The last piece of the Georgia-Pacific West site is one step closer to cleanup

(BELLINGHAM)- As recently as 2007, the Georgia-Pacific West Pulp and Tissue Mill was the cornerstone of downtown Bellingham. Eighty years of paper manufacturing operations left the area contaminated, and the Washington Department of Ecology has been working with the Port of Bellingham to clean it up. Ecology invites you to comment on a legal document that makes sure the remaining contamination is addressed.

The 74-acre Georgia-Pacific West cleanup site is divided into two separate areas, the Pulp and Tissue Mill Area and Chlor-Alkali Area, according to a news release from Ecology. The Pulp and Tissue Mill Area was cleaned up in 2016 and is being redeveloped for residential and commercial use. It currently features community-centered activities, including the Portal Container Village and Waterfront Bike Park. The Lignin Operable Unit within the Chlor-Alkali Area was cleaned up in 2022 and a portion of the property was redeveloped as the Millworks affordable housing project. Over the next three to five years, the last piece of the Chlor-Alkali Area will be cleaned up in phases and eventually used for commercial, retail, and industrial uses.

The 36-acre Chlor-Alkali Area housed a chlor-alkali plant that used mercury to produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide for mill operations, and stored petroleum for energy needs. These practices contaminated the soil and groundwater with mercury, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and petroleum hydrocarbons. Learn more about the cleanup action plan that will address the contamination on Ecology's website.

A 30-day public comment period for this site opens Monday, June 1, 2026, 12 a.m. and closes Wednesday, July 1, 2026, 11:59 p.m.