Dustin Terpening from the Department of Ecology says the area located at the end of Harris Avenue has been used as a shipyard since the early 1900s, and previous shipbuilding operations have contaminated parts of the site.
Previous sampling has found high concentrations of gasoline, diesel, oil, arsenic, and cancer-causing chemicals at the site.
This latest round of sampling work is expected to cost about $130,000 and is part of an extensive environmental study being performed by the port, which will be used to develop future cleanup plans.
