A proposed amendment to a 1991 legal agreement between the Port of Seattle and the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) will authorize the port to propose a cleanup plan for contaminated soil and groundwater at a portion of Terminal 30 on the Seattle waterfront.
Ecology seeks public comment on the amendment through Oct. 21. The port investigated contamination from a former fuel terminal and other past uses on the site and conducted several cleanup projects under the original 1991 order.
The cleanup plan to be completed under the amendment will be made available for public review and a future Ecology comment period. Ecology also will seek future comment on the port’s investigation and study of cleanup alternatives.
The cleanup site occupies 11 acres of the 34-acre Terminal 30 facility at 1901 E. Marginal Way S. in Seattle. Prior to its purchase by the port in 1985, the site contained a fuel terminal, a lumberyard, machine shop, and shipyard, constructed on fill material along the East Waterway of the Duwamish River. Studies have identified petroleum and related materials in soil and groundwater.
Starting in the 1980s, the port conducted several cleanup projects, called interim actions, while continuing studies needed for a draft cleanup action plan.
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Press Release, September 26, 2013