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Department of Ecology News Release - February 9, 2010
10-021
BELLEVUE – The Department of Ecology (Ecology) has proposed long-term cleanup plans for contaminated soil and groundwater within and surrounding the location of a former hazardous-waste processing plant in Seattle's Georgetown neighborhood.
Burlington Environmental, LLC (Burlington) is a subsidiary of PSC Environmental Services, LLC, formerly known as Philip Services Corp. The company operated the facility at 734 South Lucile Street under a joint U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Ecology permit from 1991 to 2003, at which time it closed. The cleanup site is often referred to as the PSC-Georgetown site.
Previous studies in and around the facility have shown that releases from past operations – including the storage and processing of waste solvents, petroleum products and other chemicals – have contaminated soil and underground water.
Ecology seeks public comment through March 26, 2010 on the cleanup plan and several related documents, including a new hazardous-waste facility permit, a legal agreement known as an Agreed Order that will incorporate the cleanup plan, several reports and studies on the contamination and cleanup options, and a State Environmental Policy Act determination of non-significance. These and other materials are available for review at:
Comments and technical questions should be directed to Ed Jones, site manager, Dept. of Ecology, 3190 160th Ave. SE, Bellevue WA 98008-5452; 425-649-4449; ejon461@ecy.wa.gov.
The facility's hazardous-waste permit covers “corrective actions” related to cleanup of contamination stemming from operations prior to its 2003 closing. Burlington has no plans to resume storage or treatment of hazardous waste at the Georgetown site.
The proposed cleanup plan focuses on the area east of Fourth Avenue South. The groundwater contamination plume from Burlington's site co-mingles with plumes from other contaminated properties west of that line. Ecology, Burlington and the other property owners are conducting tests and studies in that area that will lead to a future cleanup plan among the responsible parties.
The cleanup east of Fourth Avenue will build on previous steps taken by Burlington under the facility's existing hazardous waste permit.
A 1,600-foot underground barrier wall, completed in 2004, encircles most of Burlington's property. It extends 50 to 90 feet below the ground to contain contaminated underground water that otherwise would migrate west toward the Duwamish River. A groundwater recovery and treatment system inside the barrier wall creates inward pressure. If the wall leaks, the system will draw groundwater in from outside the wall. Burlington also will continue a vapor intrusion assessment program. The company monitors nearby properties for vapors entering buildings from the contaminated groundwater. Where concentrations exceed a set threshold, the company installs systems to protect indoor air quality. Burlington has installed 30 such systems between its property and First Avenue South.
These measures will continue under the cleanup plan, which will add several other actions. Among these:
Long-term monitoring will provide regular reports on the performance of all measures taken under the plan.
Ecology's cleanup oversight of contamination from Burlington's Georgetown facility, which began in 2002, supports the department's ongoing priorities to protect the public and the environment from toxic threats and to meet the state's goal of protecting and restoring Puget Sound by 2020. Underground water in the area flows toward the Duwamish River, which empties into Elliott Bay and Puget Sound.
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Media Contacts:
Larry Altose, Ecology media relations, 206-920-2600
Ed Jones, Ecology site manager, 425-649-4449
Barbara Smith, Harris & Smith Public Affairs, for PSC, 206-343-0250
For more information:
www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/foia/index.html
Fact sheet:
www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/hwtr/foia/documents/pscgeorge/PSCpubnotice.pdf
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
