3103 NW Lower River Road, Vancouver, WA 98660  (360) 693-3611  Fax (360) 735-1565  www.PortVanUSA.com
For Immediate Release
February 1, 2006
PORT AGREEMENT ADDS LAND, KEEPS JOBS AND CONTINUES CLEANUP
Vancouver, Wash. – The Port of Vancouver, local jobs and the environment are all
winners in an agreement approved at a special Port of Vancouver Commission meeting today.
The memorandum of understanding signals the settlement of a multi-year lawsuit surrounding
the cleanup of groundwater contamination in the Fruit Valley area of southwest Vancouver.
Under the settlement agreement, the Port will purchase 11 acres of land, a 75,000
square feet building, and take responsibility for the completion of the environmental cleanup
project at the Cadet Manufacturing facility, located on Fourth Plain Boulevard adjacent to
existing port properties. Operations at the Cadet Manufacturing facility (which employs more
than 100 to manufacture electrical heaters) will remain unchanged.
In exchange, the port would receive $10 million cash and the right to seek recovery of an
additional $14 million in insurance claims. The Port would also drop its current suit against
Cadet Manufacturing, Inc. The proposed agreement would allow the heating unit manufacturer
to continue its Vancouver operations, leasing back the facility from the port.
“This agreement allows the cleanup of one co-mingled site to be better coordinated and
occur more quickly,” said Port Executive Director, Larry Paulson. “In addition, we are acquiring
property that is contiguous to the port’s current operating facility to promote jobs and economic
development.”
Contamination at the Cadet site, and also at property owned by the Port of Vancouver,
was discovered as a result of the construction of the Mill Plain Extension project in the late
1990s. The cleaning solvent trichloroethylene (TCE), was found to have impacted soil and
groundwater at both sites. TCE was commonly used as an industrial solvent until the 1980s.
Swan Manufacturing Company, a baseboard heater manufacturer and corporate
predecessor to Cadet, had formerly occupied the 0.88-acre site from 1956 to 1964, and was
identified as a source of TCE contamination. The port purchased the former Swan site in 1982,
where a restaurant/tavern, last known as Ragg's Tavern, had operated for almost 20 years. In
1964, the manufacturer moved its operations across Fourth Plain Boulevard to its current site at
Cadet Manufacturing.
“Even though the Port inherited the clean-up site, we have worked closely with the
Washington Department of Ecology to remediate the contamination,” said Port Environmental
Director, Patty Boyden. “Our environmental efforts focus on prevention of contamination in
current operations, improvement in development and redevelopment projects, and cleanup of
past practices.”
Since 1998, both Cadet and the Port have been working on cleaning up these sites under
separate Agreed Orders with the Department of Ecology (Ecology). To date, Cadet
Manufacturing has removed 540 pounds of chlorinated solvents from soil and groundwater at its
property and the Port of Vancouver has decreased solvents by approximately 80 percent at the
former Swan site.
Past practices at the nearby industrial properties resulted in chlorinated solvents entering
the soil and ground water. Contaminated groundwater is getting cleaner because of efforts to
remove pollution from the co-mingled Swan/Cadet plumes, according to the Department of
Ecology.
“While we have not seen the terms of the settlement, we appreciate that the Port and
Cadet worked together on this. We anticipate the settlement may allow the cleanup process to
be simpler and more streamlined,” said Rebecca Lawson, a manager in Ecology’s toxics cleanup
program.
In addition to removing the solvents from the environment, the port and Cadet evaluate
contamination through an extensive network of groundwater testing wells. Thorough testing and
cleanup actions remain top priorities for the Port of Vancouver in treating the TCE-impacted site.
Port clean-up to date:
Upon discovery of the contamination in 1998, the Port of Vancouver removed and
successfully treated 14,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil. In cooperation with Ecology, the
groundwater at the source has been treated by a chemical oxidation method and has decreased
solvents by about 80 percent.
