SITE
BACKGROUND
December 2006
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and the two potentially liable
persons (PLPs), Grant County and the City of Ephrata, have negotiated an Agreed
Order (AO) for the Ephrata Landfill. The AO includes an Interim Remedial Action
Plan and requires the PLPs to complete a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility
Study to guide further cleanup. Please refer to the links below for more
information.
The City of Ephrata began operating the Ephrata Landfill in about 1942 and
owned and managed it until 1974. Grant County has managed the landfill from 1974
until the present. The landfill ran as an open dump before 1962. It operated
continuously as an unlined cell until a new lined cell opened in 2005.
Landfill personnel buried about 2000 drums of industrial waste in August
1975. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) added the landfill to the list
of potential hazardous sites in 1979. Ecology completed a Phase I site
investigation in 1987 and groundwater sampling at the site began in 1988.
A 1990 assessment report noted anomalous contaminant concentrations in
groundwater in the uppermost aquifer. Contaminants in the upper three aquifers
include metals, solvents, and other chemicals. Some of the contaminants detected
in groundwater at the site are the same chemicals believed to be in the drums.
Continuing weakening of the drums may be releasing chemicals into the soil and
groundwater.
After discussions with Ecology in 2000, the county completed Phase I of a
voluntary cleanup which included installing two pilot extraction wells. Ecology
issued Final Determinations of Potentially Liable Person (PLP) status to the
City of Ephrata and Grant County on January 10, 2005. Negotiations for an Agreed
Order (AO) began in October 2005 and the PLPs signed the draft agreement in
December 2006. The Agreed Order was signed by Ecology on January 30,
2007. The public comment period did not result in any changes to the document
Ecology cleanup site manager: Cole Carter, 509/329-3609
Supporting Documents:
News Releases:
Fact Sheets:
Responsiveness Summary for Agreed Order