Good news out of Fairhaven. Washington State Department of Ecology crews have finished removing toxic heavy metals from the upland portion of the Harris Avenue Shipyard, clearing about five acres of contaminated soil at 201 Harris Avenue. Marine trades businesses displaced during cleanup can now return to the site.
The work included excavating shallow contaminated soil and replacing it with clean fill, plus treating deeper soil to protect groundwater. This is one of five Bay-wide cleanup sites targeted for completion in 2026, part of the larger Bellingham Bay Action Team effort covering 12 sites around the Bay.
The in-water portion of the cleanup, roughly five more acres of marine sediment, is still ahead. The Department of Ecology will open a public comment period before finalizing the plan for that phase, which is expected to start in 2027. Keep an eye out for that public comment window if you care about the health of Bellingham Bay.
The Port of Bellingham has coordinated this work alongside state regulators and the businesses that rely on the facility. For Fairhaven neighbors who have watched the remediation unfold, it is a welcome step toward a cleaner Bellingham Bay. The Harris Avenue corridor is also home to the popular Bellingham Farmers Market at Depot Market Square, just up the street, which opens its 2026 season on April 4.
The site at 201 Harris Avenue sits at the southern edge of Bellingham Bay in Fairhaven, a neighborhood with deep roots in maritime industry. Shipbuilding and boat repair have been part of Fairhaven's identity since the late 1800s, when the area served as a hub for fishing fleets and lumber schooners moving through the Salish Sea. The Harris Avenue Shipyard was one of several facilities that kept that tradition alive through much of the 20th century, servicing commercial fishing vessels, tugboats, and pleasure craft. Like many working waterfront sites of that era, the shipyard accumulated decades of industrial activity that left a lasting mark on the soil beneath it.
Heavy metal contamination at shipyard sites is a well-understood problem across the country. At facilities like Harris Avenue, metals including lead, arsenic, copper, zinc, and chromium can accumulate in soil from hull paint stripping, sandblasting, welding operations, and the application of antifouling coatings. Over years and decades, those metals work their way deeper into the ground, sometimes migrating toward groundwater and, at waterfront locations, eventually into marine sediment. That is exactly what happened here, which is why the cleanup is divided into two phases: the upland soil work now complete, and the in-water sediment work still ahead.
The upland cleanup used two main approaches depending on how deep the contamination had spread. In areas where metals were concentrated close to the surface, crews excavated the soil and replaced it with clean fill material. In areas where contamination had reached deeper and posed a risk to groundwater, crews used in-place treatment methods designed to stabilize or neutralize contaminants. Together those approaches address the upland contamination and reduce the risk of further migration toward the bay.
The Bellingham Bay Action Team is a partnership between the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Port of Bellingham, Whatcom County, the city of Bellingham, and tribal governments. The team identified 12 contaminated sites around the bay that need remediation. Harris Avenue is one of five sites targeted for completion in 2026. Progress across all 12 sites matters because contamination at one location can affect conditions throughout the whole bay system, particularly as sediment moves with tidal currents and storm events.
For the businesses that operate at the Harris Avenue Shipyard, the upland cleanup completion is a practical milestone. Marine trades work, including boat haul-outs, hull repairs, painting, and mechanical services, requires direct access to waterfront facilities. Businesses that had to relocate or adjust their operations during the remediation period can now return and resume work at the site.
Bellingham Bay has come a long way from its most heavily industrialized decades. Water quality and habitat conditions have improved steadily over the past generation, thanks in part to remediation projects like this one. The in-water sediment cleanup at Harris Avenue, expected to start in 2027, will be another significant step. Before that phase begins, the Department of Ecology will open a formal public comment period, giving Fairhaven neighbors and anyone who cares about the bay a real opportunity to weigh in on the cleanup plan. Watch for that announcement from Ecology in the months ahead.
