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EPA and the Port of Seattle Reach Soil Sampling Settlement at South Park’s Terminal 117 Superfund Cleanup Site

Release Date: 10/17/2005
Contact Information: Ravi Sanga
[email protected]
(206) 553-4092

October 17, 2005


The Port of Seattle has agreed to perform extensive soil sampling in the 3-acre upland portion of the area known as Terminal 117, which is part of the Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund site. The terminal is located in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood.

Under the order signed today, the Port has agreed to conduct sampling across the entire property. This past fall, the Port completed soil sampling for PCBs (polychlorinated biphenyls) at the northern part of Terminal 117. The samples taken under
today’s order will be analyzed for more chemicals than just PCBs, including petroleum byproducts and metals.

According to Dan Opalski, EPA cleanup office director in Seattle, today’s settlement will help move the investigation forward quickly.

“We’re very pleased that the Port agreed to take a closer look at the whole upland area based on recent sampling results,” said Opalski. “This will lead to a clean up of the most contaminated areas next summer.”

Results from recent Port sampling activity at Terminal 117 ranged from 500 to 1600 parts per million. The new soil sampling is anticipated to start this winter. Based on the results, the Port will recommend ways to manage and clean up this soil in 2006, under EPA authority. Higher PCB contamination in the top of the river bank is expected to be cleaned up this summer along with the soil.

Cleanup of the contaminated mud and other areas will occur in 2007.

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Related Links:

Lower Duwamish Superfund Site: T-117 project (yosemite.epa.gov/R10/CLEANUP.NSF/LDW/Terminal+117)

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