FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - March 12, 2002 02-038
OLYMPIA - Lewis County will get another $448,000 from the state Department of Ecology (Ecology) to help clean up a contaminated aquifer at a maintenance area on Napavine Road in Chehalis.
Underground water at the county's Central Shop and adjacent properties is contaminated with chlorinated solvents.
The cost-reimbursement grant will help Lewis County fully investigate the source and extent of the contamination and develop a cleanup plan. Along the way, it will pay for short-term steps to keep the problem from getting worse, as well as cover the cost of installing monitoring wells, sampling and analyzing underground water and soil, and determining viable cleanup options.
An earlier grant of $735,000 helped pay for initial site investigations as well as the installation of a short-term water-treatment system. The money also helped extend a city water line into the area.
"Lewis County truly appreciates the engineering and funding assistance provided by the Department of Ecology. Without it, we would have been hard pressed to solve this problem and return the aquifer to its natural condition," said Larry Keeton, Lewis County director of general administration.
Lewis County will contribute $149,000 in matching funds for this phase of the cleanup project. The state grant, which is funded by a tax on petroleum and waste materials, must be spent by June 30, 2003.
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