Aerial Imagery Highlights a Waterfront’s Revitalization

Client: Port of Ridgefield

Location: Ridgefield, Washington

Aerial imagery enriched the Port of Ridgefield’s ability to tell a detailed story about the renaissance of their waterfront.

From the mid-1960s to the early 1990s, Pacific Wood Treating Co (PWT) pressure-treated wood products with toxic chemicals on the City of Ridgefield waterfront. Abruptly declaring bankruptcy in 1993, PWT abandoned the site, leaving extensive soil, groundwater, and sediment impacts from contaminants such as chlorinated solvents, petroleum hydrocarbons, pentachlorophenol, and dioxin.

The Port of Ridgefield took a proactive approach to restoring the waterfront to productive use. MFA conducted the remedial investigation and feasibility study for upland and sediment impacts and developed cleanup levels for protection of human health and the environment. MFA also identified preferred remedial alternatives, including source removal, upland capping, and in-water dredging with an enhanced natural recovery component. The cleanup project positions the site for redevelopment with open space, public trails, and areas primed for business development.

The Port then employed MFA’s unmanned aerial systems (UAS) services to capture unique perspectives of the site via high-definition photos and video during the final stages of remediation. The Port used the footage we captured to highlight their ongoing restoration efforts in a promotional video and a documentary about the site, highlighting the site’s readiness for development.

Click here to learn more about our aerial site photo and video capabilities.

View some of the UAS-captured imagery of the Ridgefield waterfront in the video, below.