By BBJ Staff

The Port of Bellingham awarded RAM Construction the $2 million contract to cover over the old contaminated soil on 20 acres of the former Georgia-Pacific property on the Bellingham waterfront. Construction is now underway to import new material and cover the existing land with a crushed rock surface. When the capping is complete, which is expected to happen later this summer, the surface will look dramatically different, and be ready to build on.

“This is a major milestone in the environmental cleanup of the Waterfront District” said Brian Gouran, Port of Bellingham Director of Environmental Programs, in a press release.

The project is being overseen by the Department of Ecology and begin paid for by a combination of state cleanup grants and the port’s environmental insurance policy.