Weyerhaeuser Everett East

Starting in 1915, Weyerhaeuser Company owned and operated a large, 100-acre sawmill complex called Mill “B” on this property. Mill “B” was one of many mills along the Snohomish River in north Everett. The different mills had different specialties.

• Mill “A”: Weyerhaeuser purchased this mill and used it as a pulp mill.
• Mill “B” (Weyerhaeuser Everett East): This mill was the Lumber Division of Weyerhaeuser Company. It also housed a power plant for other operations in the area.
• Mill “C” (Weyerhaeuser Everett West): This mill specialized in sawing logs for production.
• Kraft Mill: Weyerhaeuser used this for paper production.
• Mill “E”: Weyerhaeuser operated a wood treatment facility on this property.
  
  
  
  

In 1997, Weyerhaeuser and Ecology entered Consent Decree No. 972027738 in Snohomish County Superior Court. Consent decrees are legal agreements stating what cleanup actions need to occur on a property.  The following actions needed to occur at this site:

• Removal or containment of contaminated soil
• Replacing clean soil where contaminated soil was removed
• Ground water monitoring

Contaminants of Concern

Weyerhaeuser assessed the site for contamination remaining from Mill B operations. Soil and groundwater were found to be contaminated with the following:

• Petroleum
• Pentachlorophenol
• Carcinogenic polyaromatic hydrocarbons
• Polychlorinated biphenyls

Restrictive Covenant
Ecology placed restrictions on future site use because some contamination was contained on the property. Restrictive covenants for properties within the Weyerhaeuser Everett East site include the following stipulations:
• No ground water may be taken for domestic purposes
• No residential development is allowed on the site
• The viability of the containment of hazardous substances must be maintained
• Any activity that may result in the release of a hazardous substance is prohibited  
• Development that exposes hazardous substances must manage those substances properly and ensure they are contained when construction is complete
• The owner must give notice to Ecology of intent to convey any interest in the property and provide for continued monitoring, maintenance, and operation of the Cleanup Action
• The owner must obtain approval from Ecology for any use inconsistent with the terms of the restrictive covenant
• The owner must allow authorized representatives of Ecology the right to enter the property to collect samples, to inspect Cleanup Actions, and to inspect records related to the Cleanup Actions
• The owner may request to have the restrictive covenant removed. Removal requires Ecology’s consent and a public comment period. 

2002: Further arsenic contaminated soil was remediated on site through independent remedial action work.

March 2011: Continued ground water well monitoring ended. All wells achieved compliance with cleanup standards.

July 2012: Ecology completed a five- year Periodic Review. There are many ways to cleanup contamination. A Periodic Review is a chance to study how well the methods used during cleanup hold up over time.

Periodic Review Summary:
• The cleanup continues to protect human health in this area.
• The cleanup continues to protect the environment in this area.
• The Restrictive Covenant should remain in place on this property. Only certain types of development, uses, and activities are allowed.
• Ecology will continue to monitor the following:
        o Ground water wells on the south end of the property
        o Pentachlorophenol contamination in the ground water on a small portion of the site.

July 2017: Due to ongoing remedial and development work occurring at this site, the 2017 five-year Periodic Review was postponed. The next Periodic Review will occur five years after the completion of these activities.

The Port of Everett purchased all the property of site in 1998 and began to develop it as the Riverside Business Park.  To date, they have completed the sale of many parcels on the site and are in the process of selling more. All of these subdivided parcels must abide by the restrictive covenant.