CLALLAM COUNTY – Clallam County Commissioners are expected today to approve a letter drafted by staff which asks for the help of the State Department of Ecology in the County’s attempt to get Midway Metals, a salvaging business on property along Highway 101 east of Port Angeles, to clean up their act.

The letter states that in 2008, Ecology designated Midway Metals a Priority 1 contamination site. It describes the business as an unlicensed metal scrapping facility with no Stormwater permit or runoff management plan, despite having ditches that flow directly into McDonald Creek.

County Commissioner Mark Ozias says efforts to get the owner, Katrina Haymaker of Port Orchard, to clean up the property have been a long struggle for the county and the work is long overdue.

“Yeah, absolutely! I mean the ultimate goal would be to find a way to bring the current owner into compliance or for her to bring herself into compliance and to maintain it. You know, the county has taken several enforcement actions, has pursued a variety of things, you know, they’re racking up fines and, so far, we have not actually been able to effect change. And so that’s why we’re hoping to partner with Ecology in a way that’s going to change that dynamic a little bit.”

In 2012, soil and surface water tests found higher than permitted levels of a host of metals and contaminants including mercury, lead and cadmium.

In June of last year, two fires occurred at the site and firefighters reported having to stand in contaminated soil and water to fight the blazes.

Photo: Gate to Midway Metals from Google Streetview.