Rayonier mill clean up moving ahead, slowly
March 26th, 2008 - 5:44am
(Port Angeles) -- Work continues on cleaning up the former Rayonier mill site in Port Angeles. But don't expect any big changes anytime soon.
Company, Lower Elwha Tribe and Department of Ecology representatives fielded some pointed questions about the process yesterday as they spoke to the Port Angeles Business Association.
It's been nearly eleven years since the mill closed.
Rayonier's new Director of Environmental Affairs,
Carla Yetter, says they continue to work closely with the DOE.
Meanwhile, there have been changes in the Department of Ecology's efforts to clean up the problem. Rebecca Clauson, Regional Section Manager for the Southwest Regional office of Ecology's Toxics Cleanup Program, says the agency has added more staff on the project and is using new state money to look into water-side contamination at the site.
In yesterday's meeting, possible contamination of the Port Angeles harbor appeared to be a bigger factor in DOE's Rayonier cleanup, than before. Clauson says DOE has not dilluted it's efforts to also clean up the actual mill site.
Clauson says next year she expects to come up with reports on the harbor sediment invetigation; the Rayonier Mill Remedial Investigation; and the Port Angeles Soil Dioxin Study, and all documents will be available for public review and comment.
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