Port Angeles – The Washington state Department of Ecology will hold a comment period for the Western Port Angeles Harbor cleanup site beginning this Thursday, Jan. 16 at 8:00 a.m. and closing on Feb. 18 at 11:59 p.m.

The cleanup site is located in the western portion of Port Angeles Harbor. Parties participating in cleanup include the City of Port Angeles, Georgia-Pacific, Merrill & Ring, Nippon Paper Industries USA, the Port of Port Angeles, and Owens Corning.

The comment period is an opportunity for public review the following documents:

• Draft Consent Decree
• Draft Cleanup Action Plan
• State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Non-significance

A fact sheet summarizing information about the comment period is also available. The fact sheet focuses on the cleanup actions proposed by the Draft Cleanup Action Plan.

Ecology is also hosting a public meeting and open house to share information about the site and receive written comments. The meeting will be 6:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at Field Arts & Events Hall on the Port Angeles waterfront.

From 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., the cleanup site manager will present on the site and planned cleanup activities, followed by a question-and-answer session. Ecology staff will be available for one-on-one discussions from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 – 8:00 p.m. Written comments will be accepted throughout the gathering.