CHEHALIS : Drums linked to water contamination
By Mai Ling Slaughter, The Chronicle , The Chronicle, 8/12/99
Analyses of the three barrels linked to ground-water contamination in south Chehalis confirm some of their contents consist of the contaminant known as perchloroethylene.
But whether the contaminant escaped from the barrels, or whether the PCE came from another source, still must be determined.
In January the Washington Department of Ecology designated S.C. Breen Construction Inc. as a potentially liable party for the contamination.
Since then, Breen Construction has agreed to find the source of the contamination on its 151 Labree Road property.
GeoEngineers Inc., a consulting company hired by Breen Construction, began excavating the property last Thursday, temporarily stopping after finding the three barrels.
Project Manager Bill Halbert said the barrels' contents look like "paint sludge."
The barrels were found by using radar and a magnetic detector, Halbert said, adding it is unlikely more barrels exist on the property.
In the 1980's barrels were rumored to have disappeared off the company's property at the same time a large pit was dug and filled.
Since then, Bulldog Trailer Manufacturing was built over the site where the barrels were found.
"At this point," Halbert said, "we are still in an investigation phase."
Ecology Public Information Manager Sandy Howard described the underground contamination as a "smoke plume"
"We're just still trying to figure out where the plume is and where it's coming from," Howard said.
GeoEngineers will collect soil and water samples from the entire property to try to determine whether other signs of the contaminant exist on the property.
"We need to finish the phase of investigation that we're in before we begin cleanup," Halbert said.
GeoEngineers must first develop a plan for removing and cleaning the area near the barrels for Ecology's review and comment before they may begin the cleanup phase.
"It's not going to happen tomorrow," Halbert said, "but it will happen in the next few weeks."
So far, Halbert said, the company plans to pump the contents of the barrels before taking them out of the soil.
"It needs to be done very delicately because we don't want to disturb them and cause any more contamination," Howard said. "It's a very specific, methodical cleanup process."
If enough evidence is found that the Breen property is a source of the contamination, Ecology will negotiate with Breen Construction to test the ground water downstream of the property-
GeoEngineers would then produce a draft feasibility study on cleaning up any further contamination. It would be available for public review and comment. if the plan is found acceptable, it would then be implemented, and cleanup of the area would begin.
Clay soil on the property restricts movement of ground water - and of the contamination - to a certain extent, Halbert added.
Farther south of the Breen Construction property, higher levels of PCE were found that could be linked to the property's contamination.
"If we don't find any sources,' Halbert said, 'that means it has to be coming from someplace else."
If the sources on the Breen property are not found, GeoEngineers must demonstrate the contaminant may be coming onto the Breen property from
another source.
It's just really preliminary to say where it's coming from," Howard said.
"It's likely that there are multiple sources," she added. "The big thing that we would like to convey is we're actually making some progress."
PCE levels as high as 3,750 parts per billion were found in nearby wells in 1997. The federal drinking water maximum is five parts per billion.
PCE is known to cause dizziness, nerve and liver damage, as well as cancer. Howard said neighbors who are near the high levels of PCE have been contacted and are aware of the situation.
Mai Ling Slaughter covers municipal government for The Chronicle. She can be reached by telephoning 807-8237 or by e-mail at news@chronline.com
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