Toxic Creosote Pilings Removed on Blakely Island

Thatcher Bay on Blakely Island after removal of pilings – Contributed photo

Twenty-eight creosote pilings were recently removed from the waters of Thatcher Bay on Blakely Island to improve water quality for fish and other marine organisms. While creosote treated wood was commonly used in marine structures of the past, it is now known that creosote contains more than 50 carcinogens to humans and is also toxic to marine fish and other wildlife. Since creosote pilings can continue to leach chemicals throughout their lifetimes, efforts are underway to remove unnecessary and unwanted creosote structures including pilings and derelict docks.

This is the same bay before the pilings were removed – Contributed photo

The Blakely piling removal was just one component of extensive habitat restoration efforts conducted in Thatcher Bay and on its beaches by FRIENDS of the San Juans, Skagit Fisheries Enhancement Group and the private landowner.

“It is so exciting to see the vast improvements to the shoreline and waters of Thatcher Bay, and it will be really interesting to track the response of priority species such as eelgrass and forage fish, now that removal of the shoreline and inwater modifications has been completed,” notes Tina Whitman, Science Director at FRIENDS.

If you have derelict creosote pilings, docks or other structures on your marine shoreline in San Juan County, you may be eligible for free removal through a partnership program of FRIENDS and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) funded by the Salmon Recovery Funding Board. For more information please contact FRIENDS at 360-378-2319 or DNR at 360-854-2808.

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