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Twin Harbors Waterkeeper will hold a panel discussion at 6 p.m. on Oct. 8 to update nearby communities about the Cosmo Specialty Fibers hazardous chemicals cleanup along the Chehalis River in Grays Harbor County.
The meeting will be held at the Timberland Hoquiam Library in the downstairs meeting room.
The panel discussion will include several expert speakers, including from the Washington Department of Ecology and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The experts will share new information about how the Cosmo Specialty Fibers site is situated within the state’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) cleanup process, safety and emergency preparedness related to the site, and other topics, a news release from event organizers announced.
Cosmo Specialty Fibers ceased operations in 2022 and was then sold to Charlestown Investment, based in Switzerland, and plant owner Richard Bassett, based outside of the U.S.
With that transfer in ownership came potential liability for the cleanup of contamination at the site. The plant was built prior to current environmental laws and regulations, and a number of toxic releases have been documented over previous decades, including more than a dozen known leaks in a wooden wastewater pipe that runs underground through the residential areas of Cosmopolis and South Aberdeen. It moves treated wastewater between the plant and its treatment ponds on the banks of the Grays Harbor.
A sediment study conducted in 2017 found elevated levels of dioxin and furans near the site’s outfalls.
The state has fined the current owner of the plant more than $2 million for neglecting compliance and leaking chemicals. The fines remain unpaid. The EPA and the Department of Ecology are now in the process of removing thousands of gallons of chemicals and oils from the site. Once that agency is finished with its removal, the Department of Ecology will continue to pursue a thorough cleanup as mandated by the MTCA, which will include opportunities for engagement from the public.
Around 30,000 residents live less than 10 miles away from the Cosmo Specialty Fibers plant, with most neighborhoods situated very close to the Chehalis River. The plant’s failing infrastructure that has housed thousands of gallons of hazardous chemicals is a direct threat to the river, the livelihoods that depend upon it, and the fish and birds and other animals that also rely on it, according to Twin Harbors Waterkeeper.
“This plant is mere feet from the Chehalis River where Tribal members fish for sustenance and community members live and recreate,” Eleanor Hines, executive director of Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, said in the release. “It’s astounding that it has been left to deteriorate by its owners, with the water and power shut off and no security before the EPA stepped in. Anything could happen to those chemicals, and it would not take much to poison the river beyond repair.”
Community members are encouraged to join the meeting and learn more about Cosmo Specialty Fibers site, community safety and how the Model Toxics Control Act cleanup process works.
