Facility Site ID: 16327 Cleanup Site ID: 2036

  • Site Status

  • Construction Complete-Performance Monitoring

Related Information

  • Dirt Alert program Industrial air emissions and pesticides used in farming have polluted large areas of soil with arsenic and lead. Our Dirt Alert program provides information on how you can protect yourself and your family.

Slag Removed And Replaced With Clean Sand November 2010

Black Sand Beach is next to state-owned public land along the upper Columbia River about 3 miles south of the U.S.-Canadian border and about 7-8 miles north of Northport, Washington.

About 9,100 tons (6,300 cubic yards) of sediments containing granulated slag were excavated from Black Sand Beach. Slag is an industrial waste and contains hazardous substances including zinc, lead, copper, and other metals that cannot be removed by normal processing of the materials. Metals in slag harm the health of the river and aquatic life. Removing slag protects the ecological environment, the health of the river, and aquatic life. 

Clean fill material was used to establish the new beach, and the slag was hauled to Trail, British Columbia, for recycling. The access road used during construction was restored to look more like its pre-construction state.  

The project was completed under an agreement between Ecology and Teck American Incorporated. Teck funded the work.  
 
The public provided important input during the project that helped guide several of the technical decisions affecting the cleanup. Local companies were used for about 50 percent of the project work which provided a positive economic impact to the community.

Thank you to everyone involved in making the project a success!

Annual Performance Monitoring

Teck agreed to monitor the stability of the replaced beach sand for three years in the performance monitoring plan. Performance monitoring reports were completed annually from 2011 - 2013 to document changes in the Black Sand Beach, including sediment erosion and/or re-deposition, since the project was completed in October 2010. Learn more by viewing the annual reports:
Public Information 4
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Black Sand Beach Responsiveness Summary 6/14/2010 Responsiveness Summary
Black Sand Beach Addendum to the Responsiveness Summary 6/14/2010 Responsiveness Summary
Black Sand Beach Public Meeting Presentation 1/4/2010 Multimedia
Black Sand Beach Fact Sheet Public Invitation 1/1/2010 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
State Environmental Policy Act 2
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Black Sand Beach SEPA Checklist 12/18/2010 SEPA Documents
Black Sand Beach SEPA DNS 1/4/2010 SEPA Documents
Technical Reports 9
Document Title Document Date Document Type
2013 Annual Performance Monitoring Report: Black Sand Beach 12/6/2013 Performance/Confirmational Monitoring Plan or Report
2012 Annual Performance Monitoring Report: Black Sand Beach 12/3/2012 Performance/Confirmational Monitoring Plan or Report
2011 Annual Performance Monitoring Report: Black Sand Beach 12/12/2011 Performance/Confirmational Monitoring Plan or Report
Black Sand Beach Completion Report and Performance Monitoring Plan 3/1/2011 Performance/Confirmational Monitoring Plan or Report
Summary of Limit-of-Excavation Sample Collection & Analysis: Black Sand Beach 1/26/2011 Site Specific Technical Document - other
Black Sand Beach Presentation on Slag Removal and Beach Replacement 11/30/2010 Scope Of Work
Black Sand Beach Truck Haul Plan 9/17/2010 Engineering Design Report
Black Sand Beach Final Workplan 9/3/2010 Cleanup Action Plan
Black Sand Beach Draft Workplan 1/1/2010 Cleanup Action Plan
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.
  • Northport Community Library
    311 Columbia Avenue
    Northport, 99157
    This location may only have print documents available during open comment periods.
  • Colville Public Library
    195 South Oak Street
    Colville, 99114
    This location may only have print documents available during open comment periods.
  • Kettle Falls Public Library
    605 Meyers Street
    Kettle Falls, 99141
    This location may only have print documents available during open comment periods.

Contaminants 3

Contaminant Type
Soil
Groundwater
Surface Water
Air
Sediment
Bedrock
Metals - Metals - Other RB
Metals - Arsenic RB
Metals - Lead RB
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.