Commencement Bay Nearshore Tideflats
Facility Site ID:
42
Cleanup Site ID:
3032
This site is managed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). For more information about cleanup at this site, visit the EPA website.
Records for this site may be held by both Ecology and the EPA.
The Commencement Bay Nearshore Tideflats Site is a Superfund cleanup site. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is the lead agency conducting the cleanup.
For more information about cleanup at the Site, go to the EPA Site's homepage: Commencement Bay, Nearshore/Tideflats.
The Commencement Bay Nearshore Tideflats Superfund Site is located in the City of Tacoma and the town of Ruston. The Site encompasses an active commercial seaport and includes 12 square miles of shallow water, shoreline, and adjacent land. Much of the land area is industrialized.
To Find More Information About Cleanup Sites
For more information about cleanup sites in the neighborhood and throughout Washington, go to:
- What's In My Neighborhood a map-based search tool. Enter an address or zoom into an area to find sites.
- Cleanup and Tank Search is a text-based search tool and lets you filter lists by location, contaminant, cleanup status, and more.
These tools also show completed cleanups.
Site use restrictions called institutional controls are in effect
Institutional controls can be fences, signs, or restrictions on how the property is used. For instance, an institutional control may prohibit installing drinking water wells or disturbing a protective cap that isolates contamination. These restrictions keep the contamination contained and keep people from being exposed to the contamination. The controls are usually listed in environmental covenants recorded with the county.
Periodic reviews are required when institutional controls are required at a site. Ecology conducts reviews to make sure the controls remain effective and the cleanup still protects human health and the environment. We conduct periodic reviews about every five years.
Institutional Controls 13
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
201005060603
County Recording Date:
5/6/2010
Restrictions/Requirements
- Restrict Access
- Restrict Land Use
- Restrict Sediment Cap Disturbance
- Restrict Surface Water Use
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
200701120568
County Recording Date:
1/11/2007
Restrictions/Requirements
- Restrict Access
- Restrict Land Use
- Restrict Sediment Cap Disturbance
- Restrict Shellfish and/or Finfish Harvesting
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
200701120570
County Recording Date:
1/12/2007
Restrictions/Requirements
- Prohibit Soil Disturbance
- Restrict Access
- Restrict Land Use
- Restrict Sediment Cap Disturbance
- Restrict Shellfish and/or Finfish Harvesting
Restricted Media
- Air
- Bedrock
- Groundwater
- Sediment
- Soil
- Surface Water
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
200701120569
County Recording Date:
1/12/2007
Restrictions/Requirements
- Restrict Access
- Restrict Land Use
- Restrict Sediment Cap Disturbance
- Restrict Shellfish and/or Finfish Harvesting
Restricted Media
- Air
- Bedrock
- Groundwater
- Sediment
- Soil
- Surface Water
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
200701120567
County Recording Date:
1/11/2007
Restrictions/Requirements
- Ongoing Maintenance of Remedy
Restricted Media
- Sediment
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
200701240769
County Recording Date:
1/24/2007
Restrictions/Requirements
- Ongoing Maintenance of Remedy
- Restrict Sediment Cap Disturbance
- Restrict Shellfish and/or Finfish Harvesting
Restricted Media
- Sediment
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
200701120568
County Recording Date:
1/12/2007
Restrictions/Requirements
- Ongoing Maintenance of Remedy
Restricted Media
- Air
- Bedrock
- Groundwater
- Soil
- Surface Water
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
202207050365
County Recording Date:
7/5/2022
Restrictions/Requirements
- Maintain/Protect Monitoring System
- Restrict Land Use
Restricted Media
- Soil
Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
201112140597
County Recording Date:
12/14/2011
Restrictions/Requirements
- Prohibit Soil Disturbance
- Restrict Land Use
Restricted Media
- Sediment
- Surface Water
Amended Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
201107250030
County Recording Date:
7/25/2011
Restrictions/Requirements
- Ongoing Maintenance of Remedy
- Prevent the Reuse or Relocation of Site Soil
- Prohibit Soil Disturbance
- Restrict Land Use
