The Washington State Department of Ecology is proposing removing the Sunnydell Dryke Shooting Range from its Hazardous Sites List after extensive cleanup work has been done on the site, state officials said.
The Sunnydell Dryke Shooting Range, at 292 Dryke Road, Sequim, opened in 1967 and is used as an active shooting range and dog training facility.
According to Ecology officials, the Clallam County Department of Health &Human Services in 2014 sampled water and sediment from two ponds on the property after receiving a complaint about water coming onto a neighbor’s property.
Those samples had high levels of lead, a common contaminant at shooting ranges, along with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from clay targets.
In 2009, the Department of Ecology and the owners entered into an agreed order (legal agreement) to investigate contamination and evaluate cleanup options.
By 2013, a cleanup plan was formed. That plan divided the site into management areas to reduce spread and buildup of lead shot and targets, and to manage “recontamination issues,” state officials said. In addition, more than 20 cubic yards of contaminated sediment was removed from the lower pond.
The public is invited to make comments on the proposed delisting through May 1. To submit comments, write to: Andrew Smith, Site Manager, PO Box 47775, Olympic WA 98504; call 360-407-6316, or email Andrew.Smith@ecy.wa.gov.
View documents regarding the site and proposed list removal at https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/gsp/Sitepage.aspx?csid=3572 or at the Sequim Library, 630 N. Sequim Ave.
The state’s Hazardous Sites List is a statewide record of contaminated properties that pose a risk to human health and the environment.
Because some contamination is still on site, state officials said, the property owner is responsible for “regular monitoring and allowing periodic reviews of site conditions every five years.”
An environmental agreement was filed with Clallam County as well, restricting the property’s land use to prevent accidental releases of contaminants.
