PORT TOWNSEND – A state Department of Ecology grant to the Port of Port Townsend is a major step toward cleaning up the port’s shipyard and ensuring a healthy future for the marine trades, say port officials.
Ecology awarded the port a $371,000 stormwater management implementation grant – which the port will match with $125,000 – to upgrade the marine work yard’s 10-year-old stormwater system during the first half of 2008.
“We’ll be a test program for that system that will allow us to do what staff wanted to do, which is to clean up the boat yard,” said Port Deputy Director Jim Pivarnik, who played a key role in the application process, on Thursday.
Port Operations Manager Ken Radon said three contamination “hot spots” have been identified in the yard so far.
One is near Sims Way near the middle of the yard and two are at the southern edge of the yard.
Those areas will be addressed in the project, he said.
Radon warned that the existing system would soon have proven problematic with Ecology.
“I have no doubt next year that we will fail our fourth test,” he said.
“This is perfect timing that we are getting this grant.”
