WHATCOM COUNTY, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Public comment on the cleanup of a Whatcom County rifle range is closing soon.

The state Department of Ecology closed the Plantation Rifle Range in 2022 due to levels of lead that were high enough to classify it as a hazardous waste site.

The rifle range opened on Samish Way in 1971 and is one of just two public shooting ranges in the state.

A 2020 inspection of surface water samples at the range found levels of lead that fell within the standard for drinking water, but above the legal limit for aquatic life. Part of those samples were taken along the eastern boundary of the range from Ruby Creek, a major tributary to Finney Creek with water then heading to Lake Samish.

As many Whatcom County residents know, Lake Samish is a source of drinking water for parts of the county.

The Department of Ecology issued a recent update saying contamination on the site was worse than expected and that the earliest cleanup could begin is summer 2025.

The agency is accepting public comment on the cleanup until Friday, June 28 on their website.