Port completes environmental cleanup at Dakota Creek Industries site
August 15, 2023 | News
The Port of Anacortes has completed environmental cleanup work at Dakota Creek Industries (DCI), wrapping up 15 years of dedicated efforts to remediate legacy contamination across multiple Port properties.
Construction crews broke ground at the project site, located at 115 Q Avenue, in late June 2023. Over six weeks, crews excavated more than 2,000 tons of contaminated soil, which was then hauled to a landfill approved by the
Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) for material disposal. Then crews backfilled the area with clean, local material and restored hard surfaces to their original state of concrete and asphalt.
This project is being delivered on time and under budget, thanks to the hard work and efficiency of construction crews, planning and guidance from consultants and contractors, and our continued partnership with DCI.
Completion of this project is significant in that it marks the end of cleanup at the DCI property and it concludes “Focus Fidalgo,” the Port’s 15-year, comprehensive cleanup program. Started in 2008 in close collaboration with Ecology, the Focus Fidalgo program integrated cleanup, habitat restoration, property redevelopment, and public access improvements into a single, coordinated effort. Focus Fidalgo initiated several cleanup efforts, including the former Scott Paper Mill, Wyman’s Marina, and the former Shell Oil Tank Farm site. With the DCI site at completion, the Port has now delivered $67 million in environmental cleanup work at current and former industrial properties on Anacortes’ waterfront.
Port of Anacortes Project Manager Brad Tesch, who was responsible for overseeing the DCI cleanup, reflected on the importance of concluding Focus Fidalgo.
“It’s significant to complete this cleanup and close out the Focus Fidalgo program,” said Tesch. “The conclusion of the DCI site signifies the end to a plan that was set in motion over 15 years ago, and it represents the dedication and hard work of a lot of people over that time.”
The Port is dedicated to our mission of protecting and enhancing the environment and improving the quality of life in Anacortes and Skagit County. We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with Ecology and for the work of so many employees, customers, consultants and contractors, whose hard work helps ensure a bright future for the people and the natural environment in our community.