Rayonier hub

Rayonier ran a pulp mill here from 1930 to 1997.^[1] Interim actions removed more than 30,000 tons of contaminated soil, but contamination remains in soil, groundwater and sediment.^[1] Ecology signed the consent decree on June 23, 2026, and the cleanup is now in its "design the cleanup" step.^{[1, 8]} Ecology expects engineering design to take about five years and the overall restoration timeframe to be up to 10 years.^{[1, 3]}

The dock and jetty are part of the problem. Ecology's final plan says "removal of the dock is a necessary element of the remedy for the marine portion of the Study Area." The dock stands on about 4,000 creosote pilings, and the jetty, about 700 feet long, is creosote wood cribbing that is an ongoing source of contamination.^[4] Ecology also says "the dock and jetty must be removed before sediment remediation begins."^[7]

Ecology is clear that the future of the land is not its call: "Ecology is not involved in selecting or implementing future land uses; these decisions rest with the property owner and local government."^[3]

ConceptThe old dock and jetty come out under the state cleanup. After or alongside it, a new cruise pier is built on clean piles in the same spot, with a public promenade on top in the spirit of City Pier downtown,^[11] extending the waterfront walk that already runs along the harbor.^[12] Beside it, a tunnel portal tucked under a planted landform, a plaza at grade, and autonomous taxis waiting at the curb. Passengers step off the ships and into the city or the tunnels with no climb and no shuttle bus.

The shoreline is restored with native planting, and the plan keeps room for restoring Ennis Creek and its estuary, which the cleanup plan keeps open.^[4] Under state law, any reuse must not interfere with the remedy, so nothing here would delay dock removal, disturb the soil cap or block Ennis Creek restoration.^[5]

Washington law already has a tool for a buyer who brings new money and speed to a cleanup site. A prospective purchaser settlement is allowed where it "will yield substantial new resources to facilitate cleanup" and "will expedite remedial action," and where the reuse is not likely to interfere with the remedy.^[5] The existing liable parties stay bound by the decree after any sale.^[8]

ConceptAny acquisition would add resources to the state-supervised cleanup, not replace or skip any part of it: money, contractor capacity or scheduling help for dock removal, sediment work and shoreline recontouring, and help with Ennis Creek and estuary restoration if the trustees and the liable parties agree.

The public has asked for more. Ecology received 386 comments from 359 commenters in 2025, and reports that roughly 89% of commenters asked for all contaminated material to be removed. The selected soil remedy consolidates and caps soil on site, at a 2019 estimated cost of $10 million against $37 million for full removal.^{[6, 7]} The City asked for a full site cleanup.^[10]

A public attempt to buy the site has been made before. In 2008 the City and the Port formed the Port Angeles Harbor Works Development Authority to acquire the property; after due diligence paid for by a state grant, they decided not to buy it.^[1]

The Klallam village of I'e'nis sat on the east bank of Ennis Creek, and parts of the property have "a moderate to high probability" of cultural resources.^[4] Under agreements from 1999 and 2000, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe holds a right of concurrence in major cleanup decisions at the site, and its June 2026 letter tied its concurrence to how in-water structures are handled.^[9]

For Third Harvest, the Tribe is a partner to invite, with Ennis Creek restoration in mind, on the Tribe's own terms. It has not been approached and is not involved in this concept.

The hub is where the Salish Tunnel system, the concept tunnel network, starts. The West End line runs west to Joyce and Clallam Bay and ends at Neah Bay, Makah connection, about 57 mi in all. East, a shared trunk runs to Sequim at Port Williams and on to Port Townsend. From there the Olympia line runs under Hood Canal to Olympia, about 149 mi from the hub, and the Seattle line runs subsea through Admiralty Inlet to Edmonds and under the Sound to downtown Seattle, about 89 mi from the hub. All three are drawn as one continuous tunnel joined at the hub, with no breaks between stops. None of these routes has been studied, engineered or approved.