State looks pulp mill’s island gift in mouth

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, September 4, 2001

By Warren Cornwall

Herald Writer

While the word "free" might entice people to open junk mail or visit a store, it couldn’t convince the state to take 170 acres of Smith Island near Everett.

The state Department of Natural Resources on Tuesday announced it wouldn’t accept a donation offer from the landowner, Weyerhaeuser Corp., amid concerns about pollution at the site of a former paper-mill dumping ground.

But the state left the door open for a future donation, if they learn the land doesn’t face a costly environmental cleanup.

"At this time we’re not interested enough to move forward, but we may be interested in the future," said Loren Stern, manager of the department’s aquatic resources division.

The decision relieved fears among some local residents that the state might take the land as a dump site for toxic muck dug from the bottom of the Puget Sound.

"I’m very pleased with the decision DNR (the Department of Natural Resources) has made. It represents us with opportunities to control our own destiny," said Rep. Aaron Reardon, D-Everett.

Reardon had opposed the donation and held a hearing in July where local business leaders, and officials from Everett, the county, the Tulalip Tribes and conservation groups voiced concerns about the proposal.

"I would say this is good news," said Sue Adams, of the Pilchuck Audubon Society.

Weyerhaeuser spokesman Frank Mendizabal greeted the news with some disappointment. However, Mendizabal said he could make few specific comments because he hadn’t seen a letter from the department announcing the decision.

"It’s unfortunate that they’re not going to accept the donation. We made the offer with all good intentions," he said.

Reardon said he called Weyerhaeuser Tuesday and offered to help bring them together with local groups to devise a plan for the fate of the land, which sits at the mouth of the Snohomish River just outside Everett’s city limits.

"I think this piece of property has incredible economic potential as well as environmental potential," he said.

Parts of the land now are tainted with dioxin, a toxic byproduct from turning wood into paper pulp, according to state and company documents. A 57-acre pond once served as the sewer and treatment plant for waste from a Weyerhaeuser pulp mill that closed in 1992. Another 30 acres is a landfill where the company dumped muck dug from the lagoon.

Company officials have argued the site is clean enough to meet environmental regulations for industrial activities. They point to correspondence with the state and reports from company consultants showing dioxin below common cleanup levels.

But Stern said the pollution picture was too hazy. Cleanup could have wound up in the state’s hands, and costs might have exceeded the land’s value, he said.

"We could not be certain even that there were cleanup costs," he said.

The idea of using the land to temporarily house millions of cubic yards of contaminated sediment also was dismissed, Stern said.

The state had been looking for such a site, provoking fears among some Everett residents.

But a committee of state and federal environmental officials recently recommended the state instead use an existing site such as a landfill, Stern said. The resources department also lacked the staffing to successfully come up with a plan for the disputed property, he said.

With the state out of contention for now, Mendizabal said Weyerhaeuser will consider other options, including donating it to another governmental agency or selling it to a private landowner.

Reardon said he hoped the company would meet with him and local government and business leaders, conservationists and tribal officials to map the island’s future. But that will depend on Weyerhaeuser now, he said.

"The ball is in their court," Reardon said.

You can call Herald Writer Warren Cornwall at 425-339-3463 or send e-mail to cornwall@heraldnet.com.