Brownfields Update for the Pacific Northwest

Our Washington story this month features an old Brownfields site at the Yakima airport that recently was cleaned up. Although it was discovered soon after the initiation of the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology) Toxics Cleanup Program, it was idle for years until recent legislative changes made Ecology funding of the cleanup possible. The project illustrates it is never too late to find collaborative ways to invest public dollars in Brownfields redevelopment.

Richardson Airways operated an aerial pesticide spraying business at the Yakima airport from the mid-1950s to the mid-1990s. Spray equipment was washed in an area where much chemical contamination accumulated.

After Ecology’s Toxic Cleanup Program staff learned of the potential problem, they conducted site investigations for several years beginning in 1989.  Although soil and groundwater sampling revealed several pesticides in the soil at levels above the state’s cleanup standards, they did not find any groundwater contamination.  However, restrictions on the amount of allowable state funding kept Ecology from being involved in the needed cleanup.

The site, at the end of an abandoned runway, remained idle for over a decade, interrupting traffic flow and business activities in the area. A restrictive covenant was placed on the site to control exposure to the contamination until remediation could take place.

The turning point occurred in 2007 when the Washington Legislature expanded state policy governing how Remedial Action Grant (RAG) funds can be used. The new policy allows Ecology to fund up to 90% of a site’s remediation costs in cases where local funding would cause severe economic distress. Typically, Ecology funds cleanups at the 50% level.

The possibility of additional funding started a dialogue between Ecology and the city of Yakima in 2008. Ecology ultimately agreed to provide 90% of the necessary funding. The city and Yakima County would share the remaining cost. Ecology understood that cleaning up the site could lead to increased economic activity since the site was impeding redevelopment in the airport area. Also, the city would have had to divert its scarce funds from other priorities to pay more for the remediation. Ecology decided the added investment was a worthy use of RAG funding.

The cleanup was a straightforward dig-and-haul process. Fortunately, the quantity of contaminated soil was less than anticipated and contamination levels were low enough so that the material could be disposed at the local Yakima landfill. Transportation costs increased the overall cost as fuel prices increased substantially during the project’s duration, but the local disposal savings offset the increase. The final cleanup bill was approximately $400,000.

This Brownfields cleanup project is part of a larger plan to enhance the potential of the Yakima Air Terminal for economic development that will benefit the entire Yakima area. The next step is a development plan. Already, private hangars adjoining the property are fully booked; this is considered a good sign for the development potential of the property.

The success of the project illustrates how coordination among the city, county and Ecology achieved the dual purpose of completing a needed e cleanup and advancing important state-local relationships. It also has contributed to community wellbeing and illustrates the value of cooperative problem-solving and financing to pay for needed economic development projects.

For more information contact:

Doug Mayo, City Engineer
City of Yakima
509-576-6678
dmayo@ci.yakima.wa.us