An old fuel yard in Anacortes is slated for environmental cleanup that could lead to future development opportunities.
The state Department of Ecology is asking for comments on a proposed legal agreement for the Quiet Cove Storage site at 202 O Ave. The agreement with the Port of Anacortes, which owns the site, details how the port will investigate contamination at the site and study how to clean it up.
Comments are welcome through Nov. 17 on the agreement and the draft public participation plan. That plan shows how interested people can stay informed about and involved with the site’s cleanup.
Quiet Cove sits along the east end of the Guemes Channel just northwest of Fidalgo Bay. The site began operating as a bulk fuel terminal and storage facility as early as 1909. Oil tanks, an oil warehouse, and other equipment were removed later. Now, the site’s remaining buildings and pavement are used for storage.
The Site is located between 2nd and 3rd Streets west of O Avenue, and it totals about 0.82 acres. The Site may extend across 2nd Street toward Curtis Wharf International Shipping Terminal and into the Guemes Channel to the northwest. The Port purchased the upland area of the Site in July 2013 and performed an environmental investigation the following year.
This investigation found several contaminants exceeding accepted cleanup levels. Soil samples showed hydrocarbon and heavy metal contamination including:
- Benzene
- Toluene
- Ethylbenzene
- Xylenes
- Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPHs)
- Carcinogenic Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
- Naphthalenes
- Cadmium
Groundwater samples showed TPHs and arsenic.
Review documents
- Ecology’s Quiet Cove website.
- Anacortes Public Library, 1220 10th St.
- Ecology’s headquarters at 300 Desmond Drive SE in Lacey. Please contact Carol Dorn for an appointment at 360-407-7224 or
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Submit comments
- Send them to Arianne Fernandez, Department of Ecology, Toxics Cleanup Program, P.O. Box 47600, Olympia, WA 98504-7600.
- Email
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Fidalgo Bay is one of seven priority bays identified for cleanup under the Puget Sound Initiative. An Ecology team is working with site owners, local governments, area tribes, and others to clean up several Anacortes-area sites.