Site 3: Koitlah Point Dump

Site Background and History

Koitlah Point Dump Area (USGS, 1935)

The Koitlah Point Dump is an inactive, partially covered dump where material was disposed over a steep bluff onto the ocean shore at Koitlah Point.  Refuse is still visible on the bluff, and debris from the dump extends to the beach below Koitlah Point.  The dump is in the vicinity of a graded area intended for a 6-inch gun emplacement for the Cape Flattery Battery (Tecumseh, 2000a).  The area encompassing the Koitlah Point Dump was marked on older maps as a U.S. Military Reserve (USA, 1912; USACE, 1935).  Beginning in the 1940s, the dump was used by the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Indian Health Service (IHS), U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), and Makah Tribe (URS, 1996; Claplanhoo, 1994).  Various types of refuse, including empty waste oil barrels from the Makah AFS (Ray, 1994) and other hazardous waste, have been dumped at the site.  The landfill was recommended for closure in 1963 and was abandoned in the late 1960s, but illegal dumping has occasionally occurred since then.

Koitlah Point Dump viewed from top of the bluff (Ridolfi, 2000)

Environmental concerns associated with this site include contamination of soil, surface water, and beach sediments, as well as physical and chemical threats to people and wildlife from the unstable cliff edge and exposed waste at the bottom of the cliff.  Koitlah Point is a popular seafood harvesting area, and the Tribe is concerned that its seafood resources have been or may be affected by contaminants from the Koitlah Point Dump.

Activities to Date

Koitlah Point Dump sampling locations (Ridolfi, 2006c)

The Makah Environmental Restoration Team performed site inspections in October 2000 and in March and April 2004, and the site was one of 10 sites investigated during the 2004 limited remedial investigation (Ridolfi, 2005d).  A total of four soil samples (including one replicate) were collected from three sample stations situated within the waste material near the top portion of the bluff, halfway down the bluff, and at the bottom of the bluff along the beach.  The samples were analyzed for gasoline-, diesel , and lubricating oil-range hydrocarbons, BTEX compounds, chlorinated pesticides, PCBs, PAHs, and 21 metals from the USEPA Target Analyte List.

Diesel- and lubricating oil-range hydrocarbons, PAHs, PCBs, pesticides, and metals were all detected in at least one sample, although only PCBs and metals were detected above screening levels.  PCBs were detected above screening levels in the sample obtained at the bottom of the bluff near the beach; PCBs were also detected in one sample obtained near the top portion of the bluff, but at a concentration below screening levels.  Arsenic, chromium, and iron were detected at concentrations above screening levels in all samples.  Arsenic and iron concentrations were similar to Puget Sound natural background concentrations in soil (Ecology, 1994).  Chromium concentrations were greater than the background values and greater than concentrations found in soil samples obtained from other sites on the Reservation; these chromium concentrations may be associated with materials in the landfill.

Using funding from the USEPA, a work plan has been prepared for an effort to identify representative seafood species harvested by the Tribe, the harvesting locations, and reference (background) locations.

Planned Activities

The Tribe considers this site a moderate priority (Priority B). The following activities are planned for 2006 to 2010:

• Conduct a test pit investigation to assess the extent of soil contamination.
• Evaluate contamination data with respect to the Makah Seafood Study to assess impacts to seafood.
• Develop feasibility study to assess waste removal.

Extent of Soil Contamination: Prior to the initiation of sampling, a work plan will be prepared.  Soil sampling will be conducted in and near the dump to determine the nature and extent of the contamination.  Soil samples will be analyzed for contaminants of concern.

Seafood Contamination: Seafood will be collected and analyzed to assess the potential for contamination from the dump and to evaluate any associated health risks.

Feasibility of Waste Removal: Sampling will be conducted to determine the nature and extent of the waste and associated contamination, as well as the physical stability of the refuse and surrounding soil.  The feasibility of removing the waste from the site or closing the site with the waste in place will be evaluated based on these factors and other site conditions, such as gradient and access.

Additional Information:

• Fact Sheet – Site 3: Koitlah Point Dump
• Shoreline Aerial Photos on Washington Department of Ecology site