BELLINGHAM, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – Whatcom County’s only public shooting range could resume limited operations later this year.

Parks and Recreation Director Bennett Knox provided an update to Whatcom County Councilmembers on Tuesday, April 15 on upgrades at the Plantation Rifle Range.

“We’re identifying the final steps to complete all the installation activities, get the unit commissioned and tested so that we can have it opened and get our final occupancy permit,” Knox said.

The $1.7 million upgrades to the indoor shooting range are expected to wrap up in time for a potential September reopening.

The range been closed since July of 2021.

As for the outdoor facilities, Knox said that they’re not even close to beginning any contamination cleanup work.

“After a series of inspections from late 2017 to 2021, in which Ecology did identify violations, the Department of Ecology determined that lead that had accumulated on the outdoor ranges should be considered dangerous waste,” Knox said. “And per regulations, the county was identified as the potentially liable person fully responsible for cleanup. So, both the outdoor small-bore range and the high-power range were formally identified as dangerous waste management units.”

Between 3-6 tons of lead from bullets was found to have seeped into the soil of the outdoor range, forcing its closure in 2022.

Knox added that they’re completing a detailed study of the outdoor range, which will be submitted to the Washington State Department of Ecology before any cleanup can begin. That process is expected to cost roughly $13.5 million to complete, some of which will be covered through grants and the Real Estate Excise Tax.