Public given chance to comment on landfill cleanup

EPHRATA - The Washington State Department of Ecology announced the public has a chance to participate in the cleanup process for the Grant County landfill, located in Ephrata.

A public participation plan was completed by the Department of Ecology, Grant County and the City of Ephrata.

According to Ecology, Grant County owns the 125-acre landfill, where drums of buried industrial waste are believed to be adding to the contamination of the site.

"We think they probably are and I can't say positively that that's been established," said Department of Ecology Site Manager Cole Carter.

Approximately 2,000 drums were buried in 1975, according to Department of Ecology documents. The City of Ephrata owned the landfill until 1974, when the county took ownership, according to the documents.

Carter said the cleanup involves removing the drums and contaminated soil.

Opportunities for public involvement include joining the mailing list and contacting individuals involved with the project for information, commenting on documents during public comment periods and going to meetings about the cleanup, according to the public participation plan.

Carter said grants are available from the state to groups interested in hiring their own experts.

Grant County Public Works Director Derek Pohle said four major activities are being conducted at the old site of 40 acres. The 2,000 drums are being removed, an impermeable cover being placed over the garbage in the old cell to prevent surface water from penetrating the garbage and trickling into groundwater, shallow aquifers are being cleaned and an investigation is being conducted below the landfill's surface to determine if any other steps are needed.

Activities are part of a voluntary agreed order between the county, city and state, Pohle said.

The cost of the activities is expected to cost $7 million to $8 million, he said. The city and county are eligible for 75 percent of the costs to be covered by the state with a cleanup grant, he said.

The old cell containing the drums has not been in use since 2004, Pohle said.

For more information, contact Carter Cole at 509-981-5948, Derek Pohle at 509-754-6084 or Ephrata City Administrator Wes Crago at 509-754-4601.

The public participation plan can be viewed at Ephrata City Library, 45 Alder St. N.W.