EPA adds Washington’s Grain Handling Facility at Freeman to National Priorities List of Superfund Sites

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has added the Grain Handling Facility at Freeman, located in Washington’s Spokane County, to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites, according to an announcement released this week.

The site’s soil and groundwater from nearby wells -- including one that supplies the local school district -- are contaminated with carbon tetrachloride and chloroform, which was discovered during a 2013 EPA inspection.

“Ensuring that the health of students, teachers and workers in the Freeman School District was protected from groundwater contamination is the driving force behind making the Grain Handling Facility at Freeman a cleanup priority,” Rick Albright, director of the EPA Region 10 Office of Environmental Cleanup, said. “It is also important to protect our precious groundwater resources.”

The Washington State Departments of Ecology and Health, the Spokane Regional Health District and the Freeman School District have asked for the EPA’s involvement due to the site’s contamination, though the Department of Ecology will be undertaking upcoming studies on the site.

“The state is committed to protecting the community and cleaning up the contaminated soil and groundwater,” Ecology Toxics Cleanup Program Manager Jim Pendowski said. “Adding the site to the Superfund National Priorities List highlights how important it is to get the job done.”