Port Commission approves expenditure for TCE cleanup

VANCOUVER, Wash.-The Port of Vancouver Board of Commissioners unanimously approved separate expenditures totaling nearly $6 million to expedite the cleanup of contaminated groundwater under port property, and the Fruit Valley neighborhood.

During their meeting this morning, Port Commissioners Brian Wolfe, Nancy Baker and Jerry Oliver voted 3-0 to authorize Executive Director Larry Paulson to sign a change order to a contract with Parametrix, Inc., amounting to $2.1 million. The first $600,000 of that amount will be spent – and is included in the port’s 2008 budget – this year, while the remaining $1.5 million will be budgeted for expense in 2009.

The necessity of the change order is to support the port’s efforts to meet its obligations to the State Department of Ecology, including air and groundwater monitoring and completion of required project documents; oversee construction of the groundwater pump and treat interim action at the former Swan Manufacturing site; and manage the environmental obligations associated with the Cadet facility including appropriate reporting.

Since the contamination was discovered in 1997 during construction of the Mill Plain Extension, cleanup efforts have accounted for a significant reduction in the amount of trichloroethylene (TCE) in the un-tapped groundwater that will one day be a source of drinking water for the community.

When complete, the project will cost more than $30 million, most of which has been paid for by insurance settlements and money from the Washington Department of Ecology’s Model Toxic Control Act (MTCA), and will provide a clean source of drinking water for the community.

In a related action, the commission also voted unanimously to authorize Paulson to sign a public works contract with Rotschy, Inc. (Yacolt, Wash.) for the construction of a TCE Groundwater Pump and Treat Interim Action Project, which will accelerate the next phase of the cleanup.

This project was included in the 2008 capital budget as a part of TCE cleanup costs. The fiscal year 2008 budget includes $3.9 million for the cleanup system. The winning bid from Rotschy is for a not-to-exceed amount of $3,089,925.93, including Washington State s

Commissioners also voted 3-0 to authorize Paulson to sign a contract amendment to the On-Call Master Services Agreement with HDR Inc., for engineering and consulting services relating to completion of task order No. 5 relating to the rail project. The contract amount will not exceed $300,000.

As work continues on the port’s West Vancouver Freight Access project, a need has arisen to purchase property for construction and track relocation in areas not currently owned by the port. HDR Inc., will complete due diligence and surveying of the properties before any proposed property transactions come to the commission in the future.

At A Glance

Who: Port of Vancouver Board of Commissioners
What: Regular meeting
When: Tuesday, Aug. 12, 9:30 a.m.
Quick Facts: Commissioners approved two action items that will assure an expedited cleanup of the remaining TCE contamination in groundwater beneath port property and the Fruit Valley neighborhood

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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.

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