The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently proposed a draft cleanup plan for the Wyckoff-Eagle Harbor Superfund Site on Bainbridge Island, Washington, at which the beach, soil and groundwater are contaminated with creosote and other related chemicals.
The site, which was added to the national Superfund cleanup list in 1987, is the former site of a Wyckoff wood treating facility. The agency has since employed several cleanup actions to keep the contamination from moving into Eagle Harbor, but these actions cost approximately $800,000 a year and would take an estimated 100 years to fully meet cleanup goals.
The recently proposed plan will take at least 10 years and will cost between $71 million and $81 million, 90 percent of which is to be paid by the federal government with the remaining 10 percent paid by Washington.
The plan proposes mixing reagents like cement into the soil with the highest levels of contaminants, more than 50 feet underground, which will prevent the contamination from traveling. Amongst other measures, the agency will also new groundwater wells to speed up the natural breakdown of contaminants and spread a layer of clean soil over existing soil along with a new concrete perimeter wall.
The agency recently hosted a public hearing on the plan on Bainbridge Island, and all documents related to the plan can be found at the Bainbridge Public Library and at the EPA Superfund Records Center in Seattle Washington. Those interested in submitting public comments can do so until May 31.
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