NU WAY Cleaners Yakima

Facility Site ID: 484 Cleanup Site ID: 3400

What Is The Yakima Railroad Area?

Nu Way Cleaners 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.

Site Description

The Nu-Way Cleaners Site operated as an active dry cleaning facility beginning in the 1950s. 

Waste water from the floor drained into a sump located in the floor. The sump existed for over 20 years. Approximately 10 gallons of sludge was generated from the solvent recycling process filters each week.  

In 1989, an inspection concluded that it is probable that numerous organic solvents and petroleum hydrocarbons had been released to the subsurface from Nu-Way. Therefore, a Site Hazard Assessment (SHA) was recommended.

While conducting the SHA, Ecology found the site to be in poor condition. Leakage from a dry cleaning machine with staining of the concrete floor in the dry cleaning room was noted during the inspection. The sump which receives drainage from the floor was in poor condition. A soil sample revealed acetone, PCE, and other contaminants. An underground storage tank used for solvent was also found on the site.

After the SHA, the Site was ranked a “1” on the Hazardous Sites List. The Hazardous Sites List is a statewide list of contaminated properties.  Sites can be ranked from a “1” to “5”.  A rank of “1” is the highest level of environmental concern compared to other sites on the List, and a rank of “5” is the lowest.

What's Been Done?

Ecology issued Nu Way an Enforcement Order on September 30, 1994.

It required Nu Way to conduct a remedial investigation and feasibility study (RIFS). 

What's Happening Now?

Legal 6
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Yakima Railroad Area Bottled Water program EO Dismissal Memo 2/7/2018 Order Notice of Satisfaction/Status
Nu Way Dry Cleaners RI/FS EO No. DE 94TC-C417 9/30/1994 Enforcement Order
Yakima Railroad Area Bottled Water EO No. DE 92TC-C108 Amendment 1/28/1993 Enforcement Order
Yakima Railroad Area Bottled Water EO No. DE 92TC-C108 Amendment 2/28/1992 Enforcement Order
Yakima Railroad Area Bottled Water EO No. DE 92TC-C108 2/11/1992 Enforcement Order
Nu Way Cleaners PLP ltr 10/23/1991 Final Potentially Liable Person Status Letter
Public Information 2
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Spanish Paxton Sales & Nu Way RI/FS fact sheet 10/3/1994 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Paxton Sales & Nu Way RI/FS factsheet 10/3/1994 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Technical Reports 12
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Yakima Railroad Area PCE Groundwater Quality Monitoring Data Summary 2021 5/1/2023 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Yakima Railroad Area PCE Groundwater Monitoring Data Summary 2018 - 2020 4/1/2022 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Nu Way Cleaners - Site Closure - Spanish 10/20/2020 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Nu Way Cleaners - Site Closure 10/20/2020 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Nu-Way Dry Cleaners - Groundwater Sampling 4/22/2019 - 4/26/2019 4/16/2019 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Yakima Railroad Area PCE Groundwater Monitoring Data Summary 2017 7/1/2018 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Yakima Railroad Area PCE Groundwater Monitoring Data Summary 2014 - 2015 7/1/2016 Groundwater Monitoring Report
YRRA Groundwater Quality Performance Monitoring 2013 10/1/2014 Groundwater Monitoring Report
Nu Way Cleaners RI/FS 6/30/1996 Remedial Investigation / Feasibility Study
Nu Way Cleaners SHA Results Notification 8/16/1991 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
Nu Way Cleaners - Site Hazard Assessment 8/12/1991 Site Hazard Assessment Report
Nu Way Cleaners Site Inspection rpt 1/16/1990 Site Specific Technical Document - other
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

  • Central Regional Office
    1250 W Alder St
    Union Gap, 98903-0009
    Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.

Contaminants 2

Contaminant Type
Soil
Groundwater
Surface Water
Air
Sediment
Bedrock
Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum Products-Unspecified C C
Halogenated Organics - Halogenated Solvents C 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.