Port Angeles Harbor Sediments Investigation Community Meeting Peter deFur, Ph.D. Laura Williams Environmental Stewardship Concepts, LLC May 7, 2012
Port Angeles Harbor
Sediments Investigation
Community Meeting Peter deFur, Ph.D.
Laura Williams Environmental Stewardship Concepts, LLC
May 7, 2012
To characterize the nature and distribution of
chemical contamination and wood debris in Port
Angeles Harbor
Purpose
•Sediment Characterization Study •Assess conditions in greater harbor area
•Examine marine sediment conditions near the Rayonier Mill
Property
•Determine the fate of COPCs
•Supplemental Data Evaluation •Summary of data from 6 past investigations •Harbor-wide
•Near Rayonier Mill Site
•Near Nippon Paper Industry
Reports
•Former Rayonier Mill Site
•Wood processing facilities
•Marine and shipping services
•Creosote-treated marine lumber
•Municipal wastewater
•Petroleum storage facilities
•Commercial fishing and shellfish harvesting
Possible Sources of Contamination
•Dioxins/furans
•PCBs
•Chlorinated pesticides
•Semi-volatile compounds
•Resin acids/guaiacols
•Butyltins
•Metals
Contaminants of Potential Concern
•Advisories/Recommendations: •Clams
•Crabs
•Rockfish
•City identified areas for biological habitat
improvement
•Wood debris affecting benthic communities
•Contamination from sludge piles related to acute
toxicity zones
Existing Biological Information
•Harbor sediment distribution affected by •currents
•countercurrents
•tidal eddies
•turbulent mixing
•freshwater discharges
•Water generally moves: •Southwest direction into inner harbor
•Then runs easterly along shoreline past Rayonier Mill
Harbor Sediment
•Sediment, associated contaminants, and wood
debris are collecting in the southern and western
portions of the harbor and immediately west of the
former Rayonier Mill
•Sediment largely remains in harbor
•25% of the harbor contained wood debris in varying
amounts
Sediment modeling indicates:
Transport Type Dynamic Equilibrium
Net Accretion
Net Erosion
Total Deposition I
Source: Appendix E Sediment Trend Analysis, Sediment Investigation Report
•Parameters •Grain size •Total Organic Carbon •Sulfides and Ammonia •Metals •Butyltins •Petroleum hydrocarbons •Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) •Phenols and phthalates •Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs) •Pesticides •Resin Acids and Guaiacols •Chlorinated Benzenes, Benzoic Acid, Benzyl Alcohol •Dioxins and Furans
Sediment Investigation Sampling
•Washington State Sediment Management
Standards (SMS)
•Chemical concentrations compared to: •Washington State Sediment Quality Standard (SQS)
•Cleanup Screening Level (CSL)
Sediment Criteria
•Puget Sound Lowest Apparent Effects Threshold
(LAET)
•In this report, sediment chemistry results are only
compared to LAET criteria when TOC
concentrations are outside the range of 0.5 to 3.5
percent, or when SMS criteria do not exist for a
contaminant.
Sediment Criteria
•Surface grab samples
•Collected June 2 – June 23, 2008
•Upper 10 cm depth – biologically active
•Harbor-wide: 113 sites
•Dungeness Bay Reference: 3 sites
•Chemical and bioassay analyses
Sediment Investigation Sampling
•Results: 13 locations exceed SMS or LAET
•Metals (arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and zinc)
•Western harbor, Lagoon, Inner Harbor, and Inner Ediz
•Phenols & Phthalates
•Marina, Rayonier, Lagoon
Surface Grab Samples
•Subsurface cores
•Collected June 2 – June 21 and July 14 – July 26, 2008
•45 sites
•4 or 12 ft depth
•Vertical spread of COPCs and wood debris
Sediment Investigation Sampling
•Results: 8 locations exceed SMS or LAET
•Metals: western Harbor
•PCBs: Rayonier, east of Ennis Creek
•PAHs: east of Ennis Creek
•Phenols
•Phthalates: western harbor
•Pesticides: southern harbor
Subsurface Core Samples
•Three bioassay tests
•10-day Amphipod test
•Larval Echinoderm Development
Bioassay
•Juvenile Polychaete Test
Sediment Investigation Report
•Tissue samples
•Collected June 14, 21, 22 and July 12, 2008
•Measured potential uptake of COPCs from sediment
•Harbor-wide:
•Rayonier Mill:
•Reference:
Sediment Investigation Sampling
•Geoduck
•All metals detected
•Dioxin/furan TEQ: .11
•PCBs
•PAHs
•Horse •arsenic, cadmium, mercury, zinc
•Dioxin/furan all stations
•PCBs
Tissue Sample Results
•Lingcod
•Metals
•PCBs
•PAH
•Macroalgae (eelgrass and bull kelp) •Metals
•Dioxin/furan TEQ 0.07
•PCBs
•PAH
Tissue Sample Results
•Populations evaluated:
•Current/future subsistence fisher, adult and child
•Current/future recreational fisher, adult and child
•Current/future residential user, adult and child
•Current/future recreational user, adult and child
•Excess cancer risk: threshold of 1 in 100,000
•Noncancer hazards: threshold of 1.0
Human Health Risk Assessment
•For subsistence and recreational fishers: Cancer
risks exceed the threshold of 1 in 100,000 (1 x 10-5)
•For residential and recreational users (adult and
child): Cancer risks are below Ecology threshold
HHRA Results: Cancer risk
•For subsistence and recreational fishers: non-cancer hazards exceeded Ecology’s threshold of 1.0
•For residential and recreational users (adult and child): noncancer hazards are below Ecology threshold
•The largest human health hazards: arsenic, total PCBs, and dioxin through ingestion of fish and shellfish.
