Olympia residents can now track the progress of contamination cleanup in Budd Inlet through a new interactive tool the Port of Olympia published this week.

The Budd Inlet Story Map Series, posted Monday, Aug. 10, consolidates environmental data on stormwater management, sea level rise and the ongoing Budd Inlet Cleanup Project into a single publicly accessible platform. The Port says the map will receive updates as cleanup work advances.

Shawn Gilbertson, the Port's Environmental Planning and Programs Manager, said the tool is meant to increase transparency and community understanding of the Port's environmental work on the inlet.

The idea originated with the Port's Budd Inlet Community Advisory Committee in 2025. The group wanted a tool that could show the Port's environmental history, the industrial lands it manages and the legacy of past land uses on the Port Peninsula.

What the map covers

The series features five sections: the history of Budd Inlet and the Port; the Cascade Pole Cleanup Site on the North Point of the Port Peninsula; stormwater management on Port property; sea level rise preparedness; and the status of the broader Budd Inlet Cleanup Project.

That last topic carries the most weight for neighbors. Contaminated sediment in Budd Inlet, stemming from industrial activities dating to the 1920s, contains dioxins and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). The Thurston County Health Department advises against swimming and fishing in the inlet. The contamination comes from wood treating plants, forest products facilities and bulk petroleum storage that once operated along the shoreline.

Cleanup timeline

According to the Port's project page, the cleanup follows the Washington State Model Toxics Control Act process overseen by the Department of Ecology. In 2023 and 2024, crews collected 1,100 sediment samples from more than 100 locations in East Bay. The current phase is sediment investigation and data analysis, running through 2026.

Cleanup construction is expected to begin in approximately 2027, with project completion targeted for 2031. Removal of the 5th Avenue Dam is projected for approximately 2033.

At the Cascade Pole site specifically, the Port dredged roughly 40,000 cubic yards of contaminated sediment in the early 2000s with Department of Ecology approval. That material sits in a capped upland containment cell safeguarded by a groundwater pump-and-treat system. As part of ongoing management, approximately 1,110 feet of shoreline on the northeastern Port Peninsula have been or will be raised 3 to 5 feet to address sea level rise.

Regional partnerships

The Port is part of a sea level rise collaborative with the City of Olympia and LOTT Clean Water Alliance. It funds some environmental cleanup through tax levy dollars and has received two Remedial Grants from the Department of Ecology, supplemented by state and federal appropriations.

Jonathon Wolf, the Port's Environmental Manager and a 25-year veteran of environmental work, oversees the sediment investigation as lead scientist on the Budd Inlet Remediation project.

How to follow along

Residents who want email updates on Port environmental programs can sign up for the Environmental Blog Series at portolympia.com/about-us/environment. The story map itself is accessible through the Port's website.

The project's next hard milestone is the start of cleanup construction, with the 5th Avenue Dam removal in 2033 marking the final phase.