The City of Bothell will clean up soil and groundwater contamination at a former dry cleaning facility under a plan the state Department of Ecology proposes to adopt after a public comment period.
Ecology seeks public comment on the plan, plus a related legal agreement, site investigation report and other documents through Dec. 18.
Bothell acquired the former Bothell Service Center Simon & Son site at 18107 Bothell Way N.E. as part of the city’s Downtown Revitalization Plan. The 0.67-acre site lies in an area where State Route 522 was re-aligned at the south end of the downtown area.
Soil and groundwater around the site contains dry cleaning solvents at levels that require cleanup under Washington’s cleanup law, according to a press release. The city has evaluated the site under Ecology’s Voluntary Cleanup Program, but plans to conduct the final cleanup under a formal legal agreement called a consent decree.
The cleanup plan includes heating the solvent chemicals in the soil and groundwater in parts of the site and capturing and treating the gasses produced by the heat. Other underground areas would receive non-toxic nutrients to stimulate natural bacteria to feed on solvent chemicals in the groundwater and break them down into safe compounds.
People can comment on the following: A remedial investigation and feasibility study that evaluated the site’s contamination and cleanup options; a cleanup action plan that provides details on the soil and groundwater cleanup methods; a consent decree to be filed in King County superior court that describes the city’s agreement with Ecology on how it will conduct the cleanup; a State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) checklist and determination of non-significance, based on Ecology’s review of the environmental effects of the proposed cleanup action plan and an updated public participation plan for keeping the community informed about the site’s cleanup process and progress
The documents and other information about the site are available at: Ecology’s website, the Bothell Library (18215 98th Ave. N.E.), Bothell City Hall lobby (18415 101st Ave. N.E.) and Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office (3190 160th Ave. S.E. in Bellevue), by appointment: (425) 649-7190 or sally.perkins@ecy.wa.gov.
A fact sheet on the proposed cleanup is available in English and Spanish.
