Peninsula: 35 sites listed as potentially environmentally hazardous by state Department of Ecology

Thirty-five sites on the North Olympic Peninsula are listed with the state Department of Ecology as potentially hazardous to the environment.

The properties include mill sites, auto mechanics, bulk oil storage complexes and even a methamphetamine lab.

Of the sites, 15 are confirmed to contain toxins. The others are suspected of being polluted.

Twice annually, Ecology publishes statewide lists of cleanup efforts, including the Clallam and Jefferson sites. The most recent listings were published Tuesday.

The most visible of the cleanup sites is the property which once housed the Rayonier pulp mill in Port Angeles.

The mill was closed in 1997 and later demolished.

“We have completed our interim action on the site,” Ecology spokeswoman Sandy Howard said Wednesday.

“Most of the contamination has been removed, and any residual trace amounts will be taken care of in the larger cleanup operation there.”

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