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

Lummi Island

North Lummi Island
South Lummi Island

Lummi IslandNorth Lummi Island Area
The North Lummi Island Area begins at the west end of Sunrise Road and goes around the northern point of the island to Gooseberry Point. The section of shoreline from the southwestern most point of the North Lummi Island Area to Fern Point was the only section of this area that was inventoried.

Roughly 771 cubic feet was found during the inventory of September and October of 2002. 730 cubic feet of the total amount in this area was removed in September and October of 2002. The materials that were not removed were left because the property owners asked us to leave them.

Legoe Bay is where most of the rogue materials in this area accumulate. About 473 of the total 771 cubic feet found in the North Lummi Island Area was congregated in Legoe Bay.

Source analysis in this area is not possible at this time, due to the reason described above under the South Lummi Island Area.

Lummi IslandSouth Lummi Island Area
This area begins at the west end of Sunrise Road and goes around the southern point of the island up to Gooseberry Point. Only a small section of this area was inventoried. The area inventoried was from Carter Point to the northwest boundary of this area.

About 50 cubic feet of creosote-treated wood was found in the section surveyed during September and October of 2002. All of it was removed by boat in October of 2002. All removals had to be done by boat because there are no access locations along that stretch of beach.

There were no areas of rogue creosote-treated wood accumulations in the section of the South Lummi Island Area that was inventoried.

Sources of rogue creosote-treated wood in this area are nearly impossible to evaluate without an inventory of fixed piling structures in San Juan County. Rogue logs and timbers that wash up on the beaches of the east side of the island may come from sources on the coasts of Whatcom County. A regional inventory of fixed piling structures would greatly add to an understanding of where rogue creosote materials on the islands come from.