Anacortes Baywide Clean Up
November 4, 2022 | News
Since 2006, the Port of Anacortes has been a collaborative partner in advancing the shared cleanup of Fidalgo and Padilla bays. This work, known as the Anacortes Baywide Cleanup project, focuses on a variety of cleanup and restoration sites that have been identified under the Puget Sound Initiative, an effort to clean up and restore beaches and bays around the Puget Sound and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The city of Anacortes, local historic tribes and the Port have collaborated to ensure that these sites are restored to support community, environmental, and economic use.
Many of the areas addressed through this cleanup became contaminated from early industrial operations in and around Anacortes. These operations brought jobs, economic benefit and prosperity to our community. For over a century, canneries and paper mills employed most of the population, but as these establishments closed, they left legacy byproducts, including logs, sawdust and toxicants. In 2006, the Washington State Department of Ecology began studying and developing a plan to begin a large scale clean up around the bays.
Some of these sites are located on Port property, including Quiet Cove, Anacortes Port Log Yard, Cap Sante Marine, Dakota Creek Industries, Scott Paper Mill, Shell Oil Tank Farm and Wyman’s Marina and Wholesale Supply. The Port spearheads efforts to properly investigate and remediate these sites, and conducts long-term monitoring to ensure protection of our community and native species in perpetuity. Fidalgo and Padilla bays are all part of one connected ecosystem that supports salmon migration, nursery habitats for fish and crabs and migratory birds. A clean healthy environment is also key to Anacortes’ future growth and economic development.
The Port is proud to contribute to this mission, and of the work that has been completed and is still in progress. These efforts have already resulted in recovery of native flora and fauna, including eel grass beds and smelt spawning. They also allow better community access to our shoreline, so we all can enjoy the beauty that our region has to offer. We appreciate our local partners and look forward to continuing our work with them!
To learn more about the baywide cleanup and the Port’s redevelopment sites, visit: Port of Anacortes | Cleanup, Redevelopment and Habitat Restoration Sites
