OLYMPIA - Washington's Department of Ecology (Ecology) has added 42 properties to its list of sites that have toxic contamination and removed five that have been cleaned up and no longer pose a threat.
The changes bring the total number of sites targeted for cleanup to 911.
The 42 newly identified sites are located in 13 counties: Clark, Franklin, King, Kitsap, Lewis, Okanogan, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom and Yakima. They include petroleum distribution centers, storage facilities, auto-dismantling yards, and properties with leaking underground-storage tanks.
The five sites removed from the list are located in Chelan, King, Pierce and Yakima counties.
Of 8,899 contaminated sites identified over the past 13 years, more than half (4,547) have been cleaned up and removed from the state's hazardous-sites list. Slightly more than one-third (3,266) have cleanups in progress.
"We've finally reached a point where more sites are entering the cleanup phase than are being discovered, and that's very heartening," said Jim Pendowski, manager of Ecology's toxics-cleanup program.
The numbers reflect the benefit of updated regulations and industrial practices, and show that the state is making progress each day, Pendowski said.
Cleanup is required at sites where levels of toxic substances are above standards set in the state's Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), a 1989 citizen initiative that established a broad-based program for cleaning up and preventing toxic contamination.
The properties on Ecology's hazardous-sites list are ranked on a scale of one to five, with a score of one representing the highest level of concern and five the lowest.
The scores are based on analyses of the potential paths through which humans and sensitive environments could be exposed to hazardous substances.
Thus, a site with a number one ranking may have less contamination or less-hazardous contaminants than lower-ranked sites, but the risk of exposure is higher and cleanup needs to happen quicker.
MTCA specifies that those responsible for polluting a site must pay for its cleanup. The state pays for cleanup only when a liable person cannot be found or when identified liable parties lack the financial resources to pay for the work.
Nearly every county in Washington has one or more properties on the hazardous-sites list. Most are in Western Washington, where historically there have been more industrial and manufacturing practices.
The hazardous-sites list is updated twice a year, in February and August.
Larson's Dry Cleaner and Tetra Pak, both located in Vancouver; both ranked as a 2.
Chevron Pipe Line Company has two sites located in Pasco; both ranked 3.
* All of the following are located in Seattle: Seattle Barrel & Cooperage, rank 4; Waste Management, rank 5; Bry's Auto Wrecking, rank 3; Little Ethel's Auto Wrecking, rank 1; Seattle City Light, rank 5; and Seattle Public Utilities Operation Center, rank 5.
Property at 3285 Northlake Way in Bremerton, rank 1; Indianola dump in Kingston, rank 5; Pope & Talbot Inc. sawmill in Port Gamble, rank 2; and Veterans Home in Retsil, rank 5.
Extine Petroleum in Onalaska, rank 5; Marlarz Farm in Winlock, rank 4; and Rea Construction in Randle, rank 5.
Gull station in Omak, rank 3; and Red Shirt Mill in Twisp, rank 1.
* U.S. Army - Fort Lewis I-5 corridor, rank 2; Pugnetti Park in Tacoma, rank 2; Purdy Landfill in Purdy, rank 3; Superior Linen in Tacoma, rank 3; and Tacoma Port - Earley Business Center in Tacoma, rank 5.
Both located in Anacortes: Custom Plywood Mill, rank 1; and Tecnal Corp. rank 2.
Arlington Fuel Stop in Arlington, rank 5; Everett Steel Companies in Everett, rank 2; Everett Steel Co. Quantum Wood in Everett, rank 5; Everett Laundry, rank 5; and Paine Field Sheriff Pistol Range in Everett, rank 3.
Pit Stop in Olympia, rank 2.
Blaine Marina, rank 3; Chris V8 - former auto repair in Custer, rank 1; property at 3123 Alderwood Ave. in Bellingham, rank 3; Northwest Pipeline in Lynden, rank 5; and property at 2729 Kulshan St. in Bellingham, rank 5.
All located in Yakima: property at 201 W. Yakima Ave., rank 5; Allied Technology Group, rank 3; Bissell Distributing, rank 5.
Glacier Park Budget Fuel West in Leavenworth, was ranked 1.
Cascade Transmission in Seattle, was ranked 4; and Structural Instrumentation in Tukwila, ranked 3.
Valley Refinishing in Sumner, ranked 1.
Brand X in Yakima, ranked 3.
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