- Restrict Surface Water Use
Restricted Media
- Groundwater
- Soil
Amended Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
201111220132
County Recording Date:
11/22/2011
Restrictions/Requirements
- Ongoing Maintenance of Remedy
- Prevent the Reuse or Relocation of Site Soil
- Prohibit Soil Disturbance
- Restrict Land Use
- Restrict Surface Water Use
Restricted Media
- Groundwater
- Soil
Amended Environmental Covenant
County Recording #:
201111220414
County Recording Date:
11/22/2011
Restrictions/Requirements
- Restrict Land Use
Restricted Media
- Sediment
- Surface Water
Other Upland Instrument
County Recording #:
County Recording Date:
Restrictions/Requirements
- Restrict Land Use
Restricted Media
- Soil
Documents 21
Legal 15
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| CBNT Operable Unit 1 - Environmental Covenant - 202207050365 | 7/5/2022 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay-Milwaukee Habitat Area Environmental Covenant #201112140597 | 12/14/2011 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay-Milwaukee Waterway EC#201112140598 | 12/14/2011 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay-Milwaukee Habitat Area-EC #201111220414 | 11/22/2011 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay-Milwaukee Nearshore EC Amendment #201107250030 | 7/25/2011 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Glacier NW NRDA Consent Decree | 4/1/2007 | Consent Decree |
| Commencement Bay EC #200701240769 | 1/24/2007 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay EC #200701120570 | 1/12/2007 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay EC #200701120569 | 1/12/2007 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay EC #200701120568 | 1/12/2007 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay EC #200701120567 | 1/12/2007 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Commencement Bay Hylebos Waterway NRDA Draft Consent Decree | 12/31/2006 | Consent Decree |
| Commencement Bay Nearshore Tideflats Unilateral Administrative Order March 2002 | 3/25/2002 | Administrative Order on Consent |
| Commencement Bay Nearshore Tideflats Administrative Order on Consent | 11/6/1997 | Administrative Order on Consent |
| St. Paul Waterway Problem Area Consent Decree | 6/13/1991 | Consent Decree |
Technical Reports 6
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| CBNT Operable Unit 1 - Transmittal of Environmental Covenant | 7/5/2022 | Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence) |
| Commencement Bay Nearshore Tideflats - Ecology Pre Concurrence Letter | 3/8/2022 | Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence) |
| Commencement Bay Nearshore Tideflats - Transmittal of Environmental Covenant | 8/19/2021 | Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence) |
| Fifth Five-Year Review Report for Commencement Bay Nearshore/Tideflats Superfund Site | 5/1/2020 | Periodic Review (5 Year) |
| Ecology's Acceptance of Change in Proposed ESD | 9/13/2018 | Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence) |
| Operations, Monitoring, and Maintenance Plan, Mouth of Hylebos Waterway (Segments 3, 4, and 5) Tacoma, Washington | 12/1/2015 | Sampling and Analysis 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
-
EPA Records Center1200 Sixth Ave, Ste 900Seattle, 98101Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.
Contaminants 16
| Contaminant Type | Soil |
Groundwater |
Surface Water |
Air |
Sediment |
Bedrock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Contaminant - Base/Neutral/Acid Organics | C | C | C | |||
| Halogenated Organics - Halogenated Organics | C | C | C | |||
| Metals - Metals Priority Pollutants | C | C | C | |||
| Metals - Metals - Other | RB | C | ||||
| Halogenated Organics - Polychlorinated biPhenyls (PCB) | C | C | C | C | ||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum Products-Unspecified | C | C | C | |||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Phenolic Compounds | C | C | ||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Non-Halogenated Solvents | C | C | C | |||
| Halogenated Organics - Dioxins/Furans | S | |||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons | C | C | C | C | ||
| Halogenated Organics - Halogenated Solvents | C | |||||
| Metals - Arsenic | C | C | C | C | ||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Organotins | C | |||||
| Metals - Lead | RB | C | ||||
| Metals - Mercury | C | |||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Other Non-Halogenated Organics | C |
- 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.