Re-naturing our waterfront – the Rayonier clean-up

by Paul J. Pickett, Clallam Democrats Rising newsletter team

​Turn off of Highway 101 in Port Angeles and head down Ennis Street. When it ends, you’ll see a chain-link fence with a gate onto the Olympic Discovery Trail. Walk down the trail to the east, and, on the right, you’ll see a large open area with a plaque on a stone that commemorates the Lower Elwha Klallam village that was on that site. On the left is a broad area of meadow, dotted with mounds, tanks, and bits of equipment. Signs on the fence warn of dangers within.

Rayonier mill in operation, 1990s (Washington State Department of Ecology)

​This bucolic-appearing area is the site of the former pulp mill owned and operated by Rayonier Corporation. Hidden under the meadow and under the waves of the Straits are a variety of toxic chemicals: metals such as arsenic and mercury; dioxins/furan; TPH (petroleum hydrocarbon); PAH (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon); and PCB (polychlorinated biphenyl). Studies have documented contamination of the soils, groundwater, and off-shore sediments. In addition, Ennis Creek, which reaches the Straits on this site, has had the habitat of its mouth trashed and fish hammered by the pollutants. The 1988 Toxic Release Inventory called this site the worst in Washington State, and the 17th worst in the nation.

The contamination of this site resulted from the pulp mill which began operation in 1930, and which Rayonier shut down in 1997. Local citizens realized the threat of Rayonier shutting down and walking away, as they had at other locations. So they petitioned the Environmental Protection Agency to declare it a Superfund site. However, Rayonier and local leaders pressed for the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to clean up the site under the State Model Toxics Control Act. Ecology, which originally estimated the cleanup to take seven years, has been leading a cleanup of the site for over 25 years.

Rayonier Pulp Mill while in operation (provided by Darlene Schanfald)

Darlene Schanfald of the Olympic Environmental Council has been watchdogging and hounding Ecology for decades. She calls for the public to help drive Rayonier to a better cleanup: “We can’t let them walk away. They are gone, but we are here. They led Ecology along all these years. We need to get our shoreline back.”

The cleanup has reached a critical milestone, which hopefully signals the beginning of actual cleanup activities. In early May, Ecology announced the opening of a comment period on the cleanup. They are accepting comments for two months, June 12 through August 12, and have announced a local public meeting on Tuesday, July 8. They are releasing three documents for review: a legal agreement (either a Consent Decree or Enforcement Order); a Draft Interim Action Plan; and a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination and Checklist.

This is where you come in! Your comments are critically important to direct this cleanup. There are political pressures to cut costs and do less cleanup on this project from Rayonier and some elected officials. The voice of the community is vital to ensure the best cleanup possible. The more people speak out, the more likely we’ll see an outcome that secures a sustainable future for this site. The details go far beyond what this article could cover, so there are details (massive amounts!) at Ecology’s cleanup website.

Robbie Mantooth is the leader of Friends of Ennis Creek and an advocate for a complete cleanup. “Most people living in Port Angeles or visiting our area may have no idea of the toxic materials on both sides of the popular waterfront trail or the threat to the salmon and steelhead once abundant in Ennis Creek,” she observes. “We need to prepare now to submit comments as detailed and rational as possible. We recommend reviewing the Interim Action Plan and make notes you may want to address through written comments. You also will have opportunities to ask questions at the open house the team is planning for July 8, from 5-8 p.m. The Friends of Ennis Creek and Olympic Environmental Council (OEC) will also host a community gathering before the Aug. 12 comments deadline.”

I asked Darlene and Robbie what are the good things that the public should support. Robbie notes “the Interim Action Plan shows some outstanding work from Ecology’s team for the Rayonier cleanup under the state Model Toxics Control Act. We are grateful for their persistence and dedication.” Ecology has put out 5 options. Darlene calls for “a full clean-up – Option 5. Each one has a price tag, each one has pollution cleaned up or left behind. Rayonier can afford to clean it up.” 

Darlene notes that Ecology originally picked Option 2, which she calls “a cover-up, not a clean-up.” Because of public pressure, they are currently proposing Option 3, which leaves toxic contaminants in onsite storage areas. Darlene calls for a complete cleanup, and explains why it’s feasible: “In Port Angeles, K-Ply cleaned up the site in five years, with good fencing, good signage – a Cadillac clean-up. We have a good local example.”

Some of you may remember when the mill was operating, but most likely most of you have moved here since they shut down. It’s likely that very few of you remember what the waterfront by Ennis Creek looked like before the pulp mill was built on the site. From the early days of the Native American settlement, through the establishment of the Puget Sound Co-operative Colony along Ennis Creek in 1887, on into the industrialization of this area, the waterfront has gone through profound changes. But after over a hundred years of development, we finally have an opportunity to return natural functions to this site. 

Port Angeles waterfront showing future pulp mill site, 1800s. (Provided by Darlene Schanfald)

Darlene shares her vision that “we need to get original shoreline back, need to get Ennis Creek cleaned up, need to have it left for nature.” 

Robbie spells out her priorities: “A safe environment for people using the trail, consuming seafood and experiencing adjacent waters and land the indigenous inhabitants have taken care of for millennia before mills and contaminants came. And a stream that can achieve its potential as it moves more naturally through trees that will cool it with shade, provide nutrients and protect nests where salmon and steelhead can lay and fertilize eggs, producing ongoing generations of these iconic fish.” 

Darlene would like to see this area of the harbor returned to its original wildness it once was, including restored to its original shoreline.  Once Rayonier structures are removed, connect it to the rest of the wild shoreline that extends into Jefferson County.

Past statements by the Lower Elwha Tribe indicate that they want a cleanup to residential uses, not industrial; physical and biological restoration of Ennis Creek; and a return of the site to a natural state.

A quick look at the Ecology website can be intimidating. There are hundreds of documents that go into excruciating detail. But it can be boiled down to a couple of take-away messages:

1. We need the most complete cleanup possible to restore the site and return it to a natural state, and to protect our waterfront for the indefinite future.  
2. And we need as many people as possible to comment. 

The voice of the community has power, and that power is increased by how many of us speak out.