Westco Martinizing

Westco Martinizing is a part of the Yakima Railroad Area (YRRA). The Yakima Railroad Area is approximately six square miles in size and includes parts of the cities of Yakima and Union Gap. The Yakima Railroad Area groundwater is contaminated with tetrachloroethylene (PCE or PERC) from past industrial use, and is centered around the railroad/industrial corridor of the greater Yakima area.

PCE is a manufactured chemical that is widely used for dry cleaning of fabrics and for metal-degreasing. It is also used to make other chemicals and is used in some consumer products.

Exposure to PCE can be from the air, chemical use, soil, or water. PCE can affect the kidneys, liver, nervous system, and reproductive system, as well as unborn children. There is also an increased risk of certain types of cancer.

More information about potential sources of PCE and associated health risks can be found on the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) website.

The site has been a dry-cleaning facility from 1953 to the present. Throughout the years of operation, releases of percholorethylene (PCE) to the soil and groundwater did occur. Two on-site underground storage tanks were eventually removed.

In 1995, the site was added to Ecology’s Hazardous Sites List with a ranking of “3”. Sites on the Hazardous Sites List are a priority for Ecology, and have completed a Site Hazard Assessment (SHA). A SHA provides information about the environmental risk of the site. Risk is based on the amount of contaminants, how toxic they are, and how easily they can come in contact with people and the environment. Sites are ranked relative to each other on a scale of “1” to “5”; with a rank of “5” being the lowest.

In 1995, a soil gas survey was performed to screen the area for PCE and its degradation products. Additionally, a total of four groundwater monitoring wells were installed. Based on the results of these investigatory efforts, interim actions which consisted of the removal of 118.2 tons of PCE contaminated soil and removal of 2 underground storage tanks.

Ecology and Westco, Inc. entered into a Consent Decree in 1999. In addition to the interim actions that took place in 1996, the decree provided for quarterly groundwater monitoring of three monitoring wells for a minimum of two years. Contingent on the results of these quarterly monitoring efforts, additional sampling of these wells, twice yearly, until the results indicate that groundwater cleanup levels have been achieved was also a provision in the decree. To date, groundwater cleanup levels have been achieved.

Ecology has determined the site is no longer a threat to human health and the environment. The site has been removed from the Hazardous Sites List.