Boeing Field and Georgetown Steam Plant Cleanup

Did you get a flyer in the mail from Washington State Department of Ecology? Is it buried under a pile of junk mail?

This isn't exactly sexy and exciting, but important none the less. The state Department of Ecology has announced that the site investigation documents are available for public review, and a public meeting will be held in Georgetown on September 18th. For the full text of the excerpt below, go to the DOE's website:

The [Georgetown Steam Plant] GTSP was built by the Seattle Electric Company in 1906 to provide power during periods of high use. In 1912, Puget Sound Power and Light Company bought Seattle Electric Company. Use of the GTSP decreased after 1912. When built, the GTSP was next to the Duwamish River. When the river was straightened in 1916 to form the Duwamish Waterway, the GTSP flume was constructed to carry cooling water to Slip 4. A condenser pit under the powerhouse connects to an underground concrete tunnel that discharges into the GTSP flume (Flume). The Flume extends for about 0.4 miles into the head of Slip 4. Cooling water discharges ended in the 1960s when the GTSP was shut down. In 1951, the city of Seattle bought the GTSP and now owns the 7.29-acre property that contains the powerhouse and property next to the Flume. Seattle City Light will be demolishing the Flume and replacing it with a closed piping system in the summer of 2008.

Most of the 130-acre NBF property is leased by the Boeing Company from King County. The Boeing Company leases a few acres on either side of the Flume from the city of Seattle. The Boeing Company also owns a parcel that includes a NBF building and a lot next to it used for parking. The Boeing Company has operated at NBF since the 1940s; yet there are few historical records on site operations before the 1970s. Many buildings have been built and torn down over the years. This makes it hard to track operations in detail. Currently there are about 80 buildings on NBF. NBF has a complex storm drain system that includes over 400 catch basins, 400 manholes, up to 16 oil water separators and lift stations, parking lot ditches, and roof drains. The system connects with seven to eight miles of piping ranging from four to 48 inches in diameter. Stormwater from the Flume and NBF flows into Slip 4. Slip 4 is part of the Lower Duwamish Waterway (LDW) Superfund site.

Also, from the Environmental News Website:

A public review and comment period on the agreement runs through Sepember 26, 2008.

The Washington state Department of Ecology will host a public meeting on the proposed site investigation on September 18, 2008, at the South Seattle Community College Duwamish Campus at 6737 Corson Ave. S. An open house will begin at 6 pm, followed by a presentation at 6:30 pm. Representatives of Ecology, the city, county, Boeing and the U.S. EPA will be available to answer questions.

If you wish to review the documents in advance (pack a lunch), there are two locations: the South Park Library, 8604 8th Ave S (at Cloverdale), and the WA State Department of Ecology central file location, 3190 160th Ave SE, in Bellevue by appointment only, 425.649.7190 .

There are tons of background documents link from the DOE website, so they didn't get included here. If you have comments to submit in advance of the public meeting, the info is: Mark Edens, Site Manager; WA Department of Ecology Toxics Cleanup Program, 3190 160th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA, 98008, 425.649.7070