Facility Site ID: 13862483 Cleanup Site ID: 969

  • Site Status

  • Cleanup Started

What's New?

Univar Solutions facility located in Kent, Washington.
Univar Solutions facility located in Kent, Washington.
Last updated May, 2024

We are continuing to monitor the impacted groundwater and cleanup treatments at the facility.

Univar's 5-year review of their cleanup went out for public comment May 22 - June 23, 2023. To read this review, scroll down to the "Documents: Technical Reports" section and click on "Periodic Review Report". Univar completed an environmental covenant in 2022. The covenant restricts how the property can be used to protect human health and the environment. The cleanup treatments at the Univar site are working well and we continue to monitor the progress.

Site Background

Univar USA, Inc. is a nationwide company that stores, packages, and distributes a variety of chemical products. The Univar facility in Kent has a warehouse, office, dock, and parking areas on an eleven-acre site, surrounded by other commercial and industrial properties.

Since 1974, Univar has stored, packaged, and distributed various chemical products from its Kent facility. It has operated under four other corporate names:

Van Waters and Rogers, Inc. (VWR, 1974 – 2001)

Vopak USA, Inc. (2001 – 2002)
  
Univar USA, Inc. (2002 – 2019)
   
Univar Solutions USA, Inc. (2019 – present)

These were name changes only and were not changes in ownership.

From 1974 to 2007, Univar was considered an active dangerous waste management facility. However, it was not subject to permitting requirements under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) until hazardous waste regulations became effective in 1980.

On October 31, 2007:

Ecology conditionally accepted certification for clean closure of the aboveground portions of the Dangerous Waste Management Units (DWMUs).
    
Ecology agreed to address below ground contamination under a corrective action-only RCRA permit.

On August 5, 2020, Univar renewed their corrective action hazardous waste permit. You can find copies of these documents in the "View Documents" section under the "Technical Reports" section on this site. 

Site Contamination

Beginning in the 1990s, Ecology investigated contamination from waste management activities and accidental chemical releases. Studies showed that soil in two areas of the eastern portion of the site are contaminated with organic chemicals and chlorinated compounds.

Groundwater is also contaminated. Most of the groundwater contamination remains located beneath the property. Some contaminants in the deeper part of the aquifer have flowed north under 212th Street and beneath an adjacent industrial property.

Cleanup

The Department of Ecology issued an agreed order (a legal agreement) requiring Univar to plan and implement a site cleanup. In 2007, Ecology selected the preferred cleanup activities from the Feasibility Study report.

Univar has been implementing the Cleanup Action Plan, which includes:

  • Treatment of contaminated areas using enhanced reductive dechlorination.
  • Monitored natural attenuation for treatment of the down-gradient groundwater plume.
  • Institutional controls to assure long-term protection of human health and the environment.
  • An environmental covenant placed on the property. This covenant is required since contaminants in excess of cleanup standards will remain on the property after the cleanup action.
  • Treatment of the source areas and ongoing groundwater sampling. The sampling shows how much groundwater contamination is still present. The sampling information is also used to assess the effectiveness of treatment, so it can be adjusted as necessary.
Legal 2
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Environmental Covenant 8/2/2022 Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism
Univar Kent Agreed Order_Signed 8/25/2008 Agreed Order
Public Information 7
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Univar Public Notice (Spanish) 2023 5/17/2023 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Univar Public Participation Plan 2023 4/22/2023 Public Participation Plan
Univar Public Notice Mailer 2023 4/22/2023 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Univar Public Participation Plan FINAL 8/5/2020 Public Participation Plan
Univar Kent Public Notice 6/22/2020 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Fact Sheet for Univar-Kent Draft RI/FS/CAP 7/15/2009 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Univar Kent AO and DW permit fact sheet 8/27/2008 Fact Sheet\Public Notices
Technical Reports 18
Document Title Document Date Document Type
Periodic Review Report 12/28/2022 Periodic Review (5 Year)
Change in Consultant Notification 5/5/2022 Progress Report
2021 Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report 3/1/2022 Progress Report
2021-03-08 Kent (212th)_2020 Groundwater Monitoring Report 3/8/2021 Performance/Confirmational Monitoring Plan or Report
Univar Kent Permit Lite 2020 FINAL 8/17/2020 Site Specific Technical Document - other
Univar Kent Permit Lite Cover Letter 8/17/2020 Site Specific Technical Document - other
Univar Kent Permit Lite 2020 DRAFT 5/1/2020 Site Specific Technical Document - other
Univar Kent (212th)_2019 Groundwater Monitoring Report 3/31/2020 Site Specific Technical Document - other
2018 Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report 3/30/2019 Progress Report
Univar USA Inc Kent - Ecology Comments - Groundwater Monitoring Well Installation Plan 3/1/2019 Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence)
2017 Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report 3/6/2018 Progress Report
2015 Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report 2/29/2016 Progress Report
2014 Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report 2/27/2016 Progress Report
2013 Annual Groundwater Monitoring Report 2/28/2014 Progress Report
Univar Kent RI FS and CAP 12/22/2008 Cleanup Action Plan
Univar Kent Remedial Investigation 2005, Part 3 Appendices C - E 8/30/2005 Remedial Investigation Report
Univar Kent Remedial Investigation 2005, Part 2 Appendices A - B 8/30/2005 Remedial Investigation Report
Univar Kent Remedial Investigation 2005, Part 1 Report 8/30/2005 Remedial Investigation Report
There may be more documents related to this site. To obtain documents not available electronically, you will need to make a public records request.

Contaminants 3

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