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For Immediate Release PORT OF VANCOUVER, CITY TAKE STEPS TO STOP ILLEGAL SPILLS ON PORT WAY April 24, 2007 -- The Port of Vancouver USA, in partnership with the City of Vancouver, has taken steps to abate illegal dumping of vehicle fluids along Port Way. In order to reduce the number of illegal dumpings on the shoulder of Port Way, the port and city have placed concrete blocks along the shoulder of the road. Results have already been seen. “Since we put in the barriers in mid-April, there has been a significant drop in illegal dumping activity along Port Way,” said Patty Boyden, the port’s director of environmental services. “We’re spending money to take care of the environment, and this is just another example of how important it is to us to protect the soil and groundwater on and around our property. “The port has stepped up to find the solution to this environmental concern,” Boyden said, “and we thank the city and each of our partners for their help.” Before the placement of the concrete blocks – often used for security – customers bringing scrap vehicles to Pacific Coast Shredding would be turned away until fuel tanks were emptied. Many times, those people would puncture and empty the tanks on the roadside. In 2007 alone, there have been six recorded illegal dumping incidents. There were three in 2006. Since the concrete blocks were installed on April 11, there has been just one reported incident, on an access road belonging to BNSF Railway Company. Most of the fuel was contained and there was only a small amount of soil impacted. The offender was cited by Vancouver Police, and BNSF will chain off the access road. In 2007, the port has incurred nearly $7,000 in cost to dispose of gasoline contamination. Staff time, clean up and preventative efforts related to the illegal dumping incidents is additional. The port paid $13,114 for the concrete blocks, and the City of Vancouver off-loaded and placed the blocks along Port Way. The port will be seeking to share the cost of these improvements with benefiting and neighboring landowners and tenants. Port Way, because of its proximity to the port’s drinking water wells and the Columbia River, is an environmentally-sensitive area. The City of Vancouver’s Water Resources Protection Ordinance requires everyone follow minimum standards that help protect the critical aquifers underlying the entire city. The ordinance also establishes greater standards of compliance for businesses and industries that manage hazardous materials; creates special protection areas around the city’s water stations as an additional safeguard; and provides cost-effective solutions to businesses through technical assistance, education and public outreach. Additional information is available at www.cityofvancouver.us/waterprotection. The public is asked to help by reporting spills of oil or hazardous materials. If you know of an illicit discharge or accidental spill of something toxic onto the ground, into a stream or into a storm water drain, please note the location, substance and all other details you might have about the incident. Then contact one of the following resources, as appropriate. You may request that your name and other personal information be kept confidential. If you are unsure as to whether the materials are hazardous, please call so the concern can be investigated. To report spills or illicit discharge: • Department of Ecology Spill Line: (360) 407-6300 • Department of Ecology Oil Spills (Toll Free): 1-800-OILS-911 Please note: If the spill is more than 25 gallons, you MUST contact the Washington state Department of Ecology. • City of Vancouver Water Resources Protection Program: (360) 696-8008 • City of Vancouver After Hours/Emergencies Hotline: (before 7:30 a.m. and after 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday or on weekends): (360) 693-9302. * * * * * * * * The Port of Vancouver, USA, created by Clark County taxpayers in 1912, is one of the major ports on the Pacific Coast. Its competitive strengths include available land, versatile cargo handling capabilities, vast transportation networks, a dependable labor force and an exceptional level of service to its customers and community.
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