Bellingham Bay Estuary Awakens as Restoration Project Nears Completion

At Little Squalicum Park along the Bellingham waterfront, bicyclists and dog walkers are rolling and strolling on new trails and over a new pedestrian bridge spanning Little Squalicum Creek. Under the bridge, the creek is now flowing freely into Bellingham Bay, mingling with the salt water as tides ebb and flow. These improvements are part of this City of Bellingham (City) restoration project that has created a new intertidal estuary to expand habitat for salmonids and other species.

According to a recent story in The Bellingham Herald, the $5.7 million restoration project removed a culvert that restricted creek flow and blocked fish passage, re-routed the creek, added trails and the pedestrian bridge, and created needed habitat along this stretch of the waterfront.

Construction of the new estuary at Little Squalicum Park, January 2023

Aspect worked closely with the City and as a subconsultant to Coastal Geologic Services, who designed the estuary and new route for the creek. Our focus was identifying and characterizing contamination that had migrated from the adjacent Oeser Company wood-treatment facility Superfund site onto the area. Principal Hydrogeologist Steve Germiat led Aspect’s team, working with Project Geologist Matthew von der Ahe to characterize the chemical quality of the future estuary sediment surface, which was over 10 feet below the original grade, and the soil to be excavated to reroute the creek channel to the bay. Once the site characterization was complete, they wrote the contaminated material management plan and construction specifications for managing excavated material and water produced during dewatering of the large excavation. During excavation for the estuary and rerouted creek, Staff Scientist Bo Ward oversaw screening and sampling of the excavated soil and Project Engineer Matthew Eddy helped profile and arrange final disposition of the materials.

Construction of the elements of the park and estuary are ongoing and scheduled to be completed in October 2023. Learn more about the project history on the City of Bellingham’s project site.

Groundbreaking Celebrates the Start of Affordable Housing Along the Bellingham Waterfront

May 7-13 is Affordable Housing Week, championed by the Housing Development Consortium to highlight the role affordable housing plays in stabilizing our communities. See a recent affordable housing story below and more of Aspect’s Affordable Housing work here.

Staff from Aspect’s Bellingham and Seattle offices were on hand for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the first phase of the Millworks development, which will bring affordable housing to the Bellingham waterfront.

Banners at the construction site announcing both Phases of the Millworks redevelopment

Millworks is a partnership between the Port of Bellingham, Whatcom Community Foundation, and Mercy Housing Northwest (Mercy). Phase 1 of Mercy’s development includes 83 units of workforce and family rental housing plus a YMCA early learning center. The development should be ready to welcome residents next year.

Mercy Housing Northwest’s project manager Ellen Lohe (left) emceed the groundbreaking event, and Port Commissioner Michael Shepard (right) delivered remarks.

The Millworks development sits on 2.3 acres at the corner of the larger 67-acre Georgia-Pacific West cleanup site. Once home to a pulp and tissue mill, the site has undergone massive cleanup and redevelopment over the last decade, including the City of Bellingham’s popular Waypoint Park. Aspect’s environmental, geotechnical, and stormwater teams have worked extensively within the former mill’s footprint.

The building’s foundation is in place with framing starting, only 4 months after cleanup completion. Photo courtesy of Mercy Housing NW.

For the Millworks project, Aspect completed a pre-design investigation, developed a cleanup action plan, oversaw a formal public comment period, authored the engineering design report, executed an excavation compliance monitoring plan, reviewed construction plans/specs, and provided bid support. We provided oversight on the soil removal project, which also accomplished the substantial grading and site prep needed to start work on the new building. All of this occurred within a highly expedited 12-month schedule to meet Mercy’s funding requirements.

Principal Hydrogeologist Steve Germiat, who attended the groundbreaking ceremony, managed Aspect’s project team, which includes Adam Griffin, Jane Gregg, Matt Eddy, Nikolai Carroll, and Baxter Call. They worked in close coordination with the Port, RMC Architects, and the rest of the Mercy team, as well as the Washington State Department of Ecology, to reach this key milestone.

