The bankrupt Kaiser Aluminum Corp. has reached a proposed settlement with the Washington Department of Ecology, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and other interests to continue protecting the public and environment from cyanide and fluoride contamination at the company's closed aluminum smelter in Mead.
The proposed $20 million settlement is the result of negotiations over the past year. If there are no significant changes after public comment, the agreement will be filed with the bankruptcy court in Delaware, and Kaiser will be released from further liability for cleanup costs under both federal and state cleanup laws.
The site was contaminated by runoff from piles of spent potliner (the corroded material that is removed from steel shells or "pots" that hold
molten aluminum). The potliner waste already has been consolidated into one pile and covered with an armored, double-lined cap to avoid further spread of the contamination. Leaking water pipes surrounding the consolidated pile have been repaired to further protect water beneath the site.
Under the authority of the state's Model Toxics Control Act, Ecology had been working with the company on a plan for cleaning up the site before Kaiser declared bankruptcy.