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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 28, 2000
00-071
Contact: Jani Gilbert, Public Information Manager, 509-456-4464; pager,509-622-1289
SPOKANE - A public meeting is planned for May 4 in Quincy to discuss the cleanup that has been accomplished so far at the Cenex Supply and Marketing Company site in Quincy and what kind of cleanup technologies could be used to complete the job.
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Quincy Community Center, 115 SW "F" St. in Quincy.
The public is invited to review Cenex's feasibility study that describes the results of cleanup actions so far and evaluates the technologies that can be used to finish the cleanup.
The Cenex site is a former fumigant storage facility and rinsate pond. The rinsate pond was used to collect rinse water from the cleaning of pesticide and fertilizer equipment.
Adjacent to the rinsate pond was an area with eight tanks used to store fumigants and fertilizer from 1974 to 1985. From 1985 to 1991, the tanks were used to store fumigants only, many containing the chemicals 1,2 Dichloropropane and 1,3 Dichloropropene.
All storage and rinsate pond structures have been removed.
Studies have shown that soil on the site was contaminated with fumigant chemicals, primarily 1,2-Dichloropropane. In addition, a narrow plume of similar chemicals extends southeast from the site in ground water toward the local high school.
Cenex and the state Department of Ecology entered into an agreement in 1998 on interim actions to begin cleaning the contamination. That agreement also called for additional studies to more precisely define the extent of chemicals in ground water and to evaluate some new technologies to address the problem.
In cooperation with Ecology, Cenex installed a soil-vapor extraction system to remove fumigant residues as vapors from the soil. To date, more than 132 pounds of volatile organic chemicals, mostly 1,2 Dichloropropane, have been recovered. The current feasibility study evaluates and proposes additional actions to address the release of these chemicals.
Public comment on the feasibility study will be accepted until May 30, 2000. Copies are available at Quincy City Hall and at Grant County Health District in Ephrata.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
