Equipment is rolling in by land and water this week as workers prepare to remove decades-old contaminated sediments and other materials from Port Gamble Bay.
Contractor Orion Marine Group will launch a major cleanup project Monday by starting to pull old, creosote-treated pilings out of the water. Pope Resources is responsible for the cleanup under the Washington Department of Ecology’s oversight.
Cleanup work is scheduled to continue into early 2017. The project will remove about 6,000 pilings from water and land, and demolish piers, docks and other structures. About 70,000 cubic yards of wood waste and contaminated sediments will be either dug up and removed, or capped with clean material. Marine habitat impacted by the cleanup will be restored.
This week, the contractor is bringing in excavators, a barge and a crane. Office space, containment areas and security fencing are being set up.
Work will be done on weekends and at night. Weekend work is scheduled to begin October 3 and 4 to take advantage of low tides. More barges are expected to arrive in late October.
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