To date, the port has spent over $13.5 million on this clean up project, with
approximately $3.4 million paid for by DOE grants. The Port estimates an additional $22 million
to complete the cleanup projects at both the Swan and Cadet sites.
Cadet clean-up to date:
Cadet has installed a treatment system at its plant site, in addition to treatment devices
in the surrounding area.
Next steps:
Settlement Agreement: This agreement is contingent on court approval.
Cadet Property Purchase: Purchase of the property is contingent on the amendment of the
Port’s Comprehensive Scheme for Harbor Improvements and Industrial Development which
depicts any port improvements or expansion. Public comments will be taken at a public hearing
prior to the adoption of any changes to the current comprehensive scheme.
Clean-Up: Next steps would include the development of a feasibility study for analyzing
alternatives to determine the best technology to coordinate the clean up of both sites. The
feasibility study will be reviewed and approved by Ecology prior to implementation.
-30More information on the project is available:
1) Cadet Manufacturing: http://www.cadetco.com/environment/index.php
2) Department of Ecology: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/cadet/cadet_hp.htm
3) Port of Vancouver: http://www.portvanusa.com
Contacts:
Maureen Chan-Hefflin, Port of Vancouver
(360) 992-1107
email: mhefflin@PortVanUSA.com
Barbara Smith for Cadet Manufacturing, Harris & Smith Public Affairs
(206) 343-0250
email: barbara@harrisandsmith.com
Sandy Howard, Washington State Department of Ecology
(360) 407-6239 (Olympia)
email: srud461@ecy.wa.gov
3103 NW Lower River Road, Vancouver, WA 98660  (360) 693-3611  Fax (360) 735-1565  www.PortVanUSA.com
FORMER SWAN MANUFACTURING SITE CLEANUP PROJECT SUMMARY
The Port of Vancouver’s environmental efforts focus on prevention in current operations,
improvement in development and redevelopment projects, and cleanup of past practices.
Since the mid-1990s, the Port has returned 55 acres of contaminated sites to productive
property for use by Port tenants such as Pacific Coast Shredding, Tri-Star Transload, Glacier
Northwest, and Marine Terminals Corporation.
The Port works closely with the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to ensure
site cleanup activities are conducted in a timely manner, and in accordance with the Model Toxic
Control Act (MTCA), and other applicable laws and regulations. Ecology provides technical and
regulatory oversight and cost sharing in the investigation and cleanup under the Remedial
Action Grants Program. The Port is committed to pursuing cost recovery from the industrial
parties responsible for the contamination.
Site Background:
The Port of Vancouver purchased 0.88 acres of property adjacent to port operations in 1982
where a restaurant/tavern, last known as Ragg's Tavern, had operated for almost 20 years.
During the early phase of the Mill Plain Extension project in 1997, it was discovered that
chlorinated solvents, primarily trichloroethylene (TCE), had impacted soil and groundwater at
the site, located at the southwest corner of Fourth Plain Blvd. and the Mill Plain extension.
Further investigation by the Port found that the former Swan Manufacturing Company (SMC), a
baseboard heater manufacturer, had occupied the site from 1956 to 1964 and had used TCE in
its operations. TCE was commonly used as an industrial solvent until the 1980s.
Chlorinated solvent contamination was subsequently discovered at the Cadet Manufacturing
facility north of the former SMC site. The Cadet facility had also been previously operated by
SMC.
The Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) named the Port as a potentially responsible
party under the Model Toxics Control Act because of the Port’s status as an “owner” of the
property. The Port entered into an Agreed Order with Ecology in 1998 to remediate
contamination at the SMC site in order to keep the Mill Plain Extension project on schedule and
to fulfill the Port’s commitment to environmental stewardship.
An MTCA contribution action was filed against Cadet, as the corporate successor to SMC. Both
Cadet and the Port have been working on cleanup of these sites under separate Agreed Orders
with Ecology.
