Rayonier Mill & Port Angeles Cleanup Sites Update Port Angeles Business Association
Rebecca Lawson, P.E., LHG, Section Manager TCP-SWRO Project Team: Marian Abbett, P.E.; Connie Groven, P.E.; Pete Striplin, Sediment Specialist; Audrey Kuklok, Public Involvement July 21, 2015
Presentation Overview • Overview of Cleanup Sites and Schedule • Rayonier Mill Study Area • Harbor Sediments Investigation • Western Port Angeles Harbor • Marine Trades Area • K Ply • Remedial Action Grants
Port Angeles Cleanup Sites
1
Por t Angeles Sediments Investigation
4
Marine Trades Area
5
2
Rayonier Mill Study Area Marine Por tion Upland Por tion
K Ply
6
Unocal Bulk Plant #0601
3
Rayonier Mill Off-Proper ty Soil Dioxin
7
Western Por t Angeles Harbor
Updated Rayonier & Por t Angeles Harbor Timeline2015 2008 Off-Property Soil Dioxin Study
Rayonier Mill Upland
Rayonier Mill Marine
Rayonier Mill Final Cleanup and Restoration
Property Reuse
Rayonier Mill Study Area – Investigation and Interim Cleanup Port Angeles Harbor Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA)
Port Angeles Harbor Sediments Investigation
PLP naming
Port Angeles Harbor Cleanup and Restoration
Resource Recovery
Rayonier Mill Study Area
Getting to Study Area Cleanup Collect additional soil and groundwater data
Ecology finishes Harbor Sediments Investigation
Upland data summary report (Volume I)
Marine data summary report (Volume II)
Preliminary cleanup standards section Development of alternatives section Evaluate Interim Action alternatives (Volume III) Public Comment Period Draft Interim Action Plan
Deliverable
Estimated Schedule
Sediment investigation repor t (prepared by Ecology)
Approved Dec. 2012
Upland data summar y repor t
Approved Jan. 2013
Preliminar y cleanup standards (prepared by Ecology)
Approved May 2013
Marine data summar y repor t
Approved Dec. 2014
Interim Action Alternatives Repor t Agency review draft
. Ecology is reviewing the ARD. Within 75 days of Ecology’s comments on ARD
Public review draft
Public comment period on upland & marine reports, and interim action alternatives
60-day public comment period, Early 2016 Develop responsiveness summary
Interim Action Plan Agency review draft
Within 60 days of Ecology approval of upland & marine reports, and interim action alternatives
Site Contamination Spent sulfite liquor Discharged to harbor
PCBs (electrical equipment)
Dioxins/furans (hog fuel boiler)
Petroleum hydrocarbons (hydraulic oil , fuel oil) Lead (brick mortar) Arsenic
Interim Action Areas
Upland Data Summary Report • Lower levels of contamination across much of upland ― Past interim actions removed over 30,000 tons of contaminated soil • Limited areas of low and high pH in groundwater Media
Contaminants
Surface Soil (0-2 ft)
PAHs, metals, dioxins
Subsurface Soil
Same as surface soil with areas of TPH and PCBs
Groundwater
PAHs, PCBs, dioxins, metals (As, Cr, Cu, Pb, Mn, Hg, Ni)
Surface Water
Metals and dioxins
Marine Data Summary Report Studies found sediment and tissue samples contained: • • • • • • •
Mercury and arsenic Dioxins and furans Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons Phthalates Phenols Semi-volatile organic compounds Ploychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)
CSO Project • Rayonier and the city worked on part of the CSO project that was on the mill property. • Phase 1 completed in 2014.
Port Angeles Harbor Sediments Investigation
2008 Study Objectives • Broad assessment of pollution in harbor sediments. • How do sediments move in the harbor? • Where did the contamination come from? • What areas need cleanup? • What is the risk to humans and other living things? • Provide more data for the Rayonier Mill cleanup. • Repor ts finalized December 2012.
Areas of Sediment Contamination Metals, Phthalates, Dioxin
Metals, Phthalate, PCBs Phenols, Phthalates, PCBs, Metals
Dioxins
Pesticides
Phthalate, Phenols, PCBs, PAHs, Dioxins
Conclusions • Throughout the harbor, we found: • Metals and organic contaminants. • Bioassay (lab tests of toxicity) failures. • Large deposits of wood debris. • Sediments tend to deposit in the western part of the harbor, but their movement is a dynamic process. • PCBs and dioxin in fish and shellfish pose a risk to subsistence and recreational fishers. • Marine vegetation and benthos are also at risk.
Sediment Dioxin Source Study
Chemometrics
• Most samples contain dioxins from multiple sources. • Mathematical unmixing into source profiles and contributions from each source. • Several hundred profiles used for interpretation.
