From polluted shore to public trail
So often the murkiness and complexity of contaminated sites make it hard to imagine a happy ending for them. It’s encouraging then to learn about a site that will be cleaned up as part of a massive green space project. That’s just what’s happening with a former concrete plant located in Gorst, Washington.
The Port Orchard Sand and Gravel Concrete Batch Plant, located on the western edge of Kitsap County’s Sinclair Inlet, was the site of a concrete processing facility for about three decades. As a result, more than two acres of the site are contaminated with arsenic, pentachlorophenol and organic contaminants.
Kitsap County was the recipient of both a $200,000 EPA Brownfields cleanup grant and an equally funded assessment grant. The county was awarded the grants because it’s home to numerous contaminated sites in close proximity to many miles of marine shoreline, and because its population has more than doubled in the last 25 years. This rapid growth has led to the development of raw land as potentially contaminated sites are bypassed for “easier” properties. As a result, in addition to the loss of open spaces, the county still has at least 79 contaminated leaking underground storage tank sites that need to be cleaned up.
Following cleanup of the plant, the county and the land owner plan to restore the native estuarine habitat at Sinclair Inlet and make it part of the Mosquito Fleet Trail, a 57-mile hike and bike trail that will connect the northern and southern tips of Kitsap County, from Kingston to Southworth. The former brownfield site will become one part of this grand plan to link 89 public facilities designed for recreation and community use: parks, marinas, schools, community centers, libraries, ferry and bus stops, bike rentals, as well as water, mountain and rural vistas.
The trail will also feature cultural historic sites, including some of the Mosquito Fleet docks, which nearly 150 years ago welcomed agile steam boats that “buzzed” the ports and gave the trail its name. Ultimately, the trail will connect four cities (Port Orchard, Bremerton, Poulsbo and Bainbridge) and 25 communities.
The section that will stretch from Bremerton to Gorst along the Sinclair Inlet and include the former brownfields site will provide access to one of the most scenic parts of the trail. The Sinclair Inlet Wildlife Viewing Area will offer fabulous views of native birds feeding in the tidelands, and pedestrians visiting that area will likely have access to Pixie Park, Prendergast Regional Park, Ross Point Tidelands and Kitsap Marina. It’s an aesthetic improvement that might also give a boost to the economic health of the surrounding commercial areas.
The redevelopment of this particular brownfield site is just one small part of a massive green space effort that will take years to complete, but the environmental, economic and public benefit will be well worth the effort.
