FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Dec. 30, 2002 Toxic cleanup workload continues to grow OLYMPIA - Despite cleaning up 5,017 toxic sites in Washington over the past 14 years, the number of contaminated sites being reported to the Department of Ecology is growing each year, according to a new report. The new "State of Cleanup" report reviews Washington's toxic-cleanup efforts since voters adopted the innovative Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) by initiative in 1988, establishing a formal process for cleaning up contaminated sites in Washington. The report found that an impressive 55 percent of known contaminated sites require no further cleanup. However, the number of sites needing to be cleaned up continues to grow, with many of them involving prime real estate that property owners want to redevelop for new economic purposes. Jim Pendowski, toxic-cleanup manager for Ecology, said the cleanup program has always been geared toward cleaning the most highly contamination spots first. However, real-estate redevelopment sites are aggressively competing for Ecology oversight, even though they may have lesser amounts of contamination. "At redevelopment sites, cleanup is not viewed as an obstacle to economic development, but as the first step toward economic development," said Pendowski. "Usually, there just isn't a stigma attached to contamination there. It's just another site characteristic to manage." Pendowski said the report's findings are prompting the department to re-evaluate where employees should prioritize their time and where money should be concentrated. "When the cleanup program began, an assumption was made that, with time and steady cleanup, it would become obsolete and put itself out of business," explained Jim Pendowski, toxic-cleanup manager for Ecology. "But Washington's past industrial legacy is broader than we imagined, and it looks like we'll be busy for many years to come." He said more contaminated sites are being reported each year, rather than fewer. For example, more than 500 new sites were identified in 2001, compared to 479 the year before. The report also outlines challenges on the horizon for the cleanup program as well as offering keys to more-permanent cleanup solutions, such as an approach that would further stop contamination at its source, steadily continue cleanup efforts, and improve the connection and communication among state agencies, local governments and communities. The report is available online at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0209043.html.
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