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Department of Ecology News Release - November 20, 2009
09-274
BELLEVUE – The Port of Seattle will sample and test stormwater from the former Lora Lake Apartment complex in Burien this winter as part of a legal agreement with the Department of Ecology (Ecology). Ecology seeks public comment on the work plan through Dec. 23, 2009.
The work, called an Interim Action, is part of the work the Port will perform to study contamination at the site. The Interim Action allows the Port to gather data on potential contamination in stormwater this winter while additional study plans are being developed.
Port consultants will collect stormwater samples during rainstorms. The work plan calls for sampling during up to 10 storms. The information will help Ecology determine whether the site requires special or additional stormwater controls or treatment. Polluted runoff – stormwater – is the leading threat to water quality in the state’s urban areas.
The Port-owned property at 15001 Des Moines Memorial Drive housed a barrel-cleaning company in the 1940s and 50s and an auto-wrecking facility from roughly 1960 to 1981. A 22-building apartment complex was built in 1987. The Port, which owns Sea-Tac Airport nearby, bought the property in 1998 and demolished six buildings within the airport’s Third Runway protection zone in 2007.
Environmental samples taken in preparation for that demolition showed higher than expected levels of contaminants from the pre-apartment complex activities at the site. Pollutants associated with the site’s former activities include petroleum products, dioxin, solvents and other contaminants.
The Port this year demolished remaining structures on the property because vacant buildings pose public safety hazards from arson, accidental fires and vandalism. The Port demolished only above-ground structures, and took measures — under Ecology oversight — to not disturb potentially contaminated soil.
The Interim Action Work Plan is available for public review at:
For technical questions or to comment on the plan, please contact David South, Ecology Site Manager, 425-649-7200; e-mail dsou461@ecy.wa.gov.
A fact sheet on Lora Lake Apartments site is available at www.ecy.wa.gov/pubs/0909175.pdf.
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Media Contacts:
Larry Altose, Ecology media relations, 425-649-7009
Perry Cooper, Port of Seattle Media Officer, 206-431-4923
For more information:
Web site:
www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/loraLakesAps/loraLakesAps_hp.html
Fact sheet:
www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0909189.html
Earlier news release:
www.ecy.wa.gov/news/2009news/2009-159.html
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
