Whatcom County MRC Projects - Marine Restoration and Protection

Marine Creosote Log Remediation Project

Marine Creosote Log Remediation Project
Project Partner with the City of Bellingham

Cherry Point Area

Point Whitehorn
BP/Arco Refinery
Intalco Aluminum
Phillips Conoco/ Tosco Refinery

The Cherry Point Area extends from the Phillips Conco/Tosco Refinery to Birch Bay State Park. Approximately 869 cubic feet of creosote-treated wood was found on the shores of the Cherry Point reach during the first round of inventory in the spring and summer of 2002. A year later, prior to any removals, 1,050 cubic feet was present. About 909 cubic feet of the total amount was removed in July of 2003. The drift cells at Cherry Point move primarily in a southerly direction. Some of the rogue logs and timbers in this area may be coming from British Columbia, and other possible sources of the materials are the refinery piers at Cherry Point.

The success of the clean up along the Cherry Point reach is due in large part to Intalco Aluminum and the BP/Cherry Point Refinery. Both companies provided a lot of help to the removal crew with the assistance of equipment. Without their help the removal of about 20 tons of creosote-soaked wood would not have been possible.

Point Whitehorn Subarea
From the southern edge of Birch Bay State Park to the BP/Arco Refinery pier there was about 37 cubic feet at the first inventory in May of 2002, and approximately 112 cubic feet at the second inventory in July of 2003. All but one piece found in the first inventory had washed away by July of 2003. Pilings, timbers and railroad ties made up the majority of the materials found in this area. No removals were done in this area during the course of the project.

The rogue logs and timbers that end up on this stretch of beach are fairly scattered along the shoreline. There were no significant accumulations during the course of the 2 years. The drift cells on the south side of Point Whitehorn move primarily in a southerly direction. Therefore, materials that end up on this part of the beach may be transported south down the beach.

There are no obvious sources of rogue logs and timbers on this stretch of beach. Since this area is located on the east side of the straights, a regional examination of creosote-treated wood structures would assist in identifying sources in this area.

BP/Arco Refinery Subarea
From the north side of Intalco Aluminum’s pier to the BP/Arco Refinery pier there was about 554 cubic feet in May of 2002, and at the second inventory in June and July of 2003 there was roughly 660 cubic feet. Approximately 132 cubic feet of the total amount found during the initial inventory had washed away, and about 238 cubic feet had washed in, by the summer of 2003. All but about 12 cubic feet of the amount present on the beach in the summer of 2003 was removed. Timbers, pilings, piling stubs, and railroad ties were scattered upon these shores. The largest rogue piling in all of Whatcom County was found on this beach, which was about 70 feet long and 20 inches in diameter.

Areas of consolidation were in the 2 estuaries just north of the Gulf Road parking area, and below and on the south side of the parking area. The drift cell present along the shoreline on this stretch of beach moves in a southerly direction. However, about half a dozen rogue logs/timbers identified in the first inventory had moved north between May of 2002 and June/July of 2003. Only one piece of creosote-treated wood moved south during that time. These conflicting factors make it difficult to draw conclusions about the movement of creosote-treated wood in this area.

There are no obvious sources of rogue materials in this subarea. Since this area is located on the east side of Georgia Strait, a regional examination of creosote-treated wood structures would assist in identifying sources in this area.

Intalco Aluminum Subarea
There was 225 cubic feet of creosote-treated wood on the beaches between the Phillips Conoco/Tosco Refinery pier and the Intalco Aluminum pier at the first inventory. 226 cubic feet was present at the second inventory in July of 2003, and all but 9 cubic feet of it was removed that month. 36 cubic feet of the materials present at the time of the initial inventory had washed away, and 37 cubic feet had washed in, by the time of the follow-up inventory. The materials in this subarea are characteristically chunks of pilings and small timbers.

All of the pieces that washed away over one year were light-weight timbers that were lying on top of other drift wood. All of the other pieces in the initial inventory were in exactly the same locations at the time of removal as they were at the initial inventory in the spring of 2002. The drift cell along this stretch of shoreline moves south. The 2 years of observing this beach found the majority of driftwood and rogue creosote-treated wood collected on the north side of the Phillips pier, in the southern-most part of this stretch of beach. The northern part of the beach only had very scattered driftwood or creosote-treated wood on it over the 2 years. Rogue logs and timbers that end up on this beach in the future are expected to follow this same pattern.

Sources of rogue creosote materials in this subarea are difficult to evaluate because it is located along Georgia Strait. The 2 refinery piers may contribute to some of the rogue logs and timbers that wash up on this beach.

Phillips Conoco/Tosco Refinery Subarea
This subarea stretches from the Gregorian Road access at Neptune Beach to the south side of the Phillips Refinery pier. There were roughly 53 cubic feet at the first inventory in May of 2002 and 52 cubic feet at the second inventory in July of 2003. 3 pieces totaling 44 cubic feet were removed in July of 2003. All of the materials present at the first inventory had washed away by the July of 2003. The materials on the beach at both inventories consisted of timbers and pilings that look like dock structures.

There is a drift cell offshore of this area that moves south. The scattered, few pieces of driftwood and rogue creosote wood that end up on this beach over time will probably eventually make their way further south down the beach towards Sandy Point.

The 3 refinery piers located along the Cherry Point reach may be a source of the rogue materials found in this subarea. Some materials also likely wash in from The Strait of Georgia.