Port officials “flip the switch” on Groundwater Cleanup Facility

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Port of Vancouver USA officials have “flipped the switch” on a new Groundwater Cleanup Facility that will help speed the completion of the cleanup of TCE contamination in groundwater under the Fruit Valley neighborhood in West Vancouver.

Trichloroethylene (TCE) and other chlorinated solvents were found in late 1998 in the groundwater during construction of the Mill Plain Extension. That property, formerly the site of Swan Manufacturing, was one source of the contamination. The other site, where Cadet Manufacturing is located on Lower River Road, was purchased in 2006 by the port as part of a settlement agreement and to help Cadet avoid bankruptcy and to keep cleanup efforts underway.

The new facility – owned by the Port of Vancouver USA and built by Rotschy, Inc., of Yacolt, Wash. – was tested in May, and is currently pumping contaminated water from an aquifer under Fruit Valley. It is the facility the port and the Washington State Department of Ecology jointly announced in July of 2007, and broke ground on in October of 2008.

“We are very proud to be accelerating the cleanup of this important water resource for our community, and eliminating a major environmental concern for our neighbors in Fruit Valley,” said the port’s Executive Director Larry Paulson. “The cleanup has been proceeding quickly and this project will expedite cleanup and make access to the aquifer for drinking water service happen sooner rather than later.”

Using a process known as “air stripping”, the facility pumps contaminated water from the aquifer, and filters it through various tanks before the air stripping removes contaminants from the water and discharging clean water – to qualities meeting or exceeding the Department of Ecology’s drinking water standards – into the Columbia River.

To date, the port’s cleanup efforts have been through excavation of soils, injection of hydrogen peroxide into the water, air sparging systems and the use of recirculating wells located in the Fruit Valley neighborhood.  These efforts have reduced levels dramatically.

About the Port of Vancouver USA

The Port of Vancouver USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.

The Port of Vancouver is embarking on a year full of projects and developments that will lead to vital job creation, economic stimulation and environmental preservation. By diversifying its cargo mix between bulk commodities, breakbulk and project cargos, the port is responsible for job generation and significant contributions to the tax base for not only its own community, but also the state of Washington. Current expansion of the port’s rail system and development of new port industrial and marine properties will bring new jobs – both short term and long term – and the preservation of wetlands, the creation of enhanced wildlife habitat, and make way for more green/sustainable business partners operating from the port. For more information, please visit us at www.portvanusa.com.

– POV –

At A Glance

Who: Port of Vancouver USA, Washington Dept. of Ecology
What: Groundwater Cleanup Facility is operational
When: Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Where: Adjacent to Tri-Mac building south of intersection at St. Francis Way and Mill Plain Blvd.
Quick Facts: Port of Vancouver officials open the new Groundwater Cleanup Facility to accelerate the remaining cleanup of contaminated groundwater under the Fruit Valley neighborhood.