Additional Cleanup Proposed at Former Georgia-Pacific Property in Bellingham

BELLINGHAM – A proposed cleanup project at the former Georgia-Pacific property on the Bellingham waterfront will remove mercury-contaminated soil and dispose of it at an approved landfill.

The project addresses 600 cubic yards of soil — enough to fill about 60 standard-sized dump trucks — that remains from earlier cleanup activities.

In 2013, mercury-contaminated building materials and about 2,300 cubic yards of contaminated soil were removed from an area in the southern end of the property, and disposed at an approved landfill. During this work, contractors encountered and excavated more contaminated soil than planned, and the Port of Bellingham and the Department of Ecology agreed to secure the excess soil under a thick plastic protective cover until it could be dealt with as part of the cleanup of the entire property. Since the timing of the property-wide cleanup is uncertain, the proposed cleanup project will remove and dispose of the soil now.

Ecology seeks comment on the proposed cleanup project through Nov. 1, 2016.

Information is available at:

·       Ecology’s website

·       Bellingham Public Library, 210 Central Ave., Bellingham WA 98225

·       Ecology’s Bellingham office, 1440 10^th St., Bellingham WA 98225

To comment:

·       Email: brian.sato@ecy.wa.gov

·       Mail: Brian Sato, Department of Ecology, 3190 160^th Ave SE, Bellevue WA 98008-5452

Ecology will review and respond to all comments received.

Note: Information written and provided by, Krista Kenner, communications, 360-715-5205, @ecynorth