"WSF's program to remove creosote-treated wood from their facilities in Puget Sound will have a significant impact on water quality and salmon habitat in the Sound. Puget Sound has a large amount of toxic sediments in the soil, and research has shown that these sediments affect the health of juvenile salmon. WSF is taking major amounts of creosote out of the environment. By removing these sources of toxic leaching and sediment, the ferry system is directly improving water quality in the Sound. We applaud WSF for accepting the responsibility for tackling the creosote problem and helping all of us move forward in improving fish habitat in Puget Sound." Bob Everitt Director, Region Four Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife

The ferry M/V SPOKANE docked at the Kingston ferry terminal, with steel wingwalls (foreground) and timber dolphins (background).

Background
Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)/ Washington State Ferries (WSF) has embarked on a major undertaking that is improving water quality and sediment quality in Puget Sound and resulting in improved biological conditions that benefit fish and other aquatic life. Two years ago, Washington State Ferries (WSF) decided to proactively begin removing creosote-treated timber from its 19 ferry terminals in Puget Sound. All of these terminals - originally built in the 1940s and '50s - used creosote-treated wood for their pile-supported trestles, vehicle loading structures and offshore vessel berthing structures (called "wingwalls" and "dolphins"). For decades, marine piles and timbers were coated with creosote, a preservative that protects the wood from wood-boring organisms.

In 2000, WSF's Terminal Engineering Department made a commitment to design, construct and maintain terminals in an environmentally responsible manner, using the best available practices and material. As part of this commitment the Department decided to incorporate creosote removal into all ongoing ferry terminal replacement and improvement projects. The creosote-treated wood is being replaced with pilings made from steel and concrete, and the removed creosote is disposed of in a way that ensures it does not get re-used in the aquatic environment.

Washington State Ferries contractors attach a crane to creosote-treated timber piling in preparation for removal.	Newly installed steel dolphin at the Edmonds ferry terminal.

What is Creosote?
Creosote is a complex mixture of many chemicals and has been found to be potentially toxic to fish, other marine organisms and humans. Approximately 300 chemicals have been identified in coal-tar creosote, and there may be 10,000 other chemicals present in the mixture. The major chemicals that can cause harmful health effects are polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), phenols and cresols.

The recent listing of Puget Sound Chinook Salmon, Hood Canal Summer Chum Salmon, and Bull Trout under the Endangered Species Act, and other environmental regulations prohibit the introduction of any new creosote-treated wood in the water. Removal of creosote-treated wood is encouraged but is not required.

Slice of Creosote-treated wood with evidence of marine borers.

Since the year 2000, WSF's Terminal Engineering department has removed 831,000 board feet of creosote-treated timber and piling from Puget Sound. (A board foot is one inch thick by one foot wide by one foot long. For those who build houses this totals 156.5 miles of 2 x 6 lumber laid end-to-end). An additional 699,000 board feet will be removed this fall in projects that are currently underway.