Whatcom Community Foundation’s planned Phase 2 development will include more affordable housing units and a local food campus featuring a commercial kitchen for use by food trucks and nonprofits like Meals on Wheels. Phase 2 construction is expected to begin in 2025.

From Mills to Maritime: Restoring Everett’s Working Waterfront 90 Years Later

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Caption: The newly redeveloped Norton Terminal, in the top left of the photo, allows the Port of Everett to double their cargo space and revive this dormant piece of their working waterfront.

Photo Credit: Port of Everett

Decades after pulp and paper mill operations first began on the same spot, the Port of Everett’s Norton Terminal – a new 40-acre marine cargo facility – opened in December 2022 to once again make this piece of Everett’s waterfront a working site. As the first all new cargo terminal on the West Coast since 2009, the Port estimates that terminal will restore almost 1,000 jobs – hundreds of which were lost when the original mill shuttered in 2011 – and help support the nearly 40,000 jobs generated by surrounding seaport operations from the Port and U.S. Naval Station Everett. This restoration success story was over a decade in the making after the mill shut down and left subsurface contamination on-site.

Cleaning Up 90 Years of Pulp and Paper Mill Operations

Caption: Though ownership changed hands throughout the years, this was a steady working mill for over eight decades, up until closure in 2012.

Photo Credit: City of Everett library digital collections

The original mill became operational in the 1920s – milling pulp and creating paper products – and continued active operations until it shut down in 2012. Left on the site were heavy metals and petroleum, including releases from fuel bulk storage facilities that pre-dated the mill. Aspect, working on behalf of the owner, Kimberly Clark, led the Washington State Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) upland cleanup process. This involved a years-long remedial investigation to understand the extents of soil and groundwater contamination across 55 acres, a feasibility study to assess cleanup options, and three cleanup actions to expedite the overall cleanup and redevelopment. The main remediation culprits at the site were heavy metals and petroleum, including releases from fuel bulk storage facilities that pre-dated the mill.

300,000 Tons of Material and One Cap Later = Terminal is Open for Business

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Caption: Over 300,000 tons of material removed to clear the Site for the environmental cap

Photo Credit: Aspect Consulting

The first two interim cleanups excavated and landfilled more than 56,000 tons of contaminated soils, permanently removing the primary sources of contamination to groundwater. Approximately 250,000 tons of crushed concrete and brick generated during mill demolition were also hauled away, clearing the site and removing a major source of alkaline pH to site groundwater. The finishing step was putting a 9-inch-thick asphalt layer across most of the site, which does double duty as an environmental ‘cap’ and a surface sturdy enough for 40-ton cargo containers to sit on. The environmental cap also includes a state-of-the-science stormwater treatment system to protect the adjacent East Waterway.

Six years after demolition of the former mill infrastructure and considerable cleanup work, Kimberly Clark sold the property to the Port of Everett, supporting the Port’s plans of doubling their marine cargo capacity so West Coast container ships can more quickly get import/export goods to market. Congratulations to the Port for reviving this important piece of the Everett waterfront—restoring both jobs for the regional economy and the site environmental conditions to protect human health and habitat.  

Years in the Making, the Bellingham Waterfront Celebrates Significant Cleanup Milestone

Like many working waterfronts across the country, Bellingham has undergone years of effort to clean up contamination and turn historical industrial sites into useful properties for the community. After more than a decade of study and adjacent cleanups, the former Georgia-Pacific [GP] Paper Mill cleanup site (“GP West site”), the centerpiece of Bellingham’s burgeoning Waterfront District redevelopment, is poised to deal with its biggest contamination culprit – liquid mercury.

The Chlor-Alkali area is one of the trickiest cleanups of the entire Bellingham waterfront, and over a decade in the making.

Photo Credit: WA Department of Ecology

A Plan in Place for one of Bellingham’s Trickiest Sites

There are a dozen cleanup sites within and along the shorelines of Bellingham Bay—by any measure, the 67-acre GP West site is likely the trickiest and most complex upland (adjacent to the shoreline/water) cleanup project of them all. To tackle the cleanup, the site was divided into halves. The half referred to as the Pulp and Tissue Mill Remedial Action Unit (RAU) was successfully remediated in 2016, allowing for the start of the Waterfront District build out including construction of the award-winning Waypoint Park. The other half of the site, known as the Chlor-Alkali Remedial Action Unit (RAU), is where the mercury lies, making it far more challenging to clean up.

