EDMONDS — The state Department of Ecology is inviting locals this month to comment on the final stage of cleanup at the Unocal property near the Edmonds waterfront.
Once cleanup is complete, the city could purchase a 21-acre portion of the property in a long-awaited effort to expand the Edmonds Marsh and increase salmon habitat.
Between Sept. 9 and Oct. 24, residents can submit feedback online through Ecology’s Unocal cleanup webpage, regarding recently proposed cleanup levels and actions to protect wildlife.
Ecology will also host a meeting 5:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at Edmonds City Hall to answer questions. Locals who prefer to attend virtually can join the conversation at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom after an hourlong in-person open house.
The Union Oil Company of California, known as Unocal, stored, blended and distributed petroleum products from 1923 to 1991 at its 11720 Unoco Road facility. Since ceasing operations, Unocal has worked with Ecology to remove polluted soil and water from the site.
Unocal finished cleanup of the property’s upper yard in 2003 and now is “near completion” on removing contaminants from the lower yard, according to Ecology documents.
Local environmentalists and Edmonds officials have eyed the lower yard for years, hoping advocates can establish a new channel for salmon to access the marsh.
Over a century ago, the Edmonds Marsh enveloped about 100 acres and featured tidal openings that welcomed salmon.
Now, the brackish marsh is 22½ acres with no trace of the Chinook and coho salmon that once swam through its shallows — diminishing a critical resource for local tribes and food staple for endangered southern resident orcas.
The 21-acre portion of the Unocal property is the “impediment” standing in the way of salmon recovery, said Joe Scordino, a retired NOAA biologist and longtime Edmonds Marsh advocate, in a previous interview with The Daily Herald.
“We won’t get adult salmon back,” Scordino said, “unless we have an open connection to Puget Sound.”
Ta’Leah Van Sistine: 425-339-3460; taleah.vansistine@heraldnet.com; X: @TaLeahRoseV.
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