Georgetown has always faced a variety of environmental challenges. In July of 2000, we
found out about one more: groundwater contamination. We will attempt to answer some
of your questions about the contamination, including where it came from and what is
being done about it. Read on. There is actually good news ahead.
Menu:
 The Site
o Background
o Who is responsible?
o What has already been done?
o Timing of the process
 Pictures
 Resident Concerns
o Vapor Intrusion
o Gardening
 Cleanup Steps
 Repository
 West of Fourth
 More Information
The Site
Background of the Problem
Since the 1940s, the property where Philip Services Corporation (“PSC”) is located (on
Lucile Street near Airport Way) has housed several different companies: a lumber
treatment plant, a paint manufacturer, and a hazardous waste facility. One or more of
those companies installed underground storage tanks on the property to store solvents and
other potentially toxic chemicals.
Over the years, those tanks corroded and the chemicals leaked into the groundwater. The
contaminated groundwater — called a “plume” — has spread, and is traveling toward the
Duwamish River. Part of the plume is now under some of the homes and businesses near
PSC.
Some of the chemicals in the plume are volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs can
turn to vapor and come up through the soil and into the air. This can be a problem if a
home or business is directly over the plume. Any structure with a crawlspace, a
basement with a dirt floor, a cracked concrete floor, or one that is constructed slab-ongrade could allow the vapors to enter the structure — this is called “vapor intrusion.”
Buildings with basements are of most concern because when people are in the basement
they are closer to the source of the VOCs — the groundwater.
Who is Responsible?
When PSC purchased the property in the 1990s, they took on the responsibility for
cleaning up the contamination. PSC is required by law to protect the health of all of the
people living over or near the plume. The Washington State Department of Ecology
(Ecology) must ensure that PSC cleans up the contamination properly. (Ecology is the
“lead agency” overseeing the process.) The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has also been involved in directing the investigation and cleanup, and the Washington
State Department of Health is involved in making sure that human health is protected.
What Has Already Been Done?
All of the underground storage tanks were removed several years ago. Some of the
surrounding contaminated soil was removed, and a concrete slab or “cap” was poured
over the surface to prevent further contamination. This cap is also designed to minimize
the infiltration of rainwater that would make it easier for the contamination to spread.
An underground barrier wall, or “slurry wall,” was constructed around most of PSC’s and
neighboring properties. The slurry wall encircles the property from the ground surface
down to nearly one hundred feet, where an underground silt layer acts as a floor to
contain contaminants that sink. Combined with the concrete cap already in place at PSC,
the slurry wall should keep any contaminants that remain in the soil and groundwater
below PSC’s property from migrating off the property and into the community. Some
contamination, however, remains outside the slurry wall.
PSC has taken samples of the groundwater around the neighborhood and has taken
samples of air from inside several of the homes and businesses over or near the plume.
Sampling wells are in place throughout Georgetown, and water samples are taken every
three months. This sampling has been done to determine what kinds of chemicals are in
the groundwater, how far the contamination has spread, and how the chemicals react in
the environment.
This satellite image shows the area “behind the wall” in blue and the groundwater
remediation area in tan (roughly the area of the “plume”). See the section on the “West
of Fourth” area for more information.
With the help of a Public Participation Grant from Ecology, the Georgetown Community
Council hired Environment International Ltd., a consulting firm experienced in
contaminated site cleanups, to follow the cleanup process. Environment International
Ltd. is working with the Community Council to educate the community about the
contamination, and to make sure that community interests are considered as the cleanup
progresses.
The cleanup of the groundwater is still an open issue. PSC is required to submit a report
called a Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study (RI/FS) to Ecology. This report will
contain information that PSC has gathered over the past several years of groundwater
sampling and will be used to determine what other work PSC needs to do to clean up the
groundwater contamination that still exists outside of the slurry wall. The RI is finished,
and the FS report is in the final stages of approval. It will soon be available for public
comment, and will contain an analysis of cleanup alternatives for the site.
