Washington Widens Search For Tacoma Smelter Pollution

Department of Ecology names Asarco as a potentiallly liable party for contamination.

 

The state of Washington Department of Ecology is widening its search for arsenic and lead from the closed Tacoma copper smelter into Thurston and Kitsap counties.

Besides new testing in Thurston and Kitsap soils, Ecology also will test soils in Seattle, parts of northern King County, on the Gig Harbor Peninsula and parts of Pierce County.

Marian Abbett, Ecology's project manager for the Tacoma smelter studies, said the soil studies will help authorities better understand where the borders of the contamination are.

"We expect to find fairly low concentrations of arsenic and lead because the boundary of contamination will be some distance from the original smelter stack in Ruston," Abbett said.

Ecology and local health departments will ask permission to sample soils on sites that have not been disturbed since the smelter began operating in the 1890s. These areas include forested areas and older residential properties.

Undisturbed sites are the most likely to show contamination from the smelter, if there is going to be any, Abbett said.

In a related development, the DEO has formally named Asarco Inc. as a "potentially liable person" (PLP) for the widespread soil contamination, based on information gathered in previous soil studies.  Small amounts of other metals found in soil studies trace the contamination to Asarco's Tacoma smelter.

The PLP status does not imply guilt.

"If Asarco accepts this status, it can help the state with a more efficient and effective response," Abbett said.

Abbett added that Ecology has not specifically determined what Asarco might have to do to address the soil contamination, but likely will ask the company to support long-term public education efforts.

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