Cashmere Mill Site

The Cashmere Mill Site is located at the intersection of Mill Road and Sunset Highway in Cashmere, Washington. The site was used primarily for lumber milling from the 1940s until late 1970s. Since then, the site has had a variety of commercial and light industrial uses. The Port of Chelan County is the current property owner.

In 2009, soil contaminated by petroleum was discovered during a geotechnical investigation. The soil was likely contaminated by a spill or a previous aboveground storage tank in the area.

From 2009 to 2011, the Port completed a series of projects to improve the site. The projects included removing existing asphalt-paved areas, and concrete slabs and footings found throughout the Site, primarily in the area between Mill Road and Sunset Highway. The two remaining buildings on site were treated for asbestos materials, and then demolished and the materials disposed offsite.

The Port also completed a limited wood waste removal project in the southeast portion of the site in 2010 and 2011. The Port hired a contractor to remove all wood waste at the surface from a portion of the site. The contractor screened the wood waste, removed the larger rocks and wood pieces, and then sold the remaining material as landscape material. Crushed concrete stockpiled onsite was used to fill the excavated area.

The Port has used a phased approach to prepare the site for future redevelopment. During the first phase, which took place during the spring of 2013, about 24,000 tons of unsuitable material (wood waste and petroleum contaminated soils) were removed from the portion of the site that is north of Mill Road and south of the Sunset Highway. In addition, a City of Cashmere water main was removed and replaced. In preparation for Phase 2 activities, additional environmental site characterization was completed in the fall of 2013. The characterization revealed the areas of petroleum contamination to be limited, representing about 1,500 cubic yards of material. Soil contaminated with mercury was also discovered, also very limited, representing about 200 cubic yards. Arsenic is present at concentrations greater than cleanup levels in the groundwater, and there are plans for continued monitoring. The elevated arsenic concentrations in groundwater might be caused by chemical conditions resulting from decaying wood waste; therefore, removal of wood waste could reduce the arsenic concentrations.

In October 2017, issued a property-specific no further action letter for part of the site. Additional work is needed at the remainder of the site.

This site is in our Voluntary Cleanup Program, which provides technical help to owners of contaminated sites.

Voluntary Cleanup Program customers pay fees to cover our costs for technical help and reviewing cleanup reports. Sites in this program must meet the same cleanup standards as sites Ecology manages under legal orders.