Timing of the Process
Most of the indoor ventilation systems have been installed in homes where access has
been granted. However, this process has been held up by a low rate of response by
residents to requests for access.
Since August 2001, PSC has been following a schedule for the investigation and cleanup.
Although documents are usually on time, it appears the timeline could sometimes be
shortened in order to better protect human health. For example, in 2002 the Georgetown
Community Council’s consultant, Environment International Ltd., identified an
opportunity to condense the schedule for installing the slurry wall and, with the help of
DOE, convinced PSC to begin construction a year ahead of schedule. Demolition of the
facility structures began in July 2003 and the slurry wall was completed in January 2004.
Because the original FS report was rejected by Ecology, PSC has been submitting a
revised FS in sections. As of June 2007, all revised sections have been submitted and are
pending Ecology approval. The next step will be to allow public comment on the FS
report and for PSC to write a Cleanup Action Plan detailing the specifics of the selected
cleanup alternative.
Pictures
[See separate “pictures” documents]
Resident Concerns
Vapor Intrusion
PSC has taken samples of indoor air from several homes located near the groundwater
plume. These samples have been analyzed to determine if any of the chemicals in the
groundwater are affecting people living in the area. Low levels of some VOCs have been
detected in indoor air in some of the homes. The amounts of VOCs are low enough so
that no one is in immediate danger, but are high enough so that PSC must take action to
eliminate the exposure.
PSC has installed a venting system in several of the homes and businesses where VOCs
were detected at potentially unacceptable levels. This system — made up of a fan and
PVC piping — was installed so that the VOCs are sucked from under the structure and
vented up through the roof. If PSC or DOE has contacted you about having a ventilation
system installed in your home or business, we encourage you to respond. These
measures are intended to protect your health and safety.
Gardening and Fruit Trees
Repository
The Georgetown public document repository was formerly located in the Georgetown
Gospel Church. It is in the process of being moved, and more information will be
provided once the new location is finalized. The documents are always available at the
Department of Ecology offices in Bellevue, WA. Contact XXXX to arrange an
appointment for viewing them.
West of Fourth
West of 4th Avenue S, the Department of Ecology has agreed that PSC was not the only
company responsible for groundwater contamination, as the chlorinated solvents that are
the biggest groundwater issue have been used by many industries in the area. Ecology is
pursuing an Agreed Order to involve other parties. The Agreed Order will legally bind
the companies to engage in Ecology’s cleanup process. The companies that have been
asked to join the Agreed Order are:
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Art Brass Plating, Inc.
Blaser Die Casting Company
Capital Industries, Inc.
Philip Services Corporation
It is likely that other companies will be included at a later date, but they have not yet been
identified. The companies involved will have responsibility for:
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Evaluation and mitigation of vapor intrusion
Groundwater monitoring
Interim cleanup actions
Development of a remedial investigation and feasibility study (RI/FS)
Cleanup of contaminated groundwater and soil
Ecology is overseeing the development of a Statement of Work so that all parties know
what is expected of them. The process is made more complicated because there are
multiple companies to deal with.
More Information
Stay informed. Read the Community Updates from DOE as well as the newsletters from
PSC. Updates are often given at the monthly Georgetown Community Council meetings,
which are held at 7:00 PM on the third Monday of the month at the Coliman Mexican
Restaurant (6932 Carleton Ave S, Seattle, WA 98108).
Let Ecology know that you are concerned about PSC sticking to its cleanup and
investigation schedule. Call, e-mail or write and make your opinion known. (See contact
information below.) Encourage your friends and neighbors to stay informed and voice
their concerns, too.
If you are contacted by PSC or Ecology about the installation of a venting system in your
home or business, please respond quickly. Allowing PSC to install a venting measure in
your home is the best way you can protect your health and the health of your family.
The Department of Ecology project manager for this site is:
Ed Jones
Department of Ecology
Northwest Regional Office
Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction
3190 160th Avenue SE
Bellevue, WA 98008
425.649.4449
ejon461@ecy.wa.gov