Eldridge Municipal Landfill

Last Updated: September 2025

Información en español

2015 Fact Sheet

In 2015 and 2016, the Department of Ecology finalized the following environmental documents for the Eldridge Municipal Landfill cleanup site in Bellingham:
 
Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) presenting the results of an investigation at the site and selection of a preferred cleanup option

Public Participation Plan explaining how people can participate in the cleanup process.
 
Legal Agreement (consent decree) between Ecology and the City of Bellingham, requiring the City of Bellingham to implement the Cleanup Action Plan for the site. This plan is included in the consent decree and consists of the following activities:

• Implementation of the 2011 interim action, including excavation and proper disposal of landfill debris and contaminated soil, among other actions
• Installation of wetland plants, boundary fencing, and signage
• Groundwater compliance monitoring
• Designation of especially valuable habitat
• Recording of environmental covenants, a legal mechanism used to restrict property uses that would harm the cleanup – see Covenant Areas 1, 2B, 3, and 4A and Covenant Eldridge Landfill 
• Preparation of an Operations & Maintenance Plan that includes special procedures for accessing, working in, and maintaining the site by the City of Bellingham.

Ecology will continue to monitor, maintain, and review the site. Ecology will review post-cleanup site conditions and groundwater monitoring data to determine if the cleanup, completed by the City of Bellingham, still protects human health and the environment. Ecology will produce a periodic review report with a summary of all findings, and a public comment period will be held with an estimated timeframe of 2026.

Join our email list to receive updates about the Eldridge Municipal Landfill 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.

Background
The Eldridge Municipal Landfill cleanup site is about 32,000 square feet in Little Squalicum Park in Bellingham, west of the Bellingham Technical College campus parking lot. The site is on property owned by Whatcom County and managed by the city as a park. In the mid- to late-1930s, the City of Bellingham used the area, now part of the park, as a landfill for burning and burying local municipal garbage. The landfill operated for only a few years.

The site was discovered in 2006 as part of an investigation of the Little Squalicum Park cleanup site. When the investigation showed that contamination along Little Squalicum Creek was associated with the adjacent Oeser Federal Superfund site, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took over the regulatory lead for cleanup of the creek area. Ecology maintained oversight authority for the landfill site.

Contamination
In 2010, a remedial investigation of the site found landfill debris and contamination across a 32,000 square foot area. This included:

• Landfill debris: glass bottles, metal scraps, ash, ceramics, construction debris and various rusted materials.
• Soil contamination: arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, zinc and pentachlorophenol.
• Groundwater contamination: metals including arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc as well as, iron, manganese, nitrate, and ammonia.

Bellingham Bay Action Team
The Eldridge Municipal Landfill 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.