Economic Growth Leads to Cleanups in Washington
California Superfund Site Reaches Funding Settlement

Economic Growth Leads to Cleanups in Washington

In Washington State, economic redevelopment is helping identify where contamination needs to be cleaned up. 

 “While landowners and industry are acting more responsibly with toxic materials, we are discovering more historic contamination as economic development is picking up,” said Jim Pendowski, the lead toxic cleanup manager for the state Department of Ecology (Ecology). “Property deals and development continue to bring sites into the system, making us aware of what’s out there and helping us move these sites into the cleanup phase.”

As part of its twice-a-year update of contaminated sites in Washington, Ecology has added 20 newly assessed sites to the state’s hazardous-sites list and nine cleaned-up sites have been removed. In addition, two sites have had their rank reassessed. Over the past 15 years, some 9,500 toxic sites have been identified. Nearly 60 percent of the sites have been cleaned up or require no further action, and 31 percent are actively being cleaned up or monitored. Nearly 1,000 toxic sites are still awaiting action.

“We remain confident in our ability to meet the cleanup goals of the state and put land back into productive use,” said Pendowski.  “Strong financial backing from the legislature is helping us clean up more sites and more-challenging sites than ever.”

Cleanup is required whenever toxic contamination is above limits set in the state’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), a 1989 citizen initiative that established a broad-based program for cleaning and preventing toxic contamination. BFN

California Superfund Site Reaches Funding Settlement

The U.S. EPA and the Stoody Company have agreed to a settlement that requires the company to pay up to $413,540 for past releases at the Puente Valley unit of the San Gabriel Valley Superfund site in and around the City of Industry, California. The settlement releases the Stoody Company of liability associated with past releases.

“The EPA is committed to ensuring that parties responsible for contamination pay to address it,” said Keith Takata, director of the EPA’s Pacific Southwest Superfund Office. “This agreement ensures that Stoody Company, even in bankruptcy, contributes to the cleanup of the site.”

The Stoody Company manufactured welding wire, electrodes and special wear-resistant cast products beginning in 1976. Stoody used tetrachloroethene and dichloroethene at the facility — volatile organic compounds used as industrial degreasing solvents — all found in the contaminated groundwater being addressed by the EPA’s cleanup.

Sections of the San Gabriel Valley became Superfund sites in 1984, including multiple areas with groundwater contamination. The contaminated groundwater lies under significant portions of the San Gabriel Valley. BFN