Grant County cleanup plan released
Courtesy photo/U.S. Environmental Protection AgencyFederal government contractors working for the EPA and the Corps of Engineers are shown in 2004 digging a trench as part of soil testing in Grant County. The soil tests were done before the proposed clean-up plan was released.
MOSES LAKE - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is accepting public comments until March 7 on a $31 million proposal to clean up a solvent-contaminated area near the former Larson Air Force Base.
The groundwater and soil contamination came from trichlorethylene, or TCE, and happened in the 1950s or 1960s, said Joseph Gavinski, Moses Lake's city manager.
TCE is a solvent used to strip paint from airplanes, wash airplane parts and clean missile parts, according to the EPA.
No one has reported becoming ill from the TCE in Grant County, however, the clean-up is being proposed because over the long term, people could experience kidney or liver problems or cancer, said Dennis Faulk, a project manager with the EPA.
The site includes about 1,000 acres of groundwater, starts beneath the former Larson Air Force Base and reaches about four miles toward Moses Lake, according to the EPA.
The Grant County International Airport and the Cascade Valley are also among the affected area. Several thousand residents using a mix of city water and many using domestic wells live there, Faulk said.
The contamination was found in the late 1980s, said Suzanne Skadowski, an EPA spokesperson.
The current proposal was the result of Moses Lake suing the federal government about three years ago over the cleanup, Gavinski said.
The EPA and the Corps of Engineers were stopped from releasing an earlier and less expensive version of the clean-up plan until the city could have more input.
The cost of the new proposal is about $7 million more than the old version, said Dennis Faulk, a project manager with the EPA.
The new version includes removing contaminated soil instead of placing a soil cover over the sites, he said.
If the new plan goes forward, cleanup could start in about two years and the federal government would pay for the bulk of the work, Faulk said.
Today, he recommends TCE tests for new wells being installed within the proposed cleanup site.
He said the federal government will provide and install a carbon filter on well heads if TCE levels are four parts per billion or above.
For more information about the tests and filters, contact Faulk at faulk.dennis@epa.gov or 509-376-8631.
The residents in the highest contaminated area near the former base are using water from the City of Moses Lake, Gavinski said.
He said when the TCE was first found, the city rehabilitated its wells to remove the TCE.
"The city's always been concerned about the continued contamination in the aquifer," he said.
An open house about the proposal will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 16 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Big Bend Community College, 7611 Bolling St., Building 1800, Moses Lake.
A public meeting is set for Feb. 13 from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Big Bend where a presentation on the proposal will be given. People can also ask questions and provide comments about the plan.
Comments can also be mailed to Faulk at the EPA, 309 Bradley Blvd., Suite 115, Richland, Wash., 99352 or e-mailed to faulk.dennis@epa.gov.
The plan is available to read at Big Bend's library or online at
www.epa.gov/r10earth/ Click on "clean-up", then "Superfund."