Richardson Airways

Richardson Airways is located at the Yakima Airport, in Yakima County, Washington. The City and County of Yakima co-own the Yakima Airport. Richardson Airways operated on leased airport property as an aerial pesticide applicator from the mid 1950s to the mid 1990s.

From 1992 to 1993, an investigation to determine the extent of contamination was conducted. Soil contamination was confirmed, but no contamination was found in the groundwater.  In 1997, Ecology entered into a Consent Decree with the potentially liable parties to continue groundwater monitoring and place a restrictive covenant on the property.  Sampling during 2009 defined the periphery and depth of the contaminated soils at the Site.  Approximately 2,250 cubic yards (2,658 tons) of contaminated soils were excavated.  These soils were hauled to and disposed of at the Terrace Heights Landfill.  The Site was backfilled with sampled and analyzed clean soils.  The Site was compacted and returned to its original grade.

Based on the completed cleanup and the confirmation sampling results, Ecology determined the Site no longer poses a threat to human health or the environment.  As a result of the remedial activities that have taken place at this site, there is no longer a need to restrict the use of the property.  Ecology issued a No Further Action determination in March 2010.  The Site has been removed from the Hazardous Sites List.