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Sauro's Cleanerama

SITE BACKGROUND

Sauro’s Cleanerama is a toxic cleanup site located at 1401 S. Pacific Avenue, in downtown Tacoma.  The former dry cleaner’s operations contaminated the site with halogenated volatile organic compounds  (HVOCs).  HVOCs are gases released by certain solids or liquids.  On a polluted site, the liquids and solids can be present in soil and HVOC gases can be dissolved into groundwater.   Sources include dry-cleaning chemicals, paints and paint strippers, and pesticides. 
 
The cleanup site includes three vacant lots—1401, 1407, and 1409 S. Pacific Avenue.  The lot at 1401 S. Pacific Avenue was first developed during the 1880s.  The first structures were boarding houses and a hay and grain store.  The site was then a bus terminal from the 1920s until 1957.  In 1961, Sauro’s Cleanerama began a dry cleaning operation.  The building was demolished after they went out of business in 2000.  A hotel and laundry occupied the lot at 1407 S. Pacific Avenue from the late 1800s until 1971.   Sauro’s Cleanerama used the vacant hotel building for storage in the 1990s.  The lot at 1409 S. Pacific Avenue hosted several businesses, from a farm implement and seed store, to a tailor and clothes cleaner.  The entire site has been vacant since 2000. 

Public Involvement Opportunities

Ecology wants to keep you involved! You will have the chance to review and comment on key documents during the investigation and cleanup process. Documents can be found at this Web site and at repository locations listed to the right.

Public Comment Period – May 21 – June 22, 2009

Submit your comments on a proposed Interim Action (partial cleanup) to remove contaminated soil from the site.  The State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) determination and SEPA checklist are also available for public comment.  Ecology has determined that this Interim Action will not have significant adverse impacts on the environment or community.

• Fact Sheet
• Proposed Interim Action Work Plan
• Figures 1-10
• Figures 11-20
• Appendix A - Supplementary Investigation Logs
• Appendix B - Health and Safety Plan
• Appendix C - Well Logs
• Appendix D - Debris Laboratory Analytical Results
• SEPA Determination of Non-Significance
• SEPA Checklist

Public Comment Period – February 12 – March 16, 2009

Submit your comments on the Agreed Order for investigation and cleanup of the Sauro’s Cleanerama site, and the Public Participation Plan. All comment period documents are available here:

• Responsiveness Summary - March 31, 2009
• Fact Sheet
• Agreed Order - Final Version - March 31, 2009
• Public Participation Plan

Related Information

• Watershed Information WRIA 10

Additional Resources

• 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