Highlands Golf Course
Facility Site ID:
13708
Cleanup Site ID:
11521
Property Background
Location
Highlands Golf Course is comprised of four residential lots that were recently added to the Highland Golf Course development. The property is located within the Highlands Hills Golf Course in Tacoma, Washington.
History
Prior to 2012, this 0.66-acre Property was undeveloped and landscaped with golf course grass and a few conifers.
Why did the Property need cleanup?
In January 2011, soil testing found the surface soil contaminated with Arsenic. The concentrations of Lead were all below the state cleanup level. This contamination is likely a result of air pollution from the former Asarco smelter in Tacoma. Air pollution from the smelter settled on the surface soil over more than 1,000 square miles of the Puget Sound basin. The contaminated area is known as the Tacoma Smelter Plume and is managed under the Asarco Tacoma Smelter Site. Arsenic and lead in soil can cause adverse health effects with long-term exposure. Developers within the Tacoma Smelter Plume are encouraged to cleanup properties within the plume during residential development. Ecology provides free Technical Assistance to developers.
Highlands Golf Course is comprised of four residential lots that were recently added to the Highland Golf Course development. The property is located within the Highlands Hills Golf Course in Tacoma, Washington.
History
Prior to 2012, this 0.66-acre Property was undeveloped and landscaped with golf course grass and a few conifers.
Why did the Property need cleanup?
In January 2011, soil testing found the surface soil contaminated with Arsenic. The concentrations of Lead were all below the state cleanup level. This contamination is likely a result of air pollution from the former Asarco smelter in Tacoma. Air pollution from the smelter settled on the surface soil over more than 1,000 square miles of the Puget Sound basin. The contaminated area is known as the Tacoma Smelter Plume and is managed under the Asarco Tacoma Smelter Site. Arsenic and lead in soil can cause adverse health effects with long-term exposure. Developers within the Tacoma Smelter Plume are encouraged to cleanup properties within the plume during residential development. Ecology provides free Technical Assistance to developers.
Property Cleanup
How was the Property cleaned up?
In March 2012, ECI Environmental Consulting developed a cleanup action plan for the property. The cleanup action plan selected excavation and disposal of the top layer of the contaminated soil from the property as a way to remediate the Tacoma Smelter Plume contamination. Ecology agreed with the cleanup plan and in June 2012, Highland Golf remediated the Property prior to its development. They excavated the contaminated surface soil and transported it to a designated landfill in Tacoma.
How do we know if the cleanup was satisfactory?
In 2011, the developer joined the Voluntary Cleanup Program with Ecology, requesting an opinion on the cleanup of the Property. They provided Ecology with a cleanup report containing the results of the soil sampling after the cleanup.
They sampled the soil under the excavated areas adhering to the Tacoma Smelter Plume Model Remedies Guidance. The arsenic levels met the cleanup standards for unrestricted land use. Ecology determined that the Property was cleaned to satisfy state requirements and issued a No Further Action determination in August 2012. In 2013, Highland Golf Course developed the four lots into single-family residential homes.
In March 2012, ECI Environmental Consulting developed a cleanup action plan for the property. The cleanup action plan selected excavation and disposal of the top layer of the contaminated soil from the property as a way to remediate the Tacoma Smelter Plume contamination. Ecology agreed with the cleanup plan and in June 2012, Highland Golf remediated the Property prior to its development. They excavated the contaminated surface soil and transported it to a designated landfill in Tacoma.
How do we know if the cleanup was satisfactory?
In 2011, the developer joined the Voluntary Cleanup Program with Ecology, requesting an opinion on the cleanup of the Property. They provided Ecology with a cleanup report containing the results of the soil sampling after the cleanup.
They sampled the soil under the excavated areas adhering to the Tacoma Smelter Plume Model Remedies Guidance. The arsenic levels met the cleanup standards for unrestricted land use. Ecology determined that the Property was cleaned to satisfy state requirements and issued a No Further Action determination in August 2012. In 2013, Highland Golf Course developed the four lots into single-family residential homes.
Voluntary Cleanup Program
This site was cleaned up under 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 the sites Ecology manages under legal orders.
Documents 7
Technical Reports 6
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Highland Golf Cleanup Report | 6/25/2012 | Remedial Action Report |
| Highland Golf Cleanup Report - Appendix A | 6/25/2012 | Remedial Action Report |
| Highland Golf Cleanup Report - Appendix B | 6/25/2012 | Remedial Action Report |
| Highland Golf Cleanup Report - Appendix C | 6/25/2012 | Remedial Action Report |
| Highland Golf Cleanup Report - Appendix D | 6/25/2012 | Remedial Action Report |
| Highland Golf Cleanup Report - Appendix E | 6/25/2012 | Remedial Action Report |
Voluntary Cleanup Program 1
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Highlands Golf Course SW1158 - VCP Property NFA | 8/2/2012 | VCP Opinion on Property Cleanup – NFA |
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
-
Southwest Regional Office300 Desmond Dr SELacey, 98503-1274Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.
Contaminants 2
| Contaminant Type | Soil |
Groundwater |
Surface Water |
Air |
Sediment |
Bedrock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metals - Arsenic | RB | |||||
| Metals - Lead | B |
- 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.