A team of Conservation Corps members and officials from the Washington State Department of Natural Resources are continuing their efforts this week to remove creosote-soaked pilings and trash from the Maury Island Aquatic Preserve.

The local work is part of a statewide effort by the department’s Aquatic Restoration Program to remove toxic debris and restore oceanfront environments. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Restoration Specialist Kristian Tollefson said his crews began work on Maury Island in January at Point Robinson.

In recent months, the group has worked down the island’s coast and has removed more than 45,000 pounds of creosote pilings and more than 5 cubic yards of Styrofoam.

“A lot of this is (coming from) old, recreational or commercial docks,” Tollefson said. “We’re looking at Puget Sound’s most obvious catch areas where everything seems to float in and collect. South-facing shorelines and steep beaches are usually where it happens.”

Tollefson, along with his team of five, takes to the water during 10-hour shifts to collect the pilings on a boat, take them to the shore, cut them into manageable pieces and prepare them for disposal.

His team will be around Maury this week and next week, and he is asking homeowners in the area to contact him if unmanageable debris or pilings wash up on beaches on private property.

“We can’t just march onto beaches and pick up trash, but if it’s an old piling or large item, we don’t want the public to deal with creosote,” he said.

Tollefson can be reached at 360-708-7133.