WA WSU Power Plant Oil Bulking

The site, also known as the College Avenue Steam Plant, is located at 800 NE College Avenue in Pullman on the Washington State University (WSU) campus. The almost 2-acre site includes a steam plant built in 1927 that shut down in 2003 when the Grimes Way Steam Plant started operating. The plant originally used coal for fuel, but later switched to natural gas to generate steam.

The steam plant building still houses two gas-fired boilers and a small electrical substation that provide power to campus. The building covers about half of the site, and the other half is a gravel lot.

Ecology completed an initial investigation in 1992, and a Site Hazard Assessment in 1995, which led to the site being added to Washington's Hazardous Sites List. The site was ranked a 2 on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 representing the greatest risk. This is due to petroleum contamination in soil and groundwater, and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) contamination in soil. Further investigation is needed to determine the full extent of contamination, which could include:

• Spills of hazardous materials around an out-of-service rail line running directly west of the site
• Solvents, diesel, or gasoline spills from the Chevron Bulk Storage Facility southeast of the site
• Heavy metals and other contaminants from past coal storage and handling

Using a $200,000 Integrated Planning Grant from Ecology, the Port of Whitman County had a Focused Site Assessment Report completed in 2022. This investigation into potential hazardous materials and contaminants in the steam plant building found the following issues:

• Pipes, windows, vinyl tile flooring, and dust containing asbestos
• Lead-based paint on the inside and outside of the building
• Coal dust in four rooms

Knowledge of these hazards would allow them to be safely addressed during future renovation or demolition of the steam plant.

WSU could complete site cleanup independently or under our Voluntary Cleanup Program. With the site's location on the WSU campus and only 0.5 miles to downtown Pullman and Martin Stadium, the historic steam plant building and gravel lot offer attractive opportunities for reuse following cleanup. Any redevelopment will need to allow for continued operations of the existing power generating facilities.