HHRA Results: Noncancer risk
•Lead in fish/shellfish may result in blood lead levels
for children above EPA levels of concern
Lead
•Affects dioxin levels at Superfund sites
EPA Dioxin Reassessment 2012
•Inadequate sediment and receptor group definitions
•Pathways not evaluated •ingestion and dermal contact with surface water
•inhalation of volatiles from sediment exposure pathways
•No human toxicity data for resin compounds, so
risks from exposure to this COPC were not
addressed
HHRA Weaknesses
•Marine plants and macroalgae
•Benthos •organisms living in harbor bottom sediments
•Fish
•Birds •Carnivorous, omnivorous, herbivorous
•Mammals (raccoon and harbor seal) •Carnivorous, omnivorous
Ecological Risk Assessment
•Critical stressors •Sediment habitat degradation by wood debris
•Organic contaminants
•Marine vegetation and benthic animals face highest
risks
•No unacceptable risks to birds
ERA Results
•
•HQ – NOAEL for raccoon exposed to
arsenic is > 1
•HQ – NOAEL for harbor seal exposed to
hexachlorobenzene is > 1
ERA Results
•Lack of samples do not adequately characterize harbor-wide contamination
•Small number of samples used to assess risk to fish and to other animals that consume fish and plants
•Exposure was not estimated for COPCs without reference values
•No chlorinated pesticide data for fish whole-body samples
ERA Weaknesses
•
•Better quantification of harbor sediment source,
movement, and deposition
•Fill gaps in sediment chemistry data
Sediment Report Strengths
•
•Two primary contaminant source areas to the
harbor: •Rayonier and Western harbor shoreline
•Recommendations: •Removal of significant deposits of wood debris
•control of ongoing upland releases
•clean up of sediment hotspots
Supplemental Data Evaluation
•Extent of Rayonier Mill contamination
•Chemical fingerprinting using PCB congeners
•Failed larval development bioassays without co-
occurring COPC exceedances
•Inner harbor toxicity testing where chemical
concentrations exceed SMS
•Insufficient data for natural background chemical
data
•ID Western Harbor Upland Sources
Data Gaps and Needs:
Outside Nutrient
Loading
(Agriculture,
Discharges, Lawns)
Algal Growth Temperature Internal Nutrient
Cycling
Death
Growth
Heterotrophic Bacteria
Phytoplankton
Swimming invertebrates
Sessile Invertebrates
Sediment animals
Fish
Metabolic Activity (O2 Consumption)
Low O2
High CO2
pH decreases
STRESS
Excess organic matter often causes eutrophication and
hypoxia
From Diaz & Rosenberg, 1995. Oceanogr Mar Biol. Ann Rev 33: 245-303
This product was funded through a grant from Washington State Department
of Ecology to the Olympic Environmental Council and was reviewed for grant
consistency. It does not necessarily constitute endorsement by the
Department
The Washington State Department of Ecology will
accept public comments through May 22, 2012.
Contact project manager Connie Groven with questions/comments. Submit written or
email comments to:
Connie Groven, Project Manager
Dept. of Ecology SWRO Toxics Cleanup Program
P.O. Box 47775
Olympia, Washington 98504-7775
360-407-6254