Toxic Cleanup Sites in Port Gardner Bay
The Washington State Department of Ecology, through the Puget Sound Initiative, has identified Port Gardner Bay in Everett, WA, along with other six bays in Puget Sound, as a priority bay for clean up and restoration due toxic contamination.
Background
Port Gardner Bay has an industrial history that dates back to the late 1800s. This industrial legacy, in addition to activities associated with the urbanization of the area, has contributed to the load of toxic chemicals that has accumulated in the sediment over time.
Pollutants were introduced into Port Gardner Bay via different human activities, such as: sawmill and pulp mill operations, shipyard operations (tank evacuations, equipment disassembly, sandblasting, woodwork and metalwork, painting and mechanical repairs), petroleum storage and distribution, lumber mill operations, smelting, industrial and municipal discharges, log rafting and aviation operations (treatment and painting of metal parts).
Because of these past activities, responsible parties are currently cleaning up ten toxic sediment sites in Port Gardner Bay. Ongoing sources of pollution, such as those flowing in stormwater, are also being reduced.
What we are doing
People For Puget Sound is conducting outreach by informing, educating and engaging residents of the greater Everett area on the cleanup of the sites, how to participate in the public process as the cleanups progress forward and pollution source control.
If you would like to arrange for a presentation for your church group, neighborhood association, Rotary Club, union, etc, or would like to be added to our Port Gardner Bay cleanup effort email list, please do not hesitate to contact Rein Attemann at rattemann@pugetsound.org or 206-456-3810.
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