Publication Summary

This is the Quality Assurance Project Plan for the study, American Plating Post-Interim Action Monitoring.

American Plating, a metal electroplating company, formerly located on the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma, Washington, ceased operation in 1986 when it was discovered that facility operations potentially violated state dangerous waste regulations. The Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) conducted several site inspections from 1980 to 1985, which had determined that discharges, leaks, and spills had occurred at the site. The site had been occupied by plating companies since 1955. All companies performed metal electroplating including brass, cadmium, chromium, copper, nickel, and zinc. A preliminary site assessment conducted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1986 concluded that high levels of plating waste and contaminated materials were present on the site. Removal of waste material and site cleanup began in June 1987. A series of site investigations, which included the installation of 12 monitoring wells, were conducted from 1988 to 1994. An interim action was initiated by Ecology in the summer of 2003 with the primary objective of reducing the human health risk from contact with contaminated soil. The interim action included the removal of site buildings along with a concrete pad, sumps, and an underground storage tank. Soil was also excavated and removed from the site from depths of three to eight feet. Clean fill and top soil were added to the excavated areas. It is anticipated that additional soil cleanup will be performed in the future after the sale of the property. Dissolved metals (cadmium, chromium, copper, and nickel), weak acid dissociable (WAD) cyanide, as well as volatile organics (VOAs) in some areas are the contaminants of concern in groundwater. Groundwater samples will be collected from five monitoring wells twice for one year to determine current concentrations of these contaminants since the removal of plating line-derived waste materials.

Link to EIM data for User Study ID AMERPLAT