SEQUIM — The state Department of Ecology has proposed removing the Sunnydell Dryke Shooting Range from its hazardous sites list, saying extensive cleanup work has been done on the site.
A public comment period ends Monday.
The Sunnydell Dryke Shooting Range at 292 Dryke Road in Sequim opened in 1967 and is used as an active shooting range and dog training facility.
The Clallam County Department of Health &Human Services in 2004 sampled water and sediment from two ponds on the property after receiving a complaint about water coming onto a neighbor’s property, according to Ecology.
Those samples contained high levels of lead. Subsequent sampling also found polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from clay targets.
In 2009, Ecology and the shooting range’s owners entered into an agreed order, a legal agreement, to investigate contamination and evaluate cleanup options.
By 2013, a cleanup plan was formed. That cleanup has been completed, according to an October report from Ecology.
“Because this is an active shooting range, more lead shot will re-accumulate after any cleanup,” Ecology said.
That plan divided the site into management areas to reduce spread and buildup of lead shot and targets, and to manage recontamination issues, state officials said. In addition, more than 20 cubic yards of contaminated sediment was removed from the lower pond.
An environmental covenant was also filed to restrict land use on the site to prevent accidental release of contaminants.
Ecology will review the site every five years.
The final cleanup plan and other documents can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/PDN-ecologyshootingrange.
To submit comments, write to Andrew Smith, Site Manager, P.O. Box 47775, Olympic, WA 98504; call 360-407-6316; or email Andrew.Smith@ecy.wa.gov.
