Buse Timber & Sales

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

Buse Timber & Sales site is located on Smith Island in the Snohomish River floodplain and is bordered to the north by Union Sough, the east by Interstate 5 and to the west and south by commercial and/or industrial businesses. A lumber mill started operations at this location in the 1940s and is still in use. This site has confirmed contamination that could potentially harm people and the environment. It is in the state cleanup process under the Model Toxics Control Act.

The site comprised of roughly 60 acres and features a sawmill facility, a log float beach ramp on Union Slough, log storage, a hog fuel (used oil and sawdust) mixing area, dip tanks to control sap stain with a soluble fungicide, and 11 buildings used for storage and maintenance. In addition, historical operations at the facility have also included a log pond (from 1950’s until the mid-1960’s), an underground storage tank system (1960’s to 1990’s), and a former dip tank location which used pentachlorophenol to treat wood (1940’s to 1980’s).

Concentrations of potentially hazardous chemicals above cleanup levels established by the State of Washington have been documented in previous sampling of soil, groundwater, and sediment conducted at the Buse Timber & Sales site. Previous sampling at the site has identified the following chemicals above cleanup levels:

Soil – arsenic and non-halogenated petroleum/diesel,

Groundwater – arsenic, halogenated organics, non-halogenated petroleum/diesel, and

Sediment – dioxins/furans and mercury

The substances described above are hazardous chemicals and some, like dioxins, are carcinogenic (potentially cancer causing). These substances pose a potential threat to human health and the environment. Cleaning them up lessens the risk of their spreading and contaminating other areas or becoming more difficult to clean up later.

 

The Remedial Investigation (RI) is currently ongoing at the site based on the RI work plan. Soil, groundwater, and sediment are being sampled to determine nature and extent of the contamination. After all the necessary data is gathered, a RI report will be drafted and available for public comment.

Learn more about Washington's cleanup process.