Kitsap Sun (subscription required) reported on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s intense effort to clean up Point Julia and Port Gamble Bay this summer, in partnership with the Department of Ecology. From the story:
The tribe is working with the state Department of Ecology to remove not only derelict vessels and scrap metal debris from in and around the bay, but also the Point Julia Pier that is supported by wood treated with creosote, a chemical that has been linked to illnesses such as cancer.
Point Julia has long been a well-known landmark on the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe reservation, where swimming, fishing and gathering takes place.
The removal of the creosote treated pier is important for the tribe because it does not want to be contributing chemicals to the bay that may harm wildlife, said Tribal Chairman Jeromy Sullivan.
“Being around the pilings and coming in contact with the creosote is an issue, but eating fish and shellfish that have done the same is equally dangerous,” Sullivan wrote in the tribe’s May newspaper.
The work is expected to be done by mid-2015.
