Facility Site ID: 627
Cleanup Site ID: 1133

Site Background

Looking southeast at the evaporation pond and across the site.
Looking southeast at the evaporation pond and across the site.
The eight-acre site is in the Hillyard neighborhood over the Spokane-Valley Rathdrum-Prairie Aquifer, a sole-source aquifer that provides drinking water to more than 600,000 people.

The Hillyard Processing Company leased land from BNSF Railway Company and operated an aluminum dross reprocessing facility at the site. Aluminum reprocessing began in 1954, and continued through several changes in operators. Aluminum Recycling Corporation was the latest operator of the facility until 1987 when the property was abandoned with about 65,000 cubic yards of dross left on-site.

BNSF is responsible for cleaning up the site and still owns the property.

Contamination

Cleanup focused on chloride, fluoride, nitrate and nitrite in groundwater, and elevated levels of lead in soil.

Cleanup Progress Is Being Monitored

In 2001, dross and soil mixed with dross were excavated and consolidated into an on-site pit. The pit was capped with a waterproof cover system to limit rain and snowmelt reaching the dross and contaminated soil. Rain and snowmelt are routed into a lined evaporation pond on-site. The cover system and evaporation pond are inspected each month and are working.

Cleanup activities are complete and monitoring continues to ensure human health and the environment are protected. Quarterly groundwater monitoring will continue for chloride, nitrate, and nitrite.

Periodic reviews

Ecology completed periodic reviews in 2008, 2013, and 2022. Overall, the cleanup and institutional controls are performing successfully.

Site use restrictions called institutional controls are in effect

Institutional controls can be fences, signs, or restrictions on how the property is used. For instance, an institutional control may prohibit installing drinking water wells or disturbing a protective cap that isolates contamination. These restrictions keep the contamination contained and keep people from being exposed to the contamination. The controls are usually listed in environmental covenants recorded with the county.

Periodic reviews are required when institutional controls are required at a site. Ecology conducts reviews to make sure the controls remain effective and the cleanup still protects human health and the environment. We conduct periodic reviews about every five years.

Environmental Covenant

County Recording #: 000
County Recording Date: 6/18/2001

Restrictions/Requirements

  • Ongoing Maintenance of Remedy
  • Prevent the Reuse or Relocation of Site Soil
  • Prohibit Soil Disturbance
  • Restrict Access
  • Restrict All Ground Water Extraction/Well Installation
  • Restrict Land Use
  • Restrictive Signage

Restricted Media

  • Groundwater
  • Soil
Legal 3
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Restrictive Covenant: Aluminum Recycling Corp 6/18/2001 Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism
Consent Decree: Aluminum Recycling Corp 4/12/2001 Consent Decree
Agreed Order: Aluminum Recycling Corp 11/16/1998 Agreed Order
Outreach Information 6
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Periodic Review Public Notice: Aluminum Recycling Corp 3/13/2008 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Engineering Design Documents and SEPA DNS Fact Sheet: Aluminum Recycling Corp 10/1/2001 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
News Release, Cleanup Agreement: Aluminum Recycling Corp 2/12/2001 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Draft Consent Decree Fact Sheet: Aluminum Recycling Corp 2/1/2001 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Draft CAP Fact Sheet: Aluminum Recycling Corp 4/1/2000 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Draft RI/FS Fact Sheet: Aluminum Recycling Corp 10/1/1999 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Technical Reports 13
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Cap Integrity Monitoring 2024: Aluminum Recycling Corp 5/14/2024 Monitoring Report
Triannual GW Report 2023: Aluminum Recycling Corp 8/16/2023 Monitoring Report
Cap Integrity Monitoring 2022: Aluminum Recycling Corp 6/14/2022 Monitoring Report
Third Periodic Review: Aluminum Recycling Corp 5/26/2022 Periodic Review (5 Year)
Cap Integrity Monitoring 2021: Aluminum Recycling Corp 4/20/2021 Monitoring Report
Annual GW Report 2020: Aluminum Recycling Corp 9/8/2020 Monitoring Report
Annual GW Report 2019: Aluminum Recycling Corp 7/10/2019 Monitoring Report
Annual GW Report 2018: Aluminum Recycling Corp 4/19/2019 Monitoring Report
Second Periodic Review: Aluminum Recycling Corp 3/31/2013 Periodic Review (5 Year)
First Periodic Review: Aluminum Recycling Corp 2/1/2008 Periodic Review (5 Year)
RI/FS no appendices: Aluminum Recycling Corp 8/1/1999 Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study Report
RI/FS: Aluminum Recycling Corp 8/1/1999 Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study Report
Summary Report: Aluminum Recycling Corp 6/4/1996 Site Specific Technical Document - Other
There may be more documents related to this site. To obtain documents not available electronically, you will need to make a public records request.

Places to see print documents

  • Eastern Regional Office
    N 4601 Monroe St
    Spokane, 99205-1265
    Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.

Contaminants 2

Contaminant Type
Soil
Groundwater
Surface Water
Air
Sediment
Bedrock
Metals - Metals - Other C
Other Contaminant - Conventional Contaminants, Inorganic B C
S
Suspected
C
Confirmed Above Cleanup Levels
B
Below Cleanup Levels
RA
Remediated-Above
RB
Remediated-Below
R
Remediated
This contaminant list was based on our best information at the time it was entered. It may not reflect current conditions at the site.