Stericycle Kent
What's New?
Last updated May 2024
Stericycle/CleanEarth/Burlington Kent and Ecology are in the process of completing
the draft Agreed Order, draft Cleanup Action Plan, State Environmental Policy Act/Determination of Non-significance proposal, and Public Participation Plan. Once
these documents are complete, they will go out for public comment.
Cleanup Process
Stericycle/CleanEarth/Burlington Kent must follow regulations set by Washington’s Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA), which sets a standard process for cleaning up contaminated sites.
Ecology approved the Remedial Investigation (RI) and Feasibility Study (FS) for this site in 2018. The RI and FS are important steps in Ecology's cleanup process. Ecology did not receive any comments from the public and approved the RI/FS study on March 20, 2018.Remedial Investigation (RI)
The purpose of the RI is to define the nature and extent of contamination at the site.
Feasibility Study (FS)
The FS used the results from the RI to evaluate and propose measures to cleanup contamination.
Ecology selected cleanup Alternative 1 which includes:
Monitored Natural Attenuation (MNA)
MNA requires that the soil and groundwater contamination be monitored under the natural conditions to ensure that it is breaking down at an appropriate rate.
Institutional Controls
The site is securely fenced and public access is controlled. Institutional controls are outlined in section 8.1.1 of the Final Feasibility Study.
Dangerous Waste Permit
Stericycle is closing several of its Treatment, Storage and Disposal (TSD) dangerous waste units. They are completing this work under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) through their TSD Part B Permit. Ecology oversees permits required by RCRA for facilities that deal with hazardous wastes.
Contamination
A number of spills and leaks of hazardous substances have occurred at the site since the facility began operations. Most of the spills and leaks are from the tank farm area. While most of these releases remained within secondary containment, several resulted in the release of contamination to soil and groundwater at the site.
In the soil, contaminants of concern are:
In the groundwater, contaminants of concern are:
Site Background
The site was developed as a commercial treatment and storage facility for oily wastewater. The facility was used for commercial storage and transfer of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contaminated materials. Other hazardous waste management activities at the facility included the processing and treatment of:
-Acids
-Caustics
-Oily wastes
-Phenols
-Cyanide
-Sludges
-Aqueous metal-bearing wastes
2015
Ecology approved a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) permit modification for this hazardous waste treatment, storage, and disposal (TSD) facility. The permit included relocating operations to Tacoma.
Other changes to the permit included:
- Construction upgrades.
- Relocation of various operations to the Tacoma facility.
- Removing several dangerous waste units.
- Changing the facility name from “PSC-Kent” to “Stericycle-Kent.”
- Closure of several holding tanks that held non-regulated oily wastewater.
2017
Stericycle started moving its hazardous waste activities from its facility in Kent to their facility in Tacoma. The Tacoma facility is located in a highly industrial area in the Tacoma tide flats. There will be no change in the number of trucks going to and from the Tacoma facility.
Documents 14
Public Information 4
Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
Comment and Approval of the Final Feasibility Study (RI/FS), Stericycle Kent Facility | 3/20/2018 | Responsiveness Summary |
Cleanup Process Graphic | 9/29/2017 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
Draft Dangerous Waste Permit for Burlington Environmental-Kent Fact Sheet | 4/1/2012 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
Draft Dangerous Waste Permit for Burlington Environmental-Kent Fact Sheet | 4/1/2012 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
Technical Reports 10
Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
Feasiblity Study Executive Summary | 6/21/2017 | Feasibility Study |
Final Feasibility Study | 6/21/2017 | Feasibility Study |
Philip Services Co Kent - Initial Investigation Field Report | 9/17/2014 | Initial Investigation Report |
Appendix 6B Groundwater Analytical Data Summary | 12/19/2007 | Remedial Investigation Report |
Appendix 6A Soil Analytical Data Summary | 12/17/2007 | Remedial Investigation Report |
Appendix 4A Soil Boring Logs | 12/17/2007 | Remedial Investigation Report |
Appendix 3B Well Construction Diagrams | 12/17/2007 | Remedial Investigation Report |
Appendix 3A Standard Operations and Procedures | 12/17/2007 | Remedial Investigation Report |
Appendix 2A Historical Photos and Maps | 12/17/2007 | Remedial Investigation Report |
Remedial Investigation Report | 12/17/2007 | Remedial Investigation Report |
Places to see print documents
-
King County Library - Kent Library212 2nd AVE NKent, 98032This location may only have print documents available during open comment periods.
Contaminants 13
Contaminant Type | Soil |
Groundwater |
Surface Water |
Air |
Sediment |
Bedrock |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Metals - Metals - Other | C | |||||
Halogenated Organics - Polychlorinated biPhenyls (PCB) | C | |||||
Pesticides - Halogenated Pesticides | C | C | ||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Non-Halogenated Solvents | C | C | ||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons | C | C | ||||
Other Contaminant - Conventional Contaminants, Organic | C | |||||
Metals - Arsenic | C | C | C | |||
Metals - Lead | C | |||||
Metals - Mercury | C | |||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Benzene | C | |||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Other Non-Halogenated Organics | C | |||||
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum-Other | C | C | ||||
Pesticides - Non-Halogenated Pesticides | C | C |
- S
- Suspected
- C
- Confirmed Above Cleanup Levels
- B
- Below Cleanup Levels
- RA
- Remediated-Above
- RB
- Remediated-Below
- R
- Remediated