Facility Site ID: 461 Cleanup Site ID: 3638

What Is The Yakima Railroad Area?

Paxton Sales 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 Paxton Sales site operated as a metal manufacturing and machine shop for 25 years. From 1970 to 1984, the facility disposed of cyanide waste waters that were generated from the secondary rinse tank. The primary outlet for waste water was an on-site dry well. 

In 1988, a Preliminary Assessment was conduted at the site. It found that past wastewater disposal and chemical handling practices could pose an environmental threat to the community. A Screening Site Inspection in 1989, found PCE, metals, cyanide, oil, and semi-volitile organic compounds. EPA found the site to be a high priority and turned it over to Ecology in 1990.

In 1991, the site was added to Ecology’s Hazardous Sites List with a ranking of “1”. Sites on the Hazardous Sites List are a priority for Ecology, and have completed a Site Hazard Assessment (SHA). A SHA provides information about the environmental risk of the site. Risk is based on the amount of contaminants, how toxic they are, and how easily they can come in contact with people and the environment. Sites are ranked relative to each other on a scale of “1” to “5”; with a rank of “5” being the lowest.

What's Been Done?

In 1992, Paxton removed about two feet of oily residue from the dry well. The removed oily residue was taken to a hazardous waste collection station for disposal. By 1992, any wastewater streams which had been directed to the dry well were either discontinued or routed to the sanitary sewer.

What's Happening Now?

Groundwater monitoring wells were installed at the Paxton facility as part of the facility investigation. These monitoring wells have shown that the Paxton facility is not contributing to groundwater contamination.

Based upon the cleanup activities taken and a de minimus settlement, Ecology has determined the site is no longer a threat to human health and the environment. The site was removed from the Hazardous Sites List in 1997.
Legal 7
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Yakima Railroad Area Bottled Water program EO Dismissal Memo 2/7/2018 Order Notice of Satisfaction/Status
Paxton Sales de minimis Consent Decree No. 96-2-02448-1 10/7/1996 Consent Decree
Paxton Sales RI/FS EO No. DE 94TC-C421 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
Paxton Sales PLP ltr 10/23/1991 Final Potentially Liable Person Status Letter
Public Information 5
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Paxton Sales delisting factsheet Spanish 7/18/1997 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Paxton Sales delisting factsheet 7/18/1997 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Paxton Sales CD fact sheet 6/14/1996 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
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 3
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Paxton Sales Phase II RI rpt 5/25/1995 Remedial Investigation Report
Paxton Sales - Site Hazard Assessment 6/30/1991 Site Hazard Assessment Report
Paxton Sales Site Inspection rpt 11/1/1989 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 3

Contaminant Type
Soil
Groundwater
Surface Water
Air
Sediment
Bedrock
Metals - Metals Priority Pollutants RB RB
Metals - Metals - Other RB RB
Halogenated Organics - Halogenated Solvents RB 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.