Successful Soil Cleanup:
Early actions by the Port enabled the soil contamination to be treated successfully. About 14,000
cubic yards of TCE-impacted soil was identified, excavated and treated on site. In addition, Port
Building #2220 was demolished in order to excavate and treat the soil underneath the building.
Under the Port's Agreed Order with Ecology, the stockpiled TCE-impacted soil was treated with
soil vapor extraction technology. A piping system in the stockpile was installed to force warm
air into the stockpile and vacuum out the TCE vapors, which were then collected in a carbon
canister and properly disposed. In 1999, Ecology approved the treated and cleaned soil for
industrial reuse at the Port’s new main entrance project at West 26th Extension, south of NW
Lower River Road.
Groundwater Findings and Cleanup:
Studies indicate that groundwater emanating separately from the two sites co-mingles south of Fourth
Plain Boulevard. Surrounding residential neighborhoods receive drinking water from the City of
Vancouver.
The drinking water source closest to the SMC site is the Port’s wells, located approximately a
mile away from the SMC site. The Port wells are tested quarterly for TCE and other related
compounds, and the tests continue to meet state and federal drinking water standards. Water
from the Port’s wells remains safe for consumption.
The Port has installed an extensive network of groundwater monitoring wells and geoprobes to
evaluate the extent of TCE contamination in the groundwater. The investigation confirms that
the highest concentrations of TCE remain below the SMC site.
To address the contamination at the SMC site, several cleanup methods were evaluated by the
Port and Ecology. The chemical oxidation method using Fenton’s reagent was ranked as the
safest, most efficient and cost effective way to eliminate TCE in groundwater in the source area.
Fenton’s reagent, consisting of hydrogen peroxide and a ferrous iron catalyst, was injected into
the subsurface where it breaks down TCE to harmless byproducts of carbon dioxide, water and
chloride.
The Port completed Fenton’s treatment in 2004 and decreased solvents in the groundwater by
about 80 percent at the SMC site. Cadet has removed 540 pounds of chlorinated solvents from
the groundwater at its property using seven re-circulating cleanup wells. In partnership with
Ecology, a final cleanup to address remaining contamination will be evaluated.
In addition to removing the solvents from the environment, the Port and Cadet evaluate
contamination through an extensive network of groundwater testing wells. Thorough testing
and cleanup actions continue to be top priorities for the Port of Vancouver in treating the TCEimpacted site.
Air Testing:
Cadet, the Port, and the Departments of Ecology and Health have also worked together to
determine if solvent vapors have risen from the groundwater into indoor air within the impacted
area, primarily the Fruit Valley neighborhood. Residences in the north neighborhood were
tested, and in 2002, Cadet installed vapor filtration systems in six homes with higher levels of
solvent vapor.
Washington Department of Health officials believe there is no immediate health threat at the
sampled residences, and sampling continues at the south neighborhood to assess if indoor air
testing is needed.
Solvents easily evaporate and are commonly found in both outdoor and indoor air. Potential
solvent vapor sources found in indoor air can come from products brought into a home such as
cleaning products, glues and adhesives, dry cleaned clothes, carpeting, and paints.
Next steps:
Next steps would include the development of a feasibility study for analyzing alternatives
to determine the best technology to coordinate the clean up of both sites. The feasibility study
will be reviewed and approved by DOE prior to implementation.
If you have general questions on the Port’s cleanup efforts, please call:
Maureen Chan-Hefflin, Communications Manager
Patty Boyden, Environmental Services Director
(360) 693-3611 or email: info@PortVanUSA.com
If you have project-related questions, please contact:
Craig Rankine
Washington Department of Ecology
(360) 690-4795 or email: cran461@ecy.wa.gov
If you have health-related questions, please contact:
Barbara Trejo
Washington Dept. of Health, Tumwater
Toll Free: 1-877-485-7316 or email: Barbara.Trejo@doh.wa.gov