WA Ecology releases 30-year cleanup metrics for Bellingham Bay waterfront

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — According to the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology), environmental cleanup efforts along the Bellingham Bay waterfront have surpassed $300 million in total investment over 30 years.

Bellingham Bay, WA, United States

A blog post published September 23, 2026, by Ecology stated industrial operations on waterfront property, including the Georgia-Pacific pulp and paper mill, deposited petroleum, polychlorinated biphenyls, mercury, dioxins, and furans into the soil, groundwater and marine sediments. The pulp operations ceased in 2001.

In 1996, local, state, and federal agencies, Lummi Nation, Nooksack Tribe, and Georgia-Pacific formed the Bellingham Bay Action Team, co-managed by Ecology and the Port of Bellingham. The group established the Bellingham Bay Comprehensive Strategy in 2000 to coordinate bay sediment cleanup, land use, contamination sources, and fish habitat.

According to Ecology, the Port of Bellingham purchased 137 acres of waterfront property from Georgia-Pacific for $10, assuming legal responsibility for cleanup operations under the Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA). Combined purchases by the Port of Bellingham and the City of Bellingham have placed 220 acres under public ownership.

According to data released by Ecology, cleanup metrics for Bellingham Bay to date include the following.

more than $300 million invested to date
$112 million in MTCA grant funding since 2013
73,099 tons of upland contaminated material removed
138,586 tons of contaminated sediment removed
145,950 cubic yards of clean fill placed

MTCA funding is supported by an excise tax on hazardous substances, including petroleum products, pesticides, and chemicals. Remedial Action Grants provide up to 50% of cleanup costs to local governments. Ecology has provided $62 million in grants for the cleanup since 2013, with $50 million planned for future projects. Ecology also provided $3.3 million in grant funding for the Millworks housing project, which was constructed in 2024 on a portion of the Georgia-Pacific West site.

Plans also call for converting a portion of the 28-acre Aerated Stabilization Basin into an onsite disposal facility for material from 3 Bellingham Bay cleanup locations, according to Ecology.