PORT ANGELES ¬– The City Council has unanimously approved allowing the state Department of Ecology to test soil on five city-owned parcels for dioxin contamination.
Tuesday’s decision came more than a month after Ecology initially made the request to the seven-member council.
“We’re very pleased and appreciate their vote,” said Connie Groven, Ecology site manager for the former Rayonier Inc. pulp mill.
“We think it’s very important to have the city working with us.”
The city-owned sampling locations include three parcels that are part of Webster’s Outdoor sculpture park at the Port Angeles Fine Arts Center at 1203 E. Lauridsen Blvd., one adjacent to Francis Street Park, and another along DelGuzzi Drive.
The purpose of the sampling is to determine if emissions from the former Rayonier mill at the end of Ennis Street dispersed dioxin around the city.
What is dioxin?
Dioxin, which is linked to cancer and other health concerns, occurs naturally, but is also a byproduct of the wood treatment process used at the mill that operated on the Port Angeles waterfront from 1930 to 1997.
Ecology took samples from 78 parcels between Tumwater Creek and Buchanan Drive in and around Port Angeles from Sept. 4 to Sept. 16.
Results won’t be available until January or February, and a final report will be completed in the spring, Groven said.
In August, Ecology had identified 17 city-owned parcels as possible sampling locations for the study. About 450 locations around Port Angeles were considered for sampling.
On Aug. 19 and Sept. 2, the City Council voted to table Ecology’s request for sampling because of concern for possible adverse affects on property values and a desire for more information.
By Sept. 2, the number of city-owned parcels Ecology wanted to test had been reduced to five.
The cleanup of the 75-acre Rayonier site for dioxin and other contaminants, resulting from the wood treatment process, began in 2000.
It is under the supervision of Ecology, Rayonier, and the Lower Elwha Klallam tribe.
Council member Larry Williams said he would like city staff to write a letter to Ecology asking it to look into any implications for real estate prices and companies due to the testing.
He had said at previous meetings that, if a site is tested positive, even at low levels, it could make it impossible to sell.
“We want to let them know that we are very anxious for this to move forward and we are cooperative in helping them move the Rayonier site cleanup forward,” Williams said.
“We do recognize that cooperation is needed, but I continue to voice the concerns of the real estate community about this study and the results and how it will be handled in the future.”
Additional sampling
Ecology is considering conducting additional sampling, that would include the city-owned parcels, in order to reach its goal of 100 samples, Groven said.
But, because of the cost of sending a sampling team to Port Angeles, Groven said Ecology needs access to eight to 10 sites in order to conduct further testing.
Groven said she hopes that the City Council’s decision will convince other property owners to allow Ecology to conduct sampling on their property in order to reach that goal of 100 samples.
“We would love to have additional volunteers come forward,” she said.
Kim Schmanke, Ecology spokesperson, said about 10 property owners withdrew their consent after the City Council had expressed concern over the sampling.
Groven said Ecology received about 150 access agreements for sampling, but not all of them met the necessary standards.
In order for a sample to be as accurate as possible, soil could not have been recently disturbed or subject to a significant amount of erosion, she said.
Five samples, three inches deep and four inches in diameter, were taken from each property.
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Reporter Tom Callis can be reached at 360-417-3532 or tom.callis@peninsula dailynews.com.
