IRONDALE — Although state budget cuts are likely to delay the planned cleanup of Jefferson County’s Irondale Beach Park, the state Department of Ecology has opened public comment on a plan.
Uplands and shoreline areas in the park are contaminated by petroleum and other toxic metals, remnants of a former steel mill dating back to the early 1900s.
Ecology opened on Monday a public comment period that closes Jan. 22 on proposed cleanup of parts of the 12-acre site off Moore Street, to provide the state agency with a plan that could be used later.
“We don’t have any funding to move forward with the cleanup,” said Steve Teel, site manager for Ecology.
“We don’t foresee anything in the near future because of the budget crisis.”
The cleanup plan proposes digging down from 6 feet to 11 feet to excavate petroleum compounds on the beach and toxic metals found in the property’s uplands, including lead, iron, arsenic, copper and nickel.
The county park has a road, a parking lot, trails and a portable toilet, but is not developed beyond that. A volunteer group maintains it.
From 1881 to 1919, the former Irondale Iron and Steel mill produced metal intermittently at the site. Steel plant operation resulted in contamination of soil, sediment and possibly groundwater.
In 1919, the plant closed and equipment was removed from the site.
The site was not cleaned up after closing, and slag and other debris are still present. Some building foundations and the concrete walls of an above-ground fuel tank remain on site.
From 1919 until 2001, the site changed ownership several times, but no additional waste was produced.
From 1977 to 1999, the site was used as a log storage yard by a nearby chipping facility.
Jefferson County purchased the site in 2001 for a recreation area.
An initial investigation revealed evidence of hazardous materials.
Ecology conducted a site investigation then. Analysis of samples taken during this study showed that contamination was below levels mandated by the state Model Toxics Control Act, which regulates the investigation and removal of toxic wastes in the state, for cleanup of petroleum hydrocarbons and metals.
Ecology concluded that the site did not pose a significant threat to human health or the environment.
In November 2005, a park visitor notified Ecology about an oily residue on the beach at this site.
Ecology determined that there was evidence of contamination along the beach and Jefferson county closed the beach to begin an investigation.
In 2007, Jefferson County tested samples along the beach and near the above-ground fuel tank, and found levels of petroleum contamination and metals in soil that exceeded state-mandated cleanup levels.
Ecology began a remedial investigation at the site in June to determine the full extent of contamination.
In addition, Ecology conducted a State Environmental Policy Act review of the proposed cleanup actions. The study found that actions would have no significant adverse impact on the environment.
Ecology is proposing to clean up the site by:
• Removing contaminated sediments.
• Excavating and removing contaminated soil from an area of the site.
• Installing a geotextile and soil cap to prevent exposure to contaminated soil remaining on site.
• Removing slag material and restoring the areas where soil was excavated.
Meg Bommarito is Ecology’s public comment coordinator for the project and can be e-mailed with comments at mbom461@ecy.wa.gov or phoned at 360-407-6255.
Documents on the proposal can be reviewed at Jefferson County Library, 620 Cedar Ave., Port Hadlock.
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Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