Forest fire line graph Contribution
• Dioxins from different sources have different chemical patterns.
17 dioxins/furans
Total Dioxins
Source 1
Source 3 Source 2
Dioxin/Furan Distribution by Source
herbicide, ash
PCPs
PCBs
Hog fuel boiler burning salt-laden wood
Conclusions • Rayonier Mill and western harbor sources are the dominant contributors to sediment dioxin contamination. • Western harbor sources are responsible for most of the inner harbor dioxin contamination. • Former Rayonier Mill dioxin has the potential to be dispersed and contribute to low-level dioxin in the central harbor. • The majority of dioxin contamination appears to be derived from past industrial practices no longer occurring.
Components of Harbor Cleanup
Western Port Angeles Harbor
Comingled contamination
Rayonier Mill Study Area
Western Port Angeles Harbor Site
Western Port Angeles Harbor • Potentially Liable Persons (PLPs): • Georgia Pacific, Nippon, Port of Port Angeles (port) , City of Port Angeles (city), Merrill & Ring, Department of Natural Resources, Owens Corning
• Agreed order and work plan finalized May 2013. It requires the PLPs to do: • A remedial investigation, which describes the nature and extent of contamination at the site. • A feasibility study, which evaluates cleanup options.
• Sampling Plan approved June 2013 • Fieldwork completed June 2013
Getting to Western Harbor cleanup
Supplemental Harbor Sediments Investigation
Remedial Investigation/ Feasibility Study
Selection of Cleanup Action
Site Cleanup
Western Port Angeles Harbor • Currently the RI/FS schedule is extended due to technical and policy issues • Next Steps: PLPs will submit: • Agency Review Draft RI/FS- 90 days after resolution of issues. • Public review Draft RI/FS- 60 days after receipt of comments.
• A cleanup plan will be developed and implemented under a separate legal agreement.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment
Natural Resources Damage Assessment (NRDA) • Trustees: • Department of Ecology • Other state and federal agencies • Tribes • Role: • Assess damages • Recover damages • Ensure restoration
Ecology’s Role 1. To oversee timely cleanup that meets state cleanup standards. 2. To support integrating cleanup with habitat restoration and redevelopment. 3. To coordinate with other NRDA trustees in reaching a settlement with Rayonier.
Natural Resource Damage Assessment Trustee Council agreement
“NRDA 101� Ennis Creek Conceptual Plan
Meeting with Rayonier
Ecology briefs NOAA and FWS Rayonier approaches Ecology about NRDA
Funding & participation agreement updated Monthly Council meetings
Trustee meeting in Port Angeles
Aug
May
Aug
Oct
2010
2011
2011 2011
Monthly technical meetings to review data and develop framework Jan
Apr
Dec
Jun
2012
2012
2014
2015
Marine Trades Area and K Ply
Marine Trades Area and K Ply
Marine Trades Area • Investigations found separate sources of contamination on the MTA and K Ply properties. • 2012 Agreed Order Amendment removed K Ply from the MTA site. • MTA completed the RI/FS
• Next Steps • The port and Chevron submitted a preliminary draft cleanup action plan. • Ecology is preparing the draft cleanup action plan.
K Ply Cleanup Areas
K ply • Finalized agreed order to implement the cleanup action plan in May 2015 • The agreed order requires the port to cleanup the site by: – Removing 16,000 cubic yards of polluted soil. – Using bioremediation to clean up polluted groundwater. – Monitoring soil and groundwater until cleanup standards are met.
Remedial Action Grants
Funding for Cleanup: Remedial Action Grants • Purpose: To help local governments investigate and clean up contaminated sites. • Eligibility: – Local government Potentially Liable Person (PLP) – Conducting cleanup under a MTCA order or decree
Funding for Cleanup: Remedial Action Grants • Available funding: typically a 50% match of eligible cleanup costs • Local governments in economically disadvantaged counties pay receive up to 25% more ― Includes Clallam County • $2 million in RAG funding to help the por t pay for K Ply cleanup during 2011 – 13 biennium • $400,000 RAG approved for the City for Western Harbor RI/FS
Funding for Cleanup: Remedial Action Grants • Eligible costs include most investigation and cleanup costs. • Ineligible costs include: —Most retroactive costs —Most operating and maintenance costs —Legal costs —Natural resource damage assessments
Next Steps and Getting to Final Settlement
Rayonier and Harbor Next Steps • We will hold a public comment period early 2016 on Volumes I, II, III for the Rayonier Mill site. • Finalize Western Harbor RI/FS. • Finalize draft CAP for Marine Trades Area. • Finalize EDR with cleanup starting in August.
Components of Harbor Cleanup
Western Port Angeles Harbor
Comingled contamination
Rayonier Mill Study Area