The Washington Department of Ecology has ordered Asarco to remove the most highly contaminated soil from the five-acre site by Oct. 31. Asarco must remove an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 cubic yards of soil contaminated with 3,000 or more parts per million of arsenic.
The work getting under way is an interim cleanup intended to protect public health and the environment. It is expected to move on to final remediation under a series of separate agreements involving the DOE, Asarco, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Everett (Washington) Housing Authority and the city of Everett.
EHA is negotiating to purchase the fenced area and several adjacent properties from Asarco for residential redevelopment.
Two agreements between Ecology and EHA outline the responsibilities the housing agency would assume on purchasing the properties. One covers the fenced area and the other affects 15 Asarco-owned homes nearby.
A public comment period on the revision runs through July 15. Comments may be sent to David South at the Department of Ecology, 3190 160th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, Wash., 98008, or e-mailed to dsou461@ecy.wa.gov.
Details on the legal agreements and other current information on the Everett Smelter site are available on the Internet at http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/tcp/sites/asarco/es_main.html.