A Avenue Landfill:What’s Happening at the Old City Dump in the ACFL?
Many of us have walked the trails near A Avenue and wondered about the fenced-off, grassy mound tucked into the woods. That “no‑trespassing” area is the former A Avenue Landfill, a long-closed city dump that sits within the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. Today, it is the focus of a new round of environmental testing and planning led by the City of Anacortes and the Washington State Department of Ecology.
A brief history beneath the trees
From roughly the mid‑1940s into the 1960s, the City used this site as a municipal dump for household garbage and other solid waste. In later years, the area was used to dry sewage sludge and to store or dispose of public works materials like concrete, yard waste, and street sweepings. By the early 2000s, the landfill had been closed, capped with an engineered cover, and fenced, under the oversight of Skagit County Public Health.
At the time, Ecology issued a “no further action” determination, essentially concluding that the closure work was sufficient to ensure forest health and public safety. However, ongoing community concern—including reports of exposed refuse and questions about what lay beneath the cap—eventually prompted a second look. In 2020 Ecology withdrew its earlier “no further action” decision and placed the A Avenue Landfill back on the state contaminated sites list. Groundwater seep samples collected in 2020 were below cleanup standards—meaning the measured levels were low enough that no cleanup is required under current health and environmental rules—but Ecology is still requiring additional groundwater monitoring as part of the current investigation to better understand long‑term conditions.
Because of these findings, Ecology and the City have entered into an “Agreed Order,” a legal agreement that requires the City to carry out a full Remedial Investigation, followed by a Feasibility Study and, if needed, a Cleanup Action Plan. A public comment period on these documents ran from March 25 to April 23, 2024, and Ecology has published a response-to-comments summary. For members who participated in that process, your voices are now part of the official record guiding next steps.
What this means for forest users
For most forest visitors, the most visible sign of this history is the fenced, grassy cap and the request to stay out of the landfill area. The City and Ecology continue to ask people to remain on designated trails and to respect all posted signage around the site. The cap is maintained, and the City conducts routine inspections and upkeep, with oversight from Ecology and Skagit County Public Health.
Ecology’s work over the next few years will focus on understanding how contaminants move (or do not move) in soil and groundwater, and what level of long‑term controls or cleanup is needed to keep people and the surrounding ecosystem safe.
The sampling required by DOE may involve some temporary trail closures. The City’s Parks & Recreation staff will keep the community informed of these and any other work that may disrupt normal enjoyment of the ACFL.
The Friends’ role: education, not enforcement
The ACFL is owned and managed by the City of Anacortes, and Friends of the ACFL does not manage regulatory compliance at the landfill. Our role is to support the preservation of the forest lands through education, outreach, and stewardship programs, and to help our community understand how projects like this fit into the bigger picture of caring for the ACFL.
How members can stay engaged
There will be more opportunities for public review as the Remedial Investigation, Feasibility Study, and any proposed cleanup actions move forward. If you would like to follow the project in more detail or receive direct notices of comment periods, you can:
Explore the City’s “A Avenue Landfill Site” page for local background, FAQs, and links to Ecology documents.
Watch the Friends of the ACFL website and social media channels for future updates.