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Department of Ecology News Release - Dec. 19, 2000
00-243
SPOKANE - Contamination at the so-called "Hamilton Street Bridge Site" is described in two documents that are now available for public review and comment.
The state Department of Ecology (Ecology) will accept public comments until Jan. 18, 2001. The two reports show that toxic compounds typically associated with gas manufacturing and/ or coal-tar processing were found in soil as deep as 80 feet below the surface. The studies assume that underground water at the same location is contaminated as well.
Scientists detected very few contaminants in underground water that was sampled outside the area of the contaminated soil, indicating that the contamination had not traveled off-site in large amounts. They further concluded that chemicals in the underground water are biodegrading through natural processes.
"Now that we have a good handle on the kind and amount of pollution involved, we can get busy selecting the best way to clean it up," said Flora Goldstein, a toxics cleanup manager for Ecology. "We've had cooperation from the companies that have an interest in this site, which should make it a smooth process."
The Hamilton Street site, located at 111 N. Erie St. in Spokane, is the current location of Brown's Building Materials, but it has been used for several industrial activities by various companies over the past century that have contributed to the contamination.
Previous studies by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the state Department of Transportation, Avista Corp. (a former owner) and Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway Company (a current owner) found coal-tar waste covering an area of up to three acres.
The primary contaminants of concern in the soils are a class of hydrocarbon chemicals known as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Studies further defined the area of contamination and confirmed that off-site underground water and the Spokane River were not harmed by the contamination at the Hamilton Street Bridge Site.
The documents available for public review are the draft "second supplemental and remedial investigation report" and the draft "feasibility study report" for the Hamilton Street Bridge Site. The remedial investigation defines the nature and extent of contamination, and the feasibility study report describes a number of cleanup options to protect public health and the environment.
The reports are available at the Spokane Library, Main Branch, or at Department of Ecology's regional office in Spokane. Call 509-456-2751 to review the reports at Ecology's office.
Contact: Jani Gilbert, Public Information Manager, 509-456-4464; pager, 509-226-5380.
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
