Port Angeles Harbor

Sediments Investigation

Community Meeting Peter deFur, Ph.D.

Laura Williams Environmental Stewardship Concepts, LLC

May 7, 2012

To characterize the nature and distribution of

chemical contamination and wood debris in Port

Angeles Harbor

Purpose

•Sediment Characterization Study •Assess conditions in greater harbor area

•Examine marine sediment conditions near the Rayonier Mill

Property

•Determine the fate of COPCs

•Supplemental Data Evaluation •Summary of data from 6 past investigations •Harbor-wide

•Near Rayonier Mill Site

•Near Nippon Paper Industry

Reports

•Former Rayonier Mill Site

•Wood processing facilities

•Marine and shipping services

•Creosote-treated marine lumber

•Municipal wastewater

•Petroleum storage facilities

•Commercial fishing and shellfish harvesting

Possible Sources of Contamination

•Dioxins/furans

•PCBs

•Chlorinated pesticides

•Semi-volatile compounds

•Resin acids/guaiacols

•Butyltins

•Metals

Contaminants of Potential Concern

•Advisories/Recommendations: •Clams

•Crabs

•Rockfish

•City identified areas for biological habitat

improvement

•Wood debris affecting benthic communities

•Contamination from sludge piles related to acute

toxicity zones

Existing Biological Information

•Harbor sediment distribution affected by •currents

•countercurrents

•tidal eddies

•turbulent mixing

•freshwater discharges

•Water generally moves: •Southwest direction into inner harbor

•Then runs easterly along shoreline past Rayonier Mill

Harbor Sediment

•Sediment, associated contaminants, and wood

debris are collecting in the southern and western

portions of the harbor and immediately west of the

former Rayonier Mill

•Sediment largely remains in harbor

•25% of the harbor contained wood debris in varying

amounts

Sediment modeling indicates:

Transport Type Dynamic Equilibrium

Net Accretion

Net Erosion

Total Deposition I

Source: Appendix E Sediment Trend Analysis, Sediment Investigation Report

•Parameters •Grain size •Total Organic Carbon •Sulfides and Ammonia •Metals •Butyltins •Petroleum hydrocarbons •Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) •Phenols and phthalates •Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) •Pesticides •Resin Acids and Guaiacols •Chlorinated Benzenes, Benzoic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol •Dioxins and Furans

Sediment Investigation Sampling

•Washington State Sediment Management

Standards (SMS)

•Chemical concentrations compared to: •Washington State Sediment Quality Standard (SQS)

•Cleanup Screening Level (CSL)

Sediment Criteria

•Puget Sound Lowest Apparent Effects Threshold

(LAET)

•In this report, sediment chemistry results are only

compared to LAET criteria when TOC

concentrations are outside the range of 0.5 to 3.5

percent, or when SMS criteria do not exist for a

contaminant.

Sediment Criteria

•Surface grab samples

•Collected June 2 – June 23, 2008

•Upper 10 cm depth – biologically active

•Harbor-wide: 113 sites

•Dungeness Bay Reference: 3 sites

•Chemical and bioassay analyses

Sediment Investigation Sampling

•Results: 13 locations exceed SMS or LAET

•Metals (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and zinc)

•Western harbor, Lagoon, Inner Harbor, and Inner Ediz

•Phenols & Phthalates

•Marina, Rayonier, Lagoon

Surface Grab Samples

•Subsurface cores

•Collected June 2 – June 21 and July 14 – July 26, 2008

•45 sites

•4 or 12 ft depth

•Vertical spread of COPCs and wood debris

Sediment Investigation Sampling

•Results: 8 locations exceed SMS or LAET

•Metals: western Harbor

•PCBs: Rayonier, east of Ennis Creek

•PAHs: east of Ennis Creek

•Phenols

•Phthalates: western harbor

•Pesticides: southern harbor

Subsurface Core Samples

•Three bioassay tests

•10-day Amphipod test

•Larval Echinoderm Development

Bioassay

•Juvenile Polychaete Test

Sediment Investigation Report

•Tissue samples

•Collected June 14, 21, 22 and July 12, 2008

•Measured potential uptake of COPCs from sediment

•Harbor-wide:

•Rayonier Mill:

•Reference:

