Cleanups

The port works closely with the Washington State Department of Ecology to ensure site cleanup activities are conducted in a timely manner and in accordance with the Model Toxic Control Act (MTCA), and other applicable laws and regulations. Ecology provides technical and regulatory oversight and shares the cost of investigation and cleanup under the Remedial Action Grants Program. The port is also committed to pursuing cost recovery from the industrial parties responsible for the contamination.

Learn about the POV-NuStar-Kinder Morgan cleanup.

Tenant Environmental Management Program

The port’s Tenant Environmental Management Program (TEMP) is a comprehensive and collaborative approach to minimizing environmental impacts associated with the port’s 50-plus industrial tenants. This award-winning program evaluates a potential tenant’s environmental needs prior to lease execution and continues throughout the lease term. TEMP helps protect port property by promoting responsible environmental practices, reducing risk, and helping avoid costly cleanups in the future.

Cadet and Swan Cleanup

The Port of Vancouver is providing this update of our progress to cleanup groundwater contamination in the vicinity of the Fruit Valley Neighborhood. We have been working under the oversight of the Washington State Department of Ecology (Ecology) to cleanup groundwater contamination associated with the Cadet Manufacturing and former Swan Manufacturing Company (Swan) sites. Groundwater cleanup has been very successful, and in 2024 the Port of Vancouver received Ecology approval to implement the final cleanup phase for these sites located near the Fruit Valley Neighborhood. The locations of these sites are shown below.

Background Information

Although contamination occurred many years before the Port owned the properties, cleanup of the Cadet and former Swan sites is a top priority for the Port of Vancouver. The contamination is related to the use of solvent-based cleaning products at the sites by previous operators. Cleanup has been ongoing with oversight from Ecology since 1998, and these efforts have been very successful.

Cleanup actions have included:

• Soil Cleanup
• Groundwater Cleanup
• Residential Indoor Air Cleanup

Sitewide Groundwater Cleanup

• The Port constructed a groundwater pump and treat system that began operating in June 2009. The system pumped contaminated groundwater and conveyed it to a nearby treatment system. Treated water was then discharged to the Columbia River consistent with state and federal environmental regulations.
• Since June 2009 through 2024, the system successfully: Extracted and treated over 15.7 billion gallons of groundwater
• Removed approximately over 1,300 pounds of contaminants

Results

The 2023 data indicate that the treatment system and other actions have cleaned up the shallow groundwater under the Fruit Valley Neighborhood. Shallow groundwater contamination is now confined to a small area under the former Swan property (see the map above). Based on the effectiveness of the cleanup actions and Ecology approval, the groundwater pump and treat system was shutdown in August 2024.

Next Steps

In fall of 2024 the port implemented the final phase of cleanup, which includes long-term groundwater monitoring to confirm that the low concentrations of contaminants on the former Swan site continue to naturally decrease in a manner protective of the environment and human health.