report
• Blakeley Harbor Park Agreed Order Appendix A
• Blakely Harbor Park Agreed Order Appendix B
• Blakely Harbor Park Agreed Order Appendix C

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

• Acronyms used by the Toxics Cleanup Program
• Cleanup Process: Major Steps & Definitions
• Data Submittal Requirements for All Cleanup Sites
• Toxics Cleanup publications