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Waypoint Park is thriving, with families and businesses returning to the waterfront. The Chlor-Alkali parcel is adjacent to this and will see marine industry expand and flourish when cleanup is complete.

Photo Credit: City of Bellingham

Now, after years of intense investigation and planning work, the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the Port of Bellingham (Port) have finalized a Cleanup Action Plan for the Chlor-Alkali RAU.

Liquid Mercury is a Subsurface Challenge

The site’s mercury is an unwelcome residual from historical production of chlorine gas and sodium hydroxide (caustic) used to bleach pulp in the former GP mill’s papermaking process. Some of that mercury was released into the ground, as was some of the caustic manufactured in the process.

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The mercury ‘culprit’ in the GP West subsurface for this historical paper mill site, where mercury was used in the paper-making process

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Remediation crews supervising the excavation of 4,400 tons of contaminated soil removed from the site

Liquid mercury has the unique and unfortunate chemical properties of being both highly volatile and 13 times denser than water. The releases of the caustic in the same area increased the pH of the groundwater, which increased the mercury’s solubility and its ability to migrate in groundwater, allowing it to spread hundreds of feet from where the releases historically occurred. These factors, interspersed into the maze of foundation piles, beams, and other subsurface structures that remain from the former mill, make remediation of the Chlor-Alkali RAU a supremely challenging task. Additional details regarding the site’s contaminants and cleanup are available on Ecology’s webpage

A Milestone for Reviving the Waterfront

The complex Cleanup Action Plan includes a combination of removing some contaminated soil; chemically treating (stabilization/solidification) some soil in place to keep mercury from leaching further; treating groundwater to restore near-neutral conditions that will limit mercury mobility; capping some areas of lower-level contamination; and lots of monitoring throughout to assure the cleanup goals are met.

It will take several years to complete the plan’s tasks and bring the Chlor-Alkali RAU site back into productive use for the Port’s marine trade businesses. But for now, the Port and Ecology’s completion of the Chlor-Alkali Cleanup Action Plan is a momentous milestone to celebrate. It’s a significant piece of the puzzle to complete the recovery of this beautiful part of Bellingham’s waterfront.

For more information contact Principal Hydrogeologist Steve Germiat.

Zap! Pow! Remediators Unite: Environmental Science in a Comic Book

Aspect feels lucky to have a strong connection with Western Washington’s Huxley College of the Environment in Bellingham. Associate Scientist Kirsi Longley (Huxley College alumnus; featured on page 38 of the below comic!) and Principal Hydrogeologist Steve Germiat have guest lectured there over the years, talking the ins and outs of environmental remediation along with the day-to-day realities of being an environmental consultant. In fact, Steve Germiat presented to the class in March 2020, just a day before they stopped meeting on campus due to COVID-19 risks.

We wanted to turn the spotlight on this innovative and creative group taught by Professor Ruth Sofield. In just one example of creative communication, the students in the Science, Management, and Communication of Contaminated Sites (SMOCS) have taken their learning of environmental remediation and powered it into comic form. The comic is an innovative form of public outreach – and communicates the complexity of environmental cleanup to reach all audiences.

Given the recent COVID-19 public health recommendations, the class is now meeting exclusively online thus highlighting, even more, the importance of unique science storytelling that can reach many audiences even when not physically in the same location.

See the latest example of The Remediators here: https://issuu.com/ruth.sofield/docs/volumefive

Inspiring Burgeoning Environmental Consultants

For an interdisciplinary WWU course led by Dr. Ruth Sofield and focused on the Science and Management of Contaminated Sites (SMoCS), Aspect’s Steve Germiat and Kirsi Longley gave budding environmental consultants a look at what life and work is really like for professional environmental consultants.

