Kimberly-Clark Worldwide

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

The Kimberly-Clark Worldwide, Inc. site is located at 2600 Federal Avenue in Everett, Snohomish County, Washington and includes approximately 56 acres of uplands and 12 acres of tidelands. The in-water area adjacent to the site is within Everett's East Waterway and is being addressed under a separate cleanup agreement (see the East Waterway site webpage for more information).

The site was first developed in the late 1800s/early 1900s and was used for pulp and paper manufacturing, storing bulk petroleum, and sawmilling. While in operation, the pulp and paper mill made bleached sulfite pulp and tissue products like paper towels, bath tissue, and napkins. All manufacturing work at the facility stopped in 2012, and the former mill buildings were demolished, except for the distribution warehouse building. The past use, operations, and mill demolition contributed to contamination at the site.

Sampling at the site found the following contaminants in soil and groundwater:

• petroleum
• heavy metals
• wood waste
• polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)
• polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs)
• semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs)
• dioxins/furans

In 2019, Kimberly-Clark sold the majority of the property (about 46 acres) to the Port of Everett. As part of the sale agreement, Kimberly-Clark will retain their liability for cleanup at the site, but the Port of Everett will take on the costs of the work. 

Ecology is responsible for overseeing environmental cleanup activities across the state of Washington, and ensuring those cleanups protect the environment and protect people from direct contact with contamination. Washington state’s Model Toxics Control Act (known as MTCA) is the law that defines Ecology’s work on cleanup sites and sets regulatory standards. These standards determine the concentrations of contaminants that are allowed in water, soil, and groundwater. Cleanup sites need to meet these standards before we can consider cleanup complete.

Since contamination was identified at the site, a number of cleanup agreements actions have been underway. Cleanup history at the site includes:

2012, Agreed Order: Ecology and Kimberly-Clark entered into an Agreed Order, a legal agreement for site cleanup of the site (uplands area).

2013, First Interim Action: Kimberly-Clark conducted an interim action at the site during the mill demolition activities. As part of the interim action, about 39,000 tons of contaminated soil and more than 6,000 gallons of petroleum-contaminated water were removed. Contaminants addressed during this interim action included metals (such as copper and lead),petroleum, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and xylenes.

2016 Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study (RI/FS): Following completion of the first interim action, over 1,000 samples consisting of a combination of soil, groundwater, intertidal porewater, crushed material and air were collected as part of a comprehensive investigation to assess the nature and extent of contamination in the area. Kimberly-Clark prepared and submitted a draft RI/FS report in March 2016, then collected additional data to fill data gaps that Ecology identified during their review of the draft report. The Port of Everett will lead completion of both the RI/FS report and draft cleanup action plan (DCAP) for the area of the K-C site.

2019-2020 Amended Agreed Order and Second Interim Action: Ecology prepared an Amended Agreed Order to allow for additional interim cleanup actions in response to the results of the 2016 Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study. Interim action cleanup activities included:

• Decommissioning inactive underground pipes that poses a threat to East Waterway, including the City of Everett's Combined Sewer Overflow that discharged at PS O4  underneath the wharf.
• Removing contaminated soil soil from nine areas within the site and disposing of that soil off-site in an appropriate facility.
• Monitoring groundwater pH levels while over 200,000 tons of crushed material (greater than 200,000 tons) was removed from the site under the direction of the Snohomish Health District.

2021 Amended Agreed Order and Third Interim Action: The 2012 Agreed Order has been amended a second time to add the Port of Everett as a Potentially Liable Party for cleanup work. Interim Action cleanup activities started in September 2021 and include:

• Add clean, compacted dirt to increase the slope of the shoreline to help with stormwater drainage, surface water infiltration and prepare the site for additional surface treatment.
• Add a cap of pavement and gravel to prevent exposure to any remaining contaminated soil and reduce the amount of water that can leach through the soil.
• Install utilities such as power, water and sewer to minimize future disturbance of the cap.
• Reconstruct existing outfalls A and M for new stormwater system.
• Manage soil and contaminated groundwater during construction.

Read more about how Washington's cleanup process works.