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Milton Dry Cleaners

SITE DESCRIPTION

Milton’s Dry Cleaners is located at 6721 E Fourth Plain in Vancouver. From 1969 to 2001, a dry cleaning business operated on the property. PCE was used as a solvent during this time. In 1989, the City of Vancouver discovered PCE contamination in several private wells close to the site. Milton’s was identified as a possible source to these wells. However, additional information is needed to confirm this.

In 1994, a septic system overflow led to discovery of PCE in the waste stream at Milton’s. The septic system was drained, excavated along with impacted soils and taken off site for disposal. Afterwards, the wastewater was redirected to the sanitary sewer system. This site no longer operates as a dry cleaners.

Investigations done during 1994 through 2003 found PCE contamination of soil and groundwater above MTCA cleanup standards. A site hazard assessment ranked the site as a 2 (1 represents highest risk, 5 the lowest).

The potentially liable parties entered Ecology’s Voluntary Cleanup Program (VCP) in 2001 and began work on cleaning up the site. In 2005, groundwater monitoring results showed that PCE levels had decreased to below MTCA standards. At Ecology’s request, this site was entered into the formal cleanup program in 2006 due to inactivity in the VCP program and new information.

During several independent investigations (from 1997 - 2006) undertaken at nearby sites, PCE was detected in groundwater at several locations within 1/3 mile to the southwest of the site. Groundwater is suspected to flow from the Milton’s site towards the southwest. While the source for this contamination at these sites is unknown, additional investigations will be done at the Milton’s Dry Cleaners to determine if they are a potential source.

SITE DOCUMENTS

• Fact Sheet  - September 2007
• Final Agreed Order - February 2008
• Exhibit A:   Site Location Map
• Exhibit B1:  Site Diagram
• Exhibit B2:  Groundwater Data
• Exhibit B3:  Groundwater Data Southwest of the Site
• Exhibit C:   Property Map
• Exhibit D:   Clark County Property Information
• Exhibit E:   References
• Exhibit F:   Applicable Permits and Substantive Requirements
• Public Participation Plan
• Responsiveness Summary (2.1 mb) - November 2007

Related Information

• Watershed Information for WRIA 28

Additional Resources

• Washington State Department of Health Fact Sheet:  What is vapor intrusion
• Acronyms used by the Toxic Cleanup Program
• Cleanup Process: Major Steps & Definitions
• Data Submittal Requirements for All Cleanup Sites
• Facility/Site Atlas
• Toxics Cleanup publications