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Department of Ecology News Release - Sept. 2, 2003
03-175
BELLEVUE - Cleaning up oil contamination beneath the town of Skykomish could affect much of the community, and the Department of Ecology (Ecology) has scheduled a meeting to describe the options and tell residents what to expect.
The department is holding an informational meeting at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 12, in the Skykomish Masonic Hall, 108 W. Old Cascade Highway.
The meeting will cover several cleanup options developed by Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), from which a final cleanup plan eventually will be developed.
In addition to the informational meeting, Ecology is launching a 60-day comment period tomorrow on the cleanup proposals and on an environmental impact statement submitted by BNSF.
After the comment period, Ecology will select its preferred cleanup measures, and BNSF will then propose a final cleanup plan in late 2004, which also will be open for public review and comment.
"We look forward to getting this cleanup under way, although some of the cleanup work may temporarily disrupt ordinary life in Skykomish," said Louise Bardy, who oversees the site for Ecology. "This will be a very large and complex project and the community must understand the choices we all face."
Petroleum and other contaminants, including lead and arsenic, from a former locomotive fuel and maintenance depot leaked into the ground over 80 years of operations. Some of the oil has been seeping into the Skykomish River.
As an interim measure, Ecology required BNSF to construct an underground wall near the river in 2001 to intercept oil and also install wells to remove oil caught behind the barrier. Floating booms have been placed in the river along banks where oil seeps out.
Cleanup options include digging up contaminated soil under and around buildings, streets and railroad tracks; injecting cleaning agents or hot water to flush the petroleum to interception trenches or wells; applying oxygen or ozone to enhance the natural decomposition of the oil; and measuring natural decomposition over time.
Copies of the cleanup proposal, environmental impact statement and other information are available on the Internet at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/bnsf_sky/bnsf_sky.html.
The comment period continues through Nov. 1. Written comments may be sent to Louise Bardy at Department of Ecology, 3190 160th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, Wash., 98008, or via e-mail to LBAR461@ecy.wa.gov.
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Contact: Larry Altose, public information, 425-649-7009; pager, 206-663-1785For more information: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0309056.pdf
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
