Freighthouse Square
Site Background
Location
The Freighthouse Square site is located at 430 E. 25th Street in Tacoma, near the Tacoma Dome. It is currently an indoor marketplace, housing shops, restaurants, and other businesses.
Why is it a cleanup site?
In 1912, the site was home to Olympic Ice and Machine Company. The company likely stored and used diesel fuel and Bunker C oil in their industrial boiler.
In 1993, a construction company found petroleum hydrocarbon contamination in soils they were digging out to build the lower level of Freighthouse Square.
How was the site cleaned up?
Before construction, about 12 cubic yards of contaminated soils were dug out and disposed of. However, some soil contamination remained and sampling showed that some petroleum remained in groundwater. The site has what we call a "restrictive covenant." It ensures that the asphalt cap is protected and that no one uses the groundwater.
Periodic Review
Read our responses to comments from the most recent comment period in 2017.
The property owner must continue to make sure the asphalt cap is in good shape and prevent the use of groundwater. Ecology will do another review in five years.
Voluntary Cleanup Program
This site was cleaned up under our Voluntary Cleanup Program, which provides technical help to owners of contaminated sites.
Voluntary Cleanup Program customers pay fees to cover our costs for technical help and reviewing cleanup reports. Sites in this program must meet the same cleanup standards as the sites Ecology manages under legal orders.
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 1
Environmental Covenant
Restrictions/Requirements
- Restrict All Ground Water Extraction/Well Installation
- Restrict Land Use
Restricted Media
- Groundwater
Documents 8
Legal 1
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Environmental Covenant | 7/24/2003 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
Outreach Information 2
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| FreighthouseSquare_2017PeriodicReview_ResponsivenessSummary | 7/24/2017 | Responsiveness Summary |
| Freighthouse Square Responsiveness Summary | 2/28/2012 | Responsiveness Summary |
Technical Reports 5
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| 2017.08.15_Freighthouse Square_Periodic Review Notice Letter | 8/15/2017 | Periodic Review (5 Year) |
| 2017.07.20_Freighthouse Square_Second Periodic Review Notice Letter | 7/20/2017 | Periodic Review (5 Year) |
| Second Periodic Review Report - Final | 7/10/2017 | Periodic Review (5 Year) |
| Freighthouse Square Periodic Review 2017 - Draft | 5/1/2017 | Periodic Review (5 Year) |
| Freighthouse Square Periodic Review Final Report | 2/28/2012 | Periodic Review (5 Year) |
Places to see print documents
-
Southwest Regional Office300 Desmond Dr SELacey, 98503-1274Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.
Contaminants 2
| Contaminant Type | Soil |
Groundwater |
Surface Water |
Air |
Sediment |
Bedrock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metals - Metals Priority Pollutants | C | |||||
| Non-Halogenated Organics - Petroleum Products-Unspecified | R |
- S
- Suspected
- C
- Confirmed Above Cleanup Levels
- B
- Below Cleanup Levels
- RA
- Remediated-Above
- RB
- Remediated-Below
- R
- Remediated