Washington State Department of Ecology

Department of Ecology News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 6, 1999

99-065

Contact: GayLee Kilpatrick, Ecology Industrial Section, (360) 407-6942
Ron Langley, Public Information, (425) 649-7009

Environmental studies part of new ARCO refinery permit

OLYMPIA - A new water-quality permit proposed by the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) for ARCO’s Cherry Point Refinery near Bellingham would require the company to search for ways to improve on a track record of good environmental performance.

The proposed permit, which will regulate the refinery for the next five years, will be the subject of a public hearing at 6:30 p.m., Thursday, April 8, at the Ferndale Community Center, 1998 Cherry St., in Ferndale. Written comments on the permit will be accepted through Friday, April 23.

"Staff at the ARCO refinery have been doing a good job of meeting their environmental requirements," said Ecology’s GayLee Kilpatrick, who manages the permit. "Now we want the company to fine tune its environmental systems, more closely monitor the plant’s waste water, and look for new ways to prevent pollution."

The new permit would require the company to:

Evaluate the efficiency of its wastewater treatment system. Ecology will compare the results with similar systems elsewhere to determine whether the ARCO Cherry Point system meets current industry standards;
Analyze samples of its waste water for dioxins;
Re-study contamination in underwater sediments beneath its dock to provide more information about the source of contamination and to take advantage of improved analysis techniques;
Study ground water under the wastewater plant and, if necessary, monitor it for contamination;
Develop a pollution prevention plan;
Analyze pollutants in the waste water to determine whether they could affect the health of people who eat fish caught in the area.

In addition, ARCO will be expected to participate in a study of herring stocks in the area, working in cooperation with government agencies and other industrial plants located at Cherry Point. Herring stocks are depressed in the area for reasons that currently are unknown.

"Many of these requirements build upon work that ARCO completed under the current permit," said Kilpatrick. "Our goal is good environmental operation of the refinery, plus more knowledge about how the plant’s discharges affect human health and the environment."

Written comments about the permit have been accepted from the public since early December 1998. After the hearing, Ecology will analyze and respond to comments, then adjust the permit as needed.

Ecology expects to issue a final permit by Aug. 1.