The Port of Seattle announced on Wednesday (April 29) that it would remove or contain contaminated soil and sediment on its property at the former Lora Lake Apartments in Burien and nearby at Sea-Tac Airport in SeaTac under revisions to a proposed legal agreement between the port and the Washington Department of Ecology. Ecology is gathering public comments on the proposal and related documents through June 17, 2015, and will hold a public meeting on Wednesday, May 13 to explain and answer questions about the draft plan. Proposed cleanup plan The draft agreement, called a consent decree, and cleanup plan reflect public comments Ecology received on earlier proposals, issued in 2013. Work under the revised proposal would begin in 2017. The contamination came from industrial activities that pre-dated construction of the apartment complex, later purchased by the airport as part of a safety zone for the Third Runway. Lora Lake is an artificial lake where groundwater filled a former peat mine. The proposal divides the cleanup – to be overseen by Ecology – into three parts and includes these actions:
- Former apartment complex:Remove highly contaminated soil for disposal, place a cap (such as pavement) over less-contaminated areas and place a deed restriction to protect the cap and limit future use of the property to commercial activities.
- Lora Lake:Fill the lake with clean soil to contain contaminated sediment, while re-establishing a former wetland that will protect water quality in Miller Creek, which passes nearby. Also, in response to public comments, remove a small area of lightly contaminated soil just west of Lora Lake, and adopt additional technical details for long term post-cleanup monitoring of this area.
- Dredged material containment area:Use pavement or gravel to cover contaminated sediment deposited on airport property from a past dredging of Lora Lake, with a deed restriction to maintain this cover. This cover would also include low-level contaminated soil expected to be removed from the apartment complex site. Also, in response to public comments, use a corrected map to ensure that this area is outside the creek’s 100-year flood plain boundary.
- The agreement, called a consent decree, to be filed in King County Superior Court.
- A cleanup action plan, to be filed as part of the consent decree.
- An environmental review, called a mitigated determination of non-significance, conducted by Ecology under the State Environmental Policy Act.
- Additional information on Lora Lake Apartments site and the draft cleanup action plan is available on an Ecology fact sheet.
- Ecology’s website
- Burien Public Library 400 SW 152nd St., 206-243-3490
- Ecology’s regional office in Bellevue – by appointment, 425-649-7190– 3190 160th Ave. SE
- Wednesday, May 13, 6 to 9 p.m.
- Open house begins at 6 p.m., presentation begins at 7 p.m., followed by questions and answers.
- Highline School District ERAC Building, 15675 Ambaum Blvd. SW, Burien
“The contamination came from industrial activities that pre-dated construction of the apartment complex …” Which industrial activities? Which company? What kind, what was the contamination?
It was a wrecking yard.
Thank you Shelly!
Industrial barrel cleaning also took place around there from previous articles I have read, maybe even some creosote work I think. Tasty killers.
1940s and 1950s, the site was used for cleaning barrels that had contained chemicals. From about mid-1950’s to 1981, the site was used for auto wrecking. A developer purchased the site during the 1980s, and in 1987 built the Lora Lake Apartments. In 1998, the Port of Seattle (Port) bought the site, part of which was required for Sea-Tac Airport’s Third Runway Protection Zone, where residences are prohibited. Six of the apartment buildings were within the Runway Protection Zone. These buildings were demolished in 2007. The remaining buildings were demolished in 2009. The portion of the site that was not required for the Runway Protection Zone is slated to be redeveloped.
Former activities at the site released hazardous chemicals into the environment including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, petroleum products, pentachlorophenol, dioxins/furans, lead, and arsenic.