Colfax- Today, the Port of Whitman County announced receipt of a $4 million Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Cleanup Grant. The grant will fund environmental cleanup at the Port’s property adjacent to the Colfax Junior-Senior High School.

The Port purchased the property in January 2026 to conduct necessary cleanup and ready it for development. During a 2025 feasibility study, the Port identified the property as a potential site for a future childcare facility. In March 2026, the Washington State Department of Commerce awarded the Port an Early Learning Facilities (ELF) grant to fund design and engineering for the potential facility. Regardless of the site’s final use, the Port is dedicated to facilitating cleanup of the property.

“The Port is grateful to the EPA for this grant,” Commission President Karl Webber said. “The Colfax property has great potential for future development. This grant gets us one step closer to finishing the cleanup necessary for site development.”

The EPA grant will cover $4 million of the estimated $6 million in cleanup costs. To bridge the funding gap, the Port is pursuing a Washington State Department of Ecology Oversight Remedial Action Grant.

Prior to purchasing the property, the Port conducted due diligence that included Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Assessments. Those assessments revealed environmental contamination on the site from its use as a seed treatment facility from the 1940s to the 1980s. Cleanup will include addressing contaminants of concern in the soil, including pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and petroleum constituents, and hazardous building materials including asbestos-containing material (ACM) and lead-based paint. Some of the contaminated soil will be incinerated off-site, while other soil will be capped in a protective barrier.  

Before cleanup can begin, three buildings on the property must be demolished. Demolition work will begin in July 2026. While the structures will be removed, the foundations will stay in place to avoid disturbance of contaminated soil. The Port is hosting a ceremonial demolition event at the site on Thursday, July 9 at 11 a.m., featuring a short speaker program and light refreshments. All members of the public are invited to the event.

The Colfax site cleanup is the latest in the Port’s efforts to clean up contaminated properties in Whitman County. In 2023, the EPA awarded the Port a $500,000 grant to lead a community-wide brownfields assessment. The Port funded multiple environmental site assessments on private property throughout the County. Some of those assessments were conducted as due diligence for Port property purchases, including sites in Colfax, St. John, and Oakesdale. The Port also funded assessments in Tekoa and at the St. Ignatius hospital building in Colfax. 

In 2025, the Port purchased property in St. John with the goal of conducting necessary cleanup. The Port received a $500,000 EPA Cleanup Grant to clean up the site. To prepare the site for cleanup, the Port demolished the former St. John Inn Café building on the site in March 2026. Cleanup of the St. John property is set to begin in August of 2026.

“Environmental contamination lowers property value, restricts property use, and inhibits site redevelopment,” Executive Director Kara Riebold said. “By cleaning up properties in Whitman County, the Port is fulfilling its mission to make Whitman County a great place to live and better place to work. The Port looks forward to cleaning up its Colfax site so the property is ready for reuse and redevelopment.”

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About Brownfields

A brownfield site is a formerly used piece of property that may be contaminated with hazardous materials, pollutants, or other contaminants. Common contaminants include some pesticides, lead, petroleum, asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and other metals. 

About the Rogers Brothers Seed Company Property

The Rogers Brothers Seed property, located behind the Colfax High School, is a historic piece of property, acting as a hub for industrial activity in Colfax, WA since the early 1900s. A coal storage shed was installed in 1908 and removed in 1922. The Rogers Brothers Seed company operated a seed processing and storage facility between 1940-1980. A rail spur ran through the property. These uses are historically associated with environmental impacts. The Port seeks to remediate the site so the property may be redeveloped.

About the Port of Whitman County

The Port of Whitman County is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all citizens of Whitman County through industrial real estate development, preservation of multi-modal transportation, facilitation of economic development and provision of on-water recreational opportunities. For more information about Port properties and ongoing projects, visit the Port website, www.portwhitman.com.