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Department of Ecology News Release - September 13, 2001
01-161
OLYMPIA – Washington's Department of Ecology (Ecology) has added 42 properties to its list of sites that have toxic contamination and removed five that have been cleaned up and no longer pose a threat.
The changes bring the total number of sites targeted for cleanup to 911.
The 42 newly identified sites are located in 13 counties: Clark, Franklin, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Okanogan, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom and Yakima. They include petroleum distribution centers, storage facilities, auto-dismantling yards, and properties with leaking underground-storage tanks.
The five sites removed from the list are located in Chelan, King, Pierce and Yakima counties.
Of 8,899 contaminated sites identified over the past 13 years, more than half (4,547) have been cleaned up and removed from the state's hazardous-sites list. Slightly more than one-third (3,266) have cleanups in progress.
"We've finally reached a point where more sites are entering the cleanup phase than are being discovered, and that's very heartening," said Jim Pendowski, manager of Ecology's toxics-cleanup program.
The numbers reflect the benefit of updated regulations and industrial practices, and show that the state is making progress each day, Pendowski said.
Cleanup is required at sites where levels of toxic substances are above standards set in the state's Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), a 1989 citizen initiative that established a broad-based program for cleaning up and preventing toxic contamination.
The properties on Ecology's hazardous-sites list are ranked on a scale of one to five, with a score of one representing the highest level of concern and five the lowest.
The scores are based on analyses of the potential paths through which humans and sensitive environments could be exposed to hazardous substances. Thus, a site with a number one ranking may have less contamination or less-hazardous contaminants than lower-ranked sites, but the risk of exposure is higher and cleanup needs to happen quicker.
MTCA specifies that those responsible for polluting a site must pay for its cleanup. The state pays for cleanup only when a liable person cannot be found or when identified liable parties lack the financial resources to pay for the work.
Nearly every county in Washington has one or more properties on the hazardous-sites list. Most are in Western Washington, where historically there have been more industrial and manufacturing practices.
The hazardous-sites list is updated twice a year, in February and August. The sites added at the end of August 2001 include:
Clark County
Larson's Dry Cleaner and Tetra Pak, both located in Vancouver; both ranked
as a 2.
Franklin County
Chevron Pipe Line Company has two sites located in Pasco; both ranked 3.
King County
All of the following are located in Seattle: Seattle Barrel & Cooperage,
rank 4; Waste Management, rank 5; Bry's Auto Wrecking, rank 3; Little Ethel's
Auto Wrecking, rank 1; Seattle City Light, rank 5; and Seattle Public Utilities
Operation Center, rank 5.
Kitsap County
Property at 3285 Northlake Way in Bremerton, rank 1; Indianola dump in
Kingston, rank 5; Pope & Talbot Inc. sawmill in Port Gamble, rank 2; and
Veterans Home in Retsil, rank 5.
Lewis County
Extine Petroleum in Onalaska, rank 5; Marlarz Farm in Winlock, rank 4; and
Rea Construction in Randle, rank 5.
Okanogan County
Gull station in Omak, rank 3; and Red Shirt Mill in Twisp, rank 1.
Pierce County
U.S. Army – Fort Lewis I-5 corridor, rank 2; Pugnetti Park in Tacoma, rank
2; Purdy Landfill in Purdy, rank 3; Superior Linen in Tacoma, rank 3; and Tacoma
Port – Earley Business Center in Tacoma, rank 5.
Skagit County
Both located in Anacortes: Custom Plywood Mill, rank 1; and Tecnal Corp.
rank 2.
Snohomish County
Arlington Fuel Stop in Arlington, rank 5; Everett Steel Companies in
Everett, rank 2; Everett Steel Co. Quantum Wood in Everett, rank 5; Everett
Laundry, rank 5; and Paine Field Sheriff Pistol Range in Everett, rank 3.
Thurston County
Pit Stop in Olympia, rank 2.
Whatcom County
Blaine Marina, rank 3; Chris V8 – former auto repair in Custer, rank 1;
property at 3123 Alderwood Ave. in Bellingham, rank 3; Northwest Pipeline in
Lynden, rank 5; and property at 2729 Kulshan St. in Bellingham, rank 5.
Yakima County
All located in Yakima: property at 201 W. Yakima Ave., rank 5; Allied
Technology Group, rank 3; Bissell Distributing, rank 5.
The sites taken off the list at the end of August 2001 are:
Chelan County
Glacier Park Budget Fuel West in Leavenworth, was ranked 1.
King County
Cascade Transmission in Seattle, was ranked 4; and Structural
Instrumentation in Tukwila, ranked 3.
Pierce County
Valley Refinishing in Sumner, ranked 1.
Yakima County
Brand X in Yakima, ranked 3.
Media Contact: Caitlin Cormier, public information officer, 360-407-6149; pager, 360-971-5536
Visit these sites for more information on:
Ecology's Toxics Cleanup Program –
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/cleanup.html
Hazardous-Sites List -
http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/mtca_gen/hazsites.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
