oeser co.

730 MARINE DRIVE

The Oeser Company, located in a mixed residential and industrial area of Bellingham, prepares and treats wood poles for utility companies. Most of the approximately 23.5 acre site is used to store treated and untreated logs. The wood-treating plant covers about three acres of the site. Creosote, which contains semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs), has been used as a wood treating preservative in the past. Since the 1970's, oil containing pentachlorophenol (PCP) has been the primary wood treating agent. The terrain at the site is relatively flat, but south of the site the terrain drops 30 to 40 feet into a ravine drained by Little Squalicum Creek. The creek is fed by storm water discharges from several outfalls serving a mixed residential and industrial area, including the Oeser Company's facility, and by groundwater. Little Squalicum creek flows into Bellingham Bay, a popular commercial fishery and shellfish harvesting area. Fish and other aquatic species are generally not found in Little Squalicum Creek due, in part, to elevated levels of contaminants from a variety of sources. Migratory birds, including peregrine falcons and bald eagles, and other wildlife make their homes in the area. Site Responsibility: This site is being addressed through federal actions.

• Mccormick & Baxter Creosoting Co. (Stockton, CA)
• Jennison-wright Corporation (Granite City, IL)
• St. Regis Paper Co. (Cass Lake, MN)
• Libby Ground Water Contamination (Libby, MT)
• Fairchild Semiconductor Corp. (mountain View Plant) (Mountain View, CA)

• Idaho Pole Co. (Bozeman, MT)
• Pacific Sound Resources (Seattle, WA)
• Union Pacific Railroad Co. Tie-treating Plant (The Dalles, OR)
• Fresno Municipal Sanitary Landfill (Fresno, CA)