Aluminum Recycling Corp

3412 E Wellesley Spokane, Spokane County
Facility Site ID: 627 Cleanup Site ID: 1133

More about cleanup

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
Places to see print documents
Legal 3
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Aluminum Recycling Corp Restrictive Covenant 6/18/2001 Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism
Aluminum Recycling Corp CD 4/12/2001 Consent Decree
Aluminum Recycling Corp AO Remedial Action BNSF Railway 11/16/1998 Agreed Order
Public Information 5
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Aluminum Recycling Corp Fact Sheet Engineering Design Documents and SEPA DNS 10/1/2001 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Aluminum Recycling Corp - News Release, ECY/BNRR Cleanup Agreement 2/12/2001 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Aluminum Recycling Corp Fact Sheet Draft Consent Decree 2/1/2001 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Aluminum Recycling Corp Fact SheetDCAP 4/1/2000 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Aluminum Recycing Corp Fact Sheet Draft RI/FS 10/1/1999 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Technical Reports 11
Document Title Document Date Document Type
2023 Annual GW Report 8/16/2023 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Third Periodic Review: Aluminum Recycling Corp 5/26/2022 Periodic Review (5 Year)
2020 Annual GW Report 9/8/2020 Groundwater Monitoring Report
2019 Annual GW Report 7/10/2019 Groundwater Monitoring Report
2018 Annual GW Report 4/19/2019 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Periodic Review Aluminum Recycling Corporation 2013 3/31/2013 Periodic Review (5 Year)
Aluminum Recycling Corp Public Notice: Periodic Review 3/13/2008 Periodic Review (5 Year)
Aluminum Recycling Corp Periodic Review 2/1/2008 Periodic Review (5 Year)
Final Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study Appendices 8/1/1999 Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study
Final Remedial Investigation/Feasibility Study for the Hillyard Dross Site (without appendices) 8/1/1999 Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study
Aluminum Recycling Corp - Summary Report 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.