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Department of Ecology News Release - Dec. 1, 2003
03-227
SPOKANE - If the public agrees, the site of the former Chevron Bulk Plant on East Olive Avenue in the Spokane Valley may be removed from the state's list of contaminated sites that must be cleaned up.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) is proposing to remove the old bulk plant site from the state's hazardous-sites list because it has been cleaned up to state standards.
Ecology is inviting the public to review and comment on the cleanup reports, restrictive covenant and supporting documents through Dec. 29.
Ecology reviewed independent-cleanup reports submitted by the company. Based on these reports and supporting documents, Ecology has concluded that the site is no longer a threat to human health or the environment.
Ecology also is proposing to remove a restrictive covenant from the property, since diesel contamination at the site is now lower than required cleanup levels. A restrictive covenant shows the type and location of contamination on a property and may limit the ways the land can be used.
The Chevron bulk plant for years was used for storing and transferring petroleum products. A fuel storage yard was located on the property and contained above-ground fuel tanks surrounded by a concrete wall. The tanks located in this area were taken out of service before 1961.
Fuel was loaded on and off railroad cars on the north end of the site. This area also contained tanks that held gasoline, aviation fuel, diesel, kerosene, asphalt and solvents. Other tanks on the property were filled with miscellaneous oils.
The entire site was taken out of service in November 1985. That was when contractors discovered that petroleum had been released to the environment.
Contractors dug 21 test pits and installed four monitoring wells to see how much contamination was at the site. They found petroleum in the soil that exceeded the amount allowed by the state in order to protect human health and the environment, although contamination in the underground water was below required cleanup levels.
From 1989 to 1990, approximately 5,600 cubic yards of contaminated soils were dug up and removed from the site. Soil samples taken after these removals showed a small amount of diesel near one monitoring well. This diesel could not be removed without damaging the well, so a restrictive covenant was placed on the property to show the type and location of the contamination.
To review documents at Ecology's Spokane office, contact Johnnie Landis of Ecology at (509) 329-3415 to schedule an appointment.
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Contact: Jani Gilbert, public information manager, 509-329-3495; pager, 509-622-3073
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
