Westman Marine Inc

Last Updated:  August 2023

Información en español

Engineering design work continues

2023: fact sheet | postcard | blog

Ecology held a public comment period from May 22 - July 5, 2023 to review a draft cleanup action plan and associated documents for the Westman Marine cleanup site (Site) at the Blaine Harbor. The Port of Bellingham (Port) owns and operates Blaine Harbor. The plan calls for a combination of removing and capping contamination, monitoring conditions, and restricting uses.

Ecology did not receive any public comments on the following reviewable documents, so they are now final and the Port will continue engineering design work:

• Cleanup Action Plan: Ecology's plan that describes the cleanup work to address contamination at the Site.
• Agreed Order: Legal agreement that requires the Port to develop detailed design documents for work described in the cleanup action plan.
• State Environmental Policy Act-Determination of Non-Significance: Ecology determination that the cleanup work is not likely to harm the environment.

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 the MTCA and oversees cleanups. The MTCA site cleanup process is completed in steps (see graphic below) over a variable timeline.

• May 22 – July 5, 2023:  45-day public comment period.
• May 24, 2023: On-site walking tour (RE Sources-hosted) and online public meeting (Ecology-hosted).
• Summer 2023:  Cleanup action plan and associated documents finalized after addressing public comments received.
• 2023/2024:  Engineering design and permitting completed for the cleanup action.  

Construction of the cleanup action plan will occur in the future under a separate legal agreement, which will be issued for public review and comment.

Current Westman 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.

Site Background
The Westman Marine cleanup site is located at 218 McMillan Avenue in the Blaine Harbor industrial area in Blaine, WA. The Site consists of an approximately 1 acre upland area (Upland Unit) and an approximately 27 acre in-water sediment area (Marine Unit). Portions of the property were contaminated by past boat maintenance and repair operations.

Blaine Harbor was originally created in the late 1930s by dredging the tideflats and using the dredged materials to create uplands. The harbor’s upland areas were expanded in the 1940s, 1950s, and again in 2001.

The property has been used for marine operations since approximately 1949. In 1984, the Port became the owner of the property, including this cleanup site, and has leased it to several different companies. The State of Washington owns a portion of the site which the Port manages.


Previous cleanup work
In March 2014, the Port completed an early cleanup action (interim action) in order to construct a new building for another tenant partially located in the Site area.  The Port removed and disposed of approximately 420 tons of contaminated soil.  Map of Interim Action location


Contamination
In 2001 the Port began voluntarily sampling sediments in Blaine Harbor. Further investigations conducted by the Port in 2013-2014 found contamination concentrations at the Site above state standards established to protect human health and the environment: 

• Soil:  carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and metals
• Sediment:  Metals, organotins (TBT), cPAHs and PCBs

Groundwater is not affected by the contamination releases on the Site and is not considered an affected medium.

En español

El Departamento de Ecología le invita a comentar sobre un reporte ambiental para el sitio que está contaminado Westman Marine en Blaine. Si le gustaría recibir este documento en español, por favor llame a 425-324-5901 y espere que un intérprete se una a la llamada o envíe un correo electrónico a preguntas@ecy.wa.gov.

Traducciones de avisos públicos para los sitios de limpieza se preparan bajo solicitud.