February 22, 2005

Environmental Watch: Occidental agrees to Tacoma cleanup

TACOMA — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington Department of Ecology recently signed an agreement with Occidental Chemical Corp. to clean the site of the company's former facility on Tacoma's Hylebos Waterway.

Officials say this location could be one of the most contaminated areas of the Commencement Bay Superfund site.

The agreement calls for more environmental investigation there and on adjacent properties. Occidental will study alternatives for cleanup and design remedies for contaminated soil, groundwater and sediments in Hylebos Waterway.

A related agreement recently announced between the U.S. Department of Justice, EPA, Occidental and the Port of Tacoma, addressed much of the contaminated sediment in the mouth of Hylebos Waterway, but excluded the Occidental site.

Investigations are scheduled to be complete by March 2006. EPA and Ecology will then look at cleanup options and seek public comment.

The facility was used to produce chlorinated solvents called trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene from 1947 through 1973, and chlorine gas and caustic soda from 1929 through 2002. Chemicals remain in soil, ground water and sediments beneath the waterway despite a series of cleanup actions since 1989.

Guidebook on low impact development

OLYMPIA — A manual on how to do low impact development was recently produced by The Puget Sound Action Team and Washington State University Pierce County Extension.

It offers technical information on how to manage stormwater runoff when developing or redeveloping commercial or residential properties in the Puget Sound region.

The "Low Impact Development Technical Guidance Manual for Puget Sound" is targeted to government staff, developers and engineers. The goal is to keep pollution from urban runoff out of Puget Sound.

Low impact development can be done in residential neighborhoods, retail centers, rural areas, strip malls, high-density urban areas and industrial parks.

Techniques include rain gardens, natural drainage systems and parking lots with permeable pavements.

Engineers, academics, landscape architects and Washington Department of Ecology staff have contributed to the manual, which was funded by Ecology.

March 11 workshop on contaminated sites

SEATTLE — Law Seminars International hosts a workshop on "Residential Redevelopment of Contaminated Property" at Renaissance Seattle Hotel on March 11. The focus is on buying, selling and redeveloping contaminated properties for reuse at higher density.

Co-chairs are Mark Larsen, vice president of Retec Group, and Charles R. Wolfe of Foster Pepper & Shefelman. It is targeted at lawyers, consultants, architects, agency representatives, developers and appraisers. Topics include:

• Reducing risk and avoiding stigma

• Cleanup options such as removal, containment, isolation and source control

• Insurance

• Obligations such as future monitoring, sampling and closure.

Law Seminars International provides continuing education programs in the U.S. and Canada. To register, call (206) 567-4490 or (800) 854-8009, fax (206) 567-5058 or e-mail registrar@lawseminars.com. Also see www.lawseminars.com/seminars/05RDCPWA.php.

Built Green conference March 17

BELLEVUE — A March 17 and 18 conference called "Greening the 21st Century" will be held at Seattle Center and hosted by the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties.

Montana builder Steve Loken, founder of the Center for Resourceful Building Technology, will be the keynote speaker.

A trade show with 40 exhibitors on March 17 will be followed by a tour of four Built Green-certified Seattle homes on March 18. Builders and designers will be on-site to talk about green features, installation, product performance and cost effectiveness. Cost of the tour is $50 per person.

Educational programs include stormwater, energy-efficient construction, green materials, land-use regulations and solar power. There will be workshops on biodiesel fuels, structural insulated panels, rastra construction, rainwater collection, and strawbale and earthen plaster construction. Awards will be given to winners of the Seattle Built Green Design Competition.

The conference is $115 for members, $135 nonmembers or $65 for students. The expo will be free from 5:30 to 7 p.m. For more information, see www.builtgreen.net or call Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties at (425) 451-7920 or (800) 522-2209. Also e-mail mba@mbaks.com.

Did Ore. county violate Clean Water Act?

PORTLAND ­— The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proposing a $12,100 penalty against Washington County Department of Land Use and Transportation for violating a permit granted under the Clean Water Act.

The U.S. Department of Justice will make a decision on the penalty.

The Class 1 Administrative Penalty would be for permit violations such as not installing and maintaining erosion control measures to keep discharge from entering a wetland or tributary. Measuring stream turbidity at four-hour intervals during in-water work was also required, but wasn’t done, according to the Corps.

The permit authorized removing a 64-foot-long concrete box culvert and replacing it with a single-span bridge 98 feet long and 49 feet wide.

Written comments must be received by Feb. 20 and should be sent to: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, ATTN: CENWP-OP-G (Justin Simms), P.O. Box 2946, Portland OR 97208-2946. A copy of the proposed penalty is posted at www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/g/penalty/200200212.pdf.