Ecology investigating contamination cleanup of Northport waterfront

Details

Published: Thursday, 21 March 2019 22:10

The waterfront area in front of Northport City Park and boat launch is expected to have visitors at the end of March and/or beginning of April. Under the oversight of the Washington Department of Ecology, contractors will be taking soil samples, digging test pits, taking direct readings of metals concentrations, and collecting other geotechnical data to investigate and evaluate cleanup of smelter-related metals contamination in this area.

Ecology’s goal is to assess options for protecting people and restoring the environment along about 795 feet of the waterfront. This area was polluted by smelter waste deposited and dispersed along the shore from the Le Roi Smelter. The smelter treated copper ores between 1901 and 1911, and lead ores between 1916 and 1921.

In 2004, EPA initiated cleanup activities of the 30-acre Le Roi Smelter site and several of the more heavily affected residential properties in Northport. In 2014, BNSF Railway excavated and removed arsenic and lead contaminated soil in the area that we know of as the Northport City Park. Although this waterfront effort is independent of these efforts, Ecology’s investigation extends and builds on their work.

As the investigation unfolds and cleanup options are considered, Ecology is planning on receiving extensive input from local governments, businesses and residents. Their goal is to not only hear the community’s concerns but develop a plan that supports the community’s vision for the waterfront. Examples of possible cleanup options include removing or capping the smelter-related wastes.

The rationale for conducting field work this spring is that parts of the shoreline falling under investigation for cleanup are only fully exposed during very limited times of the year. Results of the field work will feed into a Remedial Investigation (RI) report that will take several months to complete and is expected to be made available to the public later this year.

Based on the investigation findings, Ecology will develop options for possible cleanup. Visit www.lrf.org/northport to access Ecology web site with fact sheet and updates about this project.