Join EPA and the Washington State Department of Ecology Bainbridge Island, Washington December 2012 The Wyckoff/'Eagle Harbor Superfund Site cleanup is important for Bainbridge Island and our region. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Washington State Department of Ecology would like to share information on progress made at the site, and about future work. You're Invited to a Public Meeting An informal Open House/Poster Session will be held from 6:00 - 6:30 p.m. Drop by any time to view displays. EPA and Ecology staff will be available to answer your questions. Beginning at 6:30, EPA and Ecology staff will give presentations about the site, followed by a question and answer period. Come Learn About: • Brief history of the site • Results of monitoring of the sediment caps in Eagle Harbor • Results of EPA's third Five-Year Review for the entire site • Progress on potential options for cleaning up remaining contamination along beach areas on the east and north portions of the site Where: Strawberry Hill Center 7666 High School Road Northeast Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 When; December 11, 2012 Time: 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. Ecology's Generational Remedy Evaluation Report, a study of possible solutions to remove and treat site contaminants beneath the Point EPA's progress on the "Focused Feasibility Study" to evaluate cleanup alternatives for the East Beach and North Shoal Areas, and for the Point Schedule for completion and future opportunities for public comment on key decision documents Different Cleanup Approaches — Some History EPA and Ecology share a common interest in addressing the challenging issues posed by the Wyckoff/'Eagle Harbor site. Since 2000, EPA has completed a great deal of work at the site. To date, over $150 million has been spent on cleanup activities, including building a new groundwater treatment plant and installing a sheet pile wall around the most contaminated area of the site. EPA believes the risks to people's health and the environment from the site are under control, and that the site is stable and will continue to be with ongoing groundwater treatment. Ecology has concerns with EPA's containment remedy for the former Wyckoff process area. The main concerns are: p The long-term environmental consequences of leaving large amounts of mobile contamination beneath the former process area, given its sensi- tive location on the shores of Puget Sound, and p The financial and logistical burden placed on the State and Bainbridge Island community. Costs to operate and maintain the containment remedy in perpetuity could require hundreds of millions of dollars. Continued next page & ------- Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site Cleanup Public Information Meeting Different Cleanup Approaches—Some History Continued Due to their concerns, in September 2009, Ecology began a generational remedy evaluation to study other solutions that would reduce site contaminants. Members of the Bainbridge Island community were involved in the evaluation, and a workshop of technical experts was held to present possible cleanup ideas. The evaluation was finished in August 2010, and results presented in the Wyckoff Generational Remedy Evaluation Report. A New Look at Source Removal EPA is taking Ecology's concerns into consideration to evaluate permanent solutions for the site. The agency is taking a new look at options for source removal, mean- ing removing large amounts of mobile contamination. This includes treatment for contaminants beneath the Wyckoff former process area. EPA believes that source removal plays an important role in the cleanup in that it removes the principle threats to people's health and the environment posed by the site. In addition, source removal and treatment technologies have advanced, and the agency is hopeful treatment may work to help clean up the site. The Path Forward: At this time, epa and Ecology believe we can work together on a positive path forward for the Wyckoff cleanup and move toward an effective remedy that includes source removal. Both agencies want a technically sound and cost effective cleanup that protects Bainbridge Island people and the environment, as well as the larger Puget Sound region, for many years to come. Results of the evaluation of source removal options will be used to propose a long- term cleanup plan for public comment. Once public comment on the cleanup plan is received, EPA will select a cleanup option which will be documented in an amended Record of Decision. Site Background The Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site is on the east side of Bainbridge Island, Washington, in central Puget Sound. It encompasses the former Wyckoff wood-treating facility (operated from 1903-1988), a former shipyard, and roughly 500 acres of contami- nated sediments located next to these former facilities in Eagle Harbor. The site is divided into four program work areas called "operable units." The four operable units are: West Harbor, East Harbor, Soil, and Groundwater. In the past, creosote, oil, and other wood-treatment chemicals were used at the site. These chemicals have left high levels of polyaromatic hydrocarbons, pentachlorophenol, and dioxins in soil, groundwater, and in seeps on beaches next to the site. These contaminants are at the site in three forms: dissolved contaminants, liquid lighter than water (light non-aqueous phase liquid), and liquid heavier than water (dense non-aqueous phase liquid). The most severe contamination is found in the upper aquifer groundwater underneath the site's former process area. There is also a lower aquifer at the site, separated from the upper aquifer by a clay layer, called an aquitard. The lower aquifer has lower concentrations of contaminants than the upper aquifer. The aquitard reduces movement of groundwater. The Eagle Harbor sediments were also polluted with organic compounds from the wood treating operations, along with heavy metals such as mercury, lead, copper, and zinc from shipyards. 2 ------- Wyckojf/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site Cleanup Public Information Meeting City of Bai abridge Island Eagle Harbor WEST HARBOR OU WYCKOFF ROUNDWATER OU Property Line Rockaway Beach EAST HARBOR OU WYCKOFF SOIL OU Bated For More In Howard Or lean, EPA Project Manager 800-424-4372 ext. 2851 orlean.howard@epa.gov Chung Ki Yee, Ecology Project Manager 360-407-6991 cyee461@ecy.wa.gov Find Site Documents View technical documents, fact sheets and other documents related to the cleanup: Online, visit: yosemite.epa.gov/ rlO/cleanup.nsf/ sites/wyckoff If you wish to see the documents firsthand, go to: EPA Superfund Records Center Toll-free: 800-424-4372 ext. 4494 1200 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101 Call for an appointment Bainbridge Public Library 1270 Madison Avenue Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 206-842-4162 Call for hours If you would like to be added to the Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site mailing list to receive updates on site activities, contact Debra Sherbina at sher- bina.debra@epa.gov or 800-424-4372, ext. 0247. If you received this fact sheet directly, you are already on the mailing list. 3 ------- DEPARTMENT OF ECOLOGY State of Washington 1200 Sixth Avenue, Suite 900, ETPA-081 Seattle, Washington 98101-3140 December 2012 vvEPA United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site Cleanup Public Information Meeting ¦ Look Inside for • You're invited to a public meeting Dec. 11 • Different cleanup approaches — some history • A new look at source removal Printed on 100% recycled paper ------- |