The Little Squalicum Creek Area (LSCA) is located south of the Oeser Company property on the northeast shore of Bellingham Bay in Whatcom County. Parts of the LSCA are in the City of Bellingham. The City of Bellingham owns part of the LSCA and the County owns other parts of the LSCA. The City leases the County’s portion of the LSCA for improvement and management as a park. The area being developed by the City is called Little Squalicum Park and comprises 21 acres. Little Squalicum Creek is approximately a mile long and runs through the park down to Bellingham Bay.
Soil, sediment, surface water, and groundwater at the Little Squalicum Creek Area (LSCA) have been found to contain chemicals that are associated with wood-treating operations. The Oeser Company (Oeser), an active wood-treating facility that has operated since the 1940s, has been identified as a source of some of these contaminants within the LSCA. Oeser-related contaminants have historically been discharged to the LSC Site via Oeser’s stormwater drainage system.
The Oeser Site was listed on the National Priorities List (NPL), pursuant to Section 105 of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), 42 U.S.C. Section 9605, on October 27, 1997. At that time, EPA determined that the Oeser-related contaminants within the LSCA did not pose an unacceptable risk to human or ecological receptors, and that cleanup of Oeser-related contaminants within the LSCA was not warranted under CERCLA. However, over the last several years and based on additional data, the EPA has determined that Oeser-related contamination within the LSCA is subject to cleanup action under CERCLA.
The primary contaminants of concern include PCP, total and carcinogenic PAHs (e.g. benzo(a)pyrene). Dixons and furans were also found onsite.
