&EPA Boeing Plant 2, Seattle, Washington U.S.Environmental Protection Agency, Region 10 September 2004 Boeing Plant 2 Cleanup Progressing The investigation and cleanup of hazardous waste contamination is progressing at the Boeing Company's Plant 2, located on East Marginal Way near Boeing Field in Seattle. Past operations at the facility have contaminated soil and groundwater, as well as Duwamish Waterway sediments. If you would like to receive updates on the cleanup, please fill out and mail in the form on the back page of this fact sheet. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) jointly oversee the cleanup, which Boeing is doing under RCRA (the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act). The work is required by a 1994 Administrative Order on Consent, a legal agreement between Boeing and EPA. What Is Happening This Year Boeing has had several major cleanup activities under way this year at Plant 2: ~ Removing solvents from groundwater near Building 2-66 ~ Investigating contamination from Seattle City Light transformers ~ Sampling Duwamish Waterway sediment at and upstream of Plant 2 ~ Quarterly monitoring of shoreline groundwater ~ Sampling soil and groundwater in the upland area Removing Solvents from Groundwater near Building 2-66 In March 2004, Boeing began operating a system that is removing solvents from groundwater near Building 2-66 The solvent removal system is located within a metal enclosure that extends about 50 feet below the ground surface. (See photo.) This structure has largely prevented groundwater contaminated with the solvent trichloroeth- ylene (TCE) from spreading farther. Boeing had stored TCE in a tank near Building 2-66 and used it in the manufacture of airplane parts. (continued on page 2) This metal enclosure has limited the spread of contaminated groundwater at Boeing Plant 2, ------- Boeing Plant 2 Cleanup September 2004 Removing Solvents from Groundwater (continued) The solvent removal system uses two methods, soil-vapor extraction and air stripping, to remove solvents and their breakdown products from beneath the ground surface. Soil-vapor extraction uses a vacuum to remove the gases that form when chemicals evaporate under- ground. Air stripping uses air to make chemicals evaporate faster, and then removes the gases. In both methods, the solvents are also captured and treated, so the contaminants are not released into the air. The removal system is expected to operate for three to five years, while final cleanup actions for the area near Building 2-66 are evaluated. Boeing is hwestigating PCBs released from transformers in the southwest corner of the Plant 2 site. Investigating Contamination from Seattle City Light Transformers In January 2004, Boeing completed the first part of an investigation of poly- chlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that they had found near Seattle City Light transformers in the southwest corner of Plant 2. (See map of plant, right.) The investigation indicated that PCBs are present in the soil in the area close to the transformer pad. PCBs appear to have also gone through the storm water system directly to the sediment in the Duwamish Waterway. Later this year, Boeing will complete the second part of the investigation of the Seattle City Light transformer area. This work will further define the extent of the contamination from the transformer area in soil, groundwater, and sediment. This work will also provide information needed to plan the cleanup of the contamination. The transformers have been removed from Plant 2. Boeing Plant 2 2-66 > ^"r Sheet Pile / §8 " DSOA ^ 7 SCL Duwamish Waterway Transformer Area -2 ------- Boeing Plant 2 Cleanup September 2004 Sampling Duwamish Waterway Sediment at and Upstream of Plant 2 In April 2004, Boeing sampled sediment in areas directly in front and upstream of the Plant 2 Duwamish Sediments Other Area (DSOA) (See map on page 2). DSOA is the name used for the Duwamish Waterway sediment adjacent to Plant 2. During an earlier investigation, sampling had found significant levels of PCBs in this area. The April sampling results will provide information about the contamination distribution that is needed to design the sediment cleanup. The results will also be used to determine if there are other sources of PCBs, and to what extent the PCB contamination from Plant 2 has migrated upstream. Quarterly Monitoring of Shoreline Groundwater Boeing monitors the groundwater along the Duwamish shoreline by collecting quarterly samples from 29 wells. The most recently analyzed data, from May 2004, show that several contami- nants, including vinyl chloride, were found at concentrations above EPA's standards for surface water. The groundwater information collected during the monitoring will be used in evaluating cleanup alternatives for the area above the shoreline at Plant 2. Contamination sources in the upland area will be cleaned up to minimize pollution in the groundwater that flows into the Duwamish Water- way. The quarterly shoreline monitoring will continue for many years. Sampling Soil and Groundwater in the Upland Area Plans call for soil and groundwater sampling in the upland area to help select cleanup actions for the site. The field work to collect the necessary data will continue throughout the rest of 2004. How to Get More Information To learn more about the cleanup activities at Boeing Plant 2, please visit one of the information repositories listed below. They contain legal docu- ments, work plans, study reports and other materials. Tukwila City Hall Attn: Jack Pace 6200 Southcenter Blvd. Tukwila, WA 98188 206-431-3686 U.S. EPA Region 10 Library 1200 Sixth Avenue Seattle, WA 98101-9797 206-553-1289 You are also welcome to call or email us for more information: AnnaFilutowski EPA Proj ect Manager 206-553-5122 filutowski.anna@epa.gov Cindy C. Schuster Community Involvement Coordinator 206-553-1815 schuster.cindv@epa.gov For people with disabilities, if you have a special request for reasonable accommodation, please call Cindy Schuster at the number above. TTY users, please call the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339. -3 ------- United States Environmental Protection Agency 1200SixthAvenue, ECO-081 Seattle, WA 98101-1128 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Pre-Sorted Standard Postage and Fees Paid U.S. EPA Permit No. G-35 BOEING PLANT 2 CLEANUP FACT SHEET SEATTLE, WASHINGTON SEPTEMBER 2004 ~ Working with you for a better environment ~ If you would like to be added to the Boeing Plant 2 mailing list, or your address has changed, please fill out and send this form to Cindy C. Schuster, EPA Community Involvement Coordinator, 1200 Sixth Ave., ETPA-081, Seattle, WA98101. Former address (if changed)_ ------- |