To complement the students’ landfill RI/FS case study, Kirsi presented Aspect’s recent RI/FS work at a landfill in western Washington. The presentation focused on the scope of the investigation, the findings, including how volatile contaminants can transfer between landfill gas and groundwater, and how the findings were developed into recommendations for remedial alternatives.  In addition to the scientific and technological challenges of environmental remediation, Steve and Kirsi addressed the nuts and bolts of a consultant’s role in the MTCA cleanup process, and the skills and attributes that enable a consultant to excel. Looking back on the presentation, Dr. Sofield said “Students benefit so much from interactions with Steve and Kirsi.  To actually learn from a practitioner and see that classroom material has real application changes how students think about and participate in their education.  It changes a lot for the students, including their intended career path.”

About SMoCS

In collaboration with Washington State Department of Ecology Toxics Cleanup Program, WWU’s Huxley College of the Environment (Huxley) offers undergraduate students a course series in the Science and Management of Contaminated sites (SMoCS). The SMoCS series includes three courses that build knowledge of the contaminated site cleanup process in Washington State with an emphasis on how scientific investigations are conducted, use of the technical documents associated with cleanups, the roles of different parties in cleanup decisions, and enhanced professional skills.  For more information on the program visit http://faculty.wwu.edu/harperr3/SMoCS.shtml.

Aspect Staff Volunteers Design and Muscle for new Rain Gardens at Carnation Elementary School

Over this past summer, Aspect’s Owen Reese was invited by Stewardship Partners to provide pro bono design for a pair of rain gardens at Carnation Elementary School. The project is part of a long-standing partnership between the Snoqualmie Tribe and Stewardship Partners to plant and promote native species and educate communities on water quality protection. The goal of this demonstration project is to improve infiltration, replace non-native vegetation, and create wildlife habitat. The rain gardens will infiltrate runoff from approximately 6,500 square feet of the school’s roof.  

This fall, several Aspect staff, along with volunteers from Stewardship Partners and Carnation Elementary School, gave a Saturday to prepare the rain gardens for planting by shoveling dirt to create the final shape of the rain gardens and place 4 tons of river rock to line the conveyance channels. It was great fun and a good workout!

The school kids will be planting the rain gardens in a few weeks, incorporating native plants selected by the Snoqualmie Tribe as culturally significant.

Aspect in the DJC: Weighing Ecology’s New Cleanup Guidance for Petroleum Sites

In a guest article in the Daily Journal of Commerce, Aspect’s Steve Germiat weighs in on the vision and the reality of the Washington State Department of Ecology’s new “model remedies” guidance for cleaning up petroleum-contaminated sites. This guidance proposes a kind of “pre-approved” shortcut to site cleanup. Steve goes into both the vision and the reality of this new (to Washington State) cleanup concept and its implications for site owners and developers. 

READ IT HERE.

ACEC Washington Best in State Silver Award Winner: Riverside Property Cleanup

Mark Sadler (2nd from right), City of Everett, joined Aspect project team members at the awards banquet.

For our technical guidance on the Riverside Property Cleanup, Aspect received a Best in State Silver Award for Social/Economic Sustainability at the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) Washington 2013 Engineering Excellence Awards banquet on January 18.

The cleanup of the 90-acre Riverside property on the Snohomish River in Everett was conducted collaboratively through a public-private partnership between the City of Everett and Kimberly-Clark Worldwide - the Riverside Environmental Team (RET). With the RET relying on the technical analysis to drive the process, Aspect's deep understanding of MTCA regulatory requirements and strategic application of cleanup design and engineering steered the comprehensive cleanup of the former industrial property.

Aspect worked with the RET and Ecology to develop an efficient, focused approach and practical, cost effective engineered solutions that went beyond conventional industrial cleanup. Employing innovations including backfilling with available dredge sands and installing a subsurface drain system for use in groundwater treatment, Aspect oversaw a cleanup program of complete soil removal and active groundwater treatment that resulted in non-detect contaminant levels and six No Further Action (NFA) determinations for soil and groundwater.

Achieving unrestricted cleanup standards at the former Sawmill site preserved opportunities for a full range of future redevelopment options, not limited by capped contamination or deed restrictions.

The project was previously recognized with a 2011 Association of Washington Business (AWB) Environmental Excellence Award for Kimberly-Clark.