Bothell Paint & Decorating

On May 5, 2018, the Washington Department of Ecology and the City of Bothell have entered into an agreement called an Agreed Order, which requires the City to clean up the Bothell Paint and Decorating Site.

Previously, the City of Bothell completed a Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) on August 10, 2017. The RI/FS determined the nature and extent of remaining contamination and evaluated possible methods to clean up the site. They also prepared a Draft Cleanup Action Plan describing how they will clean up the site. A comment period was held to get public input on these documents, and Ecology responded to all comments.

Excavations that removed petroleum contaminated soils were conducted in September-October 2010 and March 2013. Following the excavations, confirmation samples were taken. Oxygen Release Compound (ORC) was placed in the 2010 excavation. Confirmation sampling in the excavations confirmed that most of the contamination was removed, save for a single sample above cleanup levels but now beneath the new SR 522 roadway. Groundwater monitoring for petroleum hydrocarbons and arsenic was also carried out as part of the cleanup plan. Recently, two years of quarterly monitoring shows that only arsenic in monitoring well BPMW-6 appears to be above cleanup levels and co-located with TPH detections.

Therefore, Ecology has proposed that institutional controls with groundwater monitoring be maintained at the Site as a final remedy. The institutional controls shall specifically address the containment of the pocket of residual soil contamination beneath SR 522 and restrictions on groundwater withdrawal and use. Under the proposal, monitoring well BPMW-6 continue to be sampled every five years for arsenic (total and dissolved) and TPH-Oil. Sample results shall be incorporated in the five year periodic review report required under MTCA for sites with institutional controls under an environmental covenant. In the periodic review, the results shall be evaluated to assess protectiveness of the remedy and to confirm stable, decreasing or increasing concentration trends. If contaminant concentrations are increasing, the City shall propose corrective actions including further investigations and active remedial measures needed to identify, understand, and clean up the increased groundwater contamination. Other site well shall be decommissioned under the proposal.

Ecology will update this web page once the next steps outlined above are accepted.

Interim action soil cleanups for petroleum hydrocarbons and metals were conducted in 2010, 2013, and 2014. Chemicals of concern remaining at the site after the interim action cleanups are:

• In soil: Gasoline and motor oil-range petroleum hydrocarbons.
• In groundwater: Diesel and motor oil range petroleum hydrocarbons, and arsenic.