Sediment Investigation Sampling

•Geoduck

•All metals detected

•Dioxin/furan TEQ: .11

•PCBs

•PAHs

•Horse •arsenic, cadmium, mercury, zinc

•Dioxin/furan all stations

•PCBs

Tissue Sample Results

•Lingcod

•Metals

•PCBs

•PAH

•Macroalgae (eelgrass and bull kelp) •Metals

•Dioxin/furan TEQ 0.07

•PCBs

•PAH

Tissue Sample Results

•Populations evaluated:

•Current/future subsistence fisher, adult and child

•Current/future recreational fisher, adult and child

•Current/future residential user, adult and child

•Current/future recreational user, adult and child

•Excess cancer risk: threshold of 1 in 100,000

•Noncancer hazards: threshold of 1.0

Human Health Risk Assessment

•For subsistence and recreational fishers: Cancer

risks exceed the threshold of 1 in 100,000 (1 x 10-5)

•For residential and recreational users (adult and

child): Cancer risks are below Ecology threshold

HHRA Results: Cancer risk

•For subsistence and recreational fishers: non-cancer hazards exceeded Ecology’s threshold of 1.0

•For residential and recreational users (adult and child): noncancer hazards are below Ecology threshold

•The largest human health hazards: arsenic, total PCBs, and dioxin through ingestion of fish and shellfish.

HHRA Results: Noncancer risk

•Lead in fish/shellfish may result in blood lead levels

for children above EPA levels of concern

Lead

•Affects dioxin levels at Superfund sites

EPA Dioxin Reassessment 2012

•Inadequate sediment and receptor group definitions

•Pathways not evaluated •ingestion and dermal contact with surface water

•inhalation of volatiles from sediment exposure pathways

•No human toxicity data for resin compounds, so

risks from exposure to this COPC were not

addressed

HHRA Weaknesses

•Marine plants and macroalgae

•Benthos •organisms living in harbor bottom sediments

•Fish

•Birds •Carnivorous, omnivorous, herbivorous

•Mammals (raccoon and harbor seal) •Carnivorous, omnivorous

Ecological Risk Assessment

•Critical stressors •Sediment habitat degradation by wood debris

•Organic contaminants

•Marine vegetation and benthic animals face highest

risks

•No unacceptable risks to birds

ERA Results

•

•HQ – NOAEL for raccoon exposed to

arsenic is > 1

•HQ – NOAEL for harbor seal exposed to

hexachlorobenzene is > 1

ERA Results

•Lack of samples do not adequately characterize harbor-wide contamination

•Small number of samples used to assess risk to fish and to other animals that consume fish and plants

•Exposure was not estimated for COPCs without reference values

•No chlorinated pesticide data for fish whole-body samples

ERA Weaknesses

•

•Better quantification of harbor sediment source,

movement, and deposition

•Fill gaps in sediment chemistry data

Sediment Report Strengths

•

•Two primary contaminant source areas to the

harbor: •Rayonier and Western harbor shoreline

•Recommendations: •Removal of significant deposits of wood debris

•control of ongoing upland releases

•clean up of sediment hotspots

Supplemental Data Evaluation

•Extent of Rayonier Mill contamination

•Chemical fingerprinting using PCB congeners

•Failed larval development bioassays without co-

occurring COPC exceedances

•Inner harbor toxicity testing where chemical

concentrations exceed SMS

•Insufficient data for natural background chemical

data

•ID Western Harbor Upland Sources

Data Gaps and Needs:

Outside Nutrient

Loading

(Agriculture,

Discharges, Lawns)

Algal Growth Temperature Internal Nutrient

Cycling

Death

Growth

Heterotrophic Bacteria

Phytoplankton

Swimming invertebrates

Sessile Invertebrates

Sediment animals

Fish

Metabolic Activity (O2 Consumption)

Low O2

High CO2

pH decreases

STRESS

Excess organic matter often causes eutrophication and

hypoxia

From Diaz & Rosenberg, 1995. Oceanogr Mar Biol. Ann Rev 33: 245-303

This product was funded through a grant from Washington State Department

of Ecology to the Olympic Environmental Council and was reviewed for grant

consistency. It does not necessarily constitute endorsement by the

Department

The Washington State Department of Ecology will

accept public comments through May 22, 2012.

Contact project manager Connie Groven with questions/comments. Submit written or

email comments to:

Connie Groven, Project Manager

Dept. of Ecology SWRO Toxics Cleanup Program

P.O. Box 47775

Olympia, Washington 98504-7775

Connie.Groven@ecy.wa.gov

360-407-6254