Region 10 1200 Sixth Avenue Seattle WA 98101 Alaska Idaho Oregon Washington Oct 9,1997 Superfund Fact Sheet Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Bainbridge Island, Washington West Harbor Cleanup In Final Stages It's A Wrap-Up! Cleanup at the West Harbor portion of the Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site is almost finished, as contractors for PACCAR, Inc. (one of the parties responsible for cleanup) put finishing touches on the project. The West Harbor cleanup project began early this summer and included the excavation and stabilization of upland soils contaminated with heavy metals, and the construction of a tidal barrier around an old landfill. Contaminated sediments dredged from the harbor were disposed in a one-acre, confined disposal facility (CDF) that was constructed in a near-shore area of the site. This cleanup remedy was selected in an Amended Record of Decision (ROD) for the West Harbor, which can be found at the Information Repositories listed on the back of this fact sheet. The containment cell will be monitored on a long-term basis by the Washington State Department of Transportation, current owners of the property. Following removal of sediments beneath the Washington State Ferries (WSF) dock, contractors built the CDF berm using clean soil that was barged to the site from Canada. A liner was placed on the bottom of the CDF and sediments removed from under the dock were carefully placed into the CDF. A thick layer of buffer material was placed over the sediments before the CDF was capped with asphalt. Upland areas of the site were graded (i.e. materials moved around, added, or compacted to create a slope towards the drainage system) and drain pipes, catch basins, and outfalls were put into place. A layer of gravel was placed on top of the graded site and compacted as a base layer for the asphalt. The asphalt was placed on top of that, including the footpath, and the site will be fenced with a six-foot-high, green chain-link fence. There are a few minor items to be completed before the contractor's work is done, such as installing parameter fencing, and sweeping and cleaning Harborview drive and the entrance to Harborview Condominiums. Contractors also placed a sand cap over approximately 8-acres of harbor sediments located near the WSF maintenance facility. After the sediment cap was completed, EPA reviewed post-cap survey data, which showed a small number of isolated "thin spots". The capping contractor, General Construction, remobilized and "patched" the thin areas to EPA's satisfaction in mid-September. Once Washington State Ferries (WSF) gets the go-ahead, they will start to use the area for staging equipment and employee parking. The WSF will begin annual inspections, maintenance, and monitoring of the completed work later this year. Next Summer the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) will plant about .6 acres of eelgrass immediately west of the CDF. Under law, EPA is required to compensate for lost habitat during a cleanup action and a Habitat Mitigation Plan was a part of the 1996 ROD. In addition to planting eelgrass, earlier this year WSDOT constructed a 2-acre estuarine salt marsh habitat at the South Bainbridge Estuarine Wetland and Stream Restoration Site near Lynwood Center. In order to resemble habitat that was lost during construction of the CDF, the outer walls of the CDF are being enhanced with a layer of gravel material that is designed to provide a favorable habitat for mussels and barnacles. Habitat Mitigation/Stream Restoration ------- Upcoming soon.. .Be on the lookout for EPA's proposed cleanup alternatives (The Proposed Plan) for the cleanup of soils and groundwater at the former WyckoffWood Treatment facility. EPA 's Proposed Plan will be out the end of this month for public comment and review. EPA will also be holding a public meeting during the comment period and your input is needed. More information from EPA will be on the way soon. For questions, please call Nancy Wilson, EPA Community Relations Coordinator at (206) 553-1237. Site History The former Wyckoff wood-treating facility, located at the mouth of Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island, forms part of the Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund site. The facility operated as a wood-treating operation from 1903 until 1988. As a result of these wood-treatment operations, surface and subsurface soils at the facility, and groundwater beneath the facility have been severely contaminated with *creosote and *pentachlorophenol. Bottom sediments in much of Eagle Harbor are contaminated with chemicals from wood-treating and shipyard operations. These sediments are toxic to marine organisms. A public health advisory is currently in effect recommending against eating fish and shellfish harvested from the Harbor. Currently, there are four cleanup projects at different areas of the site: Groundwater cleanup and source control at the formerWyckoff wood-treatment facility Soil cleanup at the former Wyckoff facility West Harbor source control and sediment cleanup East Harbor sediment cleanup ^^Creosot^^lassffie^^^ol^^li^Aromati^H^Dcaiboi^PA^^PAH^^chemicainha^^foun^urin^^^^ incomplete burning of coal, gas, or other organic substances. PAHs can occur in the air, attached to dust particles, or in soil as soilds. Studies in animals have shown that PAHs can cause harmful effects on skin (tumors), blood, immune system and reproduction. These effects have not been reported in humans, however, long-term inhalation and skin exposure to mixtures containing PAHs have been associated with cancer in humans. * Pentachlorophenal: "Penta" does not occur naturally in the environment. Penta generally comes from releases from factories, wood treatment facilities or hazardous waste sites. Short term exposure to humans can cause harmful affects to the liver, kidneys, skin, blood, lungs, nervous system and can cause death. Long-term exposure to low levels of Penta can also cause damage to the liver, kidneys, blood an4 nervous system. EPA has classified Penta as a probable cancer causing agent in humans. Penta can enter the body through lungs as an air pollutant, through the digestive tract .after eating contaminated food or water or through the skin. What is the Information Repository??? The Administrative Record is a file that contains all information used by EPA to make its decisions on cleanup actions from the beginning of the site's history. A copy of the Administrative Record is available for public review and should be housed in a location near the site, known as the Information Repository. For many years, the Bainbridge Island Library was the Information Repository for the site; however, due to limited space at the library, EPA can only keep the most current documents and plans at the Bainbridge Island Public Library, not the entire Site File. The Bainbridge Island Public Library is located at 1270 Madison Avenue North. If the library does not have the document you need, feel free to call Nancy Wilson, EPA Community Relations Coordinator, at 1-206-553-1237 to get a copy. The Site File can still be viewed at the EPA Records Center in Seattle . The Site Files for Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor are kept at the EPA Records Center, 7th floor, 1200 6th Avenue, Seattle. To make an appointment to review the Administrative Record, call 1-206- 553-4494 or Nancy Wilson, EPA Community Relations Coordinator, at 1-206-553-1237. ------- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION? If you have questions about West and East Harbor, please contract'-. Ellen Hale, EPA Project Manager, (200)553-1215. If you need further assistance or more information regarding Wyckoff/Eagle Harbor Superfund Site, call: Nancy Wilson, EPA Community Relations Coordinat-or, (2O0) 553-1237. For -those with impaired hearing or speech, please coirtact EPA's •telecommunications device for -the hearing impaired (TDD) at (200)553-1093. To ensure effective communication with everyone, additional services can be made available to persons with disabilities by contacting one of the EPA staff listed on the last page or call toll free at 1-0OO-4-24--4-372. Check out our Internet Homepage at http://www.epa.gov/r10earfch/ for information and news about Superfund, watershed protection, endangered species protection, pesticides and toxics and much more. Web Surfing for Superfund United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 10(ECO-081) 1200 Sixth Avenue Seattle WA 98101 ------- |