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Department of Ecology News Release - September 11, 2008
08-249
OLYMPIA –Dredging of PCB-contaminated sediments from the Columbia River adjacent to Alcoa's former Vancouver smelter is one step closer to reality.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) and Alcoa today announced agreement on a consent decree that will write the final chapter on the long cleanup at the former aluminum smelter.
The decree signals to the Army Corps of Engineers that the project is ready to move forward and receive a key Corps permit. Once a state water quality certification ensuring compliance with state water quality standards and the Corps' permit are issued, Alcoa can begin dredging in early November.
“Getting to this agreement has been an Ecology focus since we announced the accelerated cleanup schedule last November,” said Ecology Director Jay Manning. “It has taken a lot of extra work, but getting the dredging done this year was the right decision for this project and the environment.”
“This is another important step toward Alcoa's goal of preparing the Vancouver site for productive industrial use that will economically benefit the entire region,” said Mark Stiffler, Alcoa's director of asset management.
The terms of the decree allow Alcoa to finish cleaning up of contamination from decades of industrial operations. The decree also spells out what must be accomplished for Alcoa to be released from future liability for the site.
Provided the Corps' permit is issued, the river cleanup is slated to begin Nov. 1. Alcoa will then remove several thousand cubic yards of PCB-contaminated sediment from the shoreline and river. Other smaller cleanup actions are also given the thumbs up to proceed.
The company has spent many years and $42 million cleaning up industrial contamination at the site. A significant portion of that money has been spent on controlling the sources of PCBs and stopping the flow of contaminants to the river.
This consent decree does not cover releases of trichloroethylene (TCE) or other contaminants above state cleanup levels from the East Landfill.
Ecology's next step in the project will be to select the cleanup approach for the TCE releases from the East Landfill. Once selected, the cleanup plan will be presented to the public and eventually amended to the consent decree.
Starting today, Sept. 11, the proposed consent decree, site investigation report and preferred cleanup options for the site will be available for review and comment. Written comment should be in to Ecology no later than Monday, Oct. 13.
Ecology also plans a meeting for the public to formally comment on the cleanup plans and consent decree Tuesday, Sept. 30, in Vancouver. The meeting starts at 7 p.m. at Clark College's Foster Auditorium.
Ecology is providing copies of the consent decree and associated cleanup plans to the Fort Vancouver Regional Library, 1007 East Mill Plain Blvd. The documents are also available on Ecology's Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/swfa/industrial/alum_alcoavan.htm.
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Media Contact: Kim Schmanke, 360-407-6239
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
