Fort Vancouver Plywood

THIRD PERIODIC REVIEW 

Environmental cleanup is complete at the site and the periodic review completed in 2020 shows that the cleanup work remains effective in protecting the health of people and the environment. 

After cleanup, some contaminants including metals and organic compounds were left in place on the property. These contaminants remain in soil contained beneath an asphalt cap. Long-term groundwater monitoring shows that contaminants are below cleanup levels or below the detection limits except for vinyl chloride and oil-range total petroleum hydrocarbons, which are above cleanup levels in one monitoring well. Environmental covenants are attached to the property because contamination remains at the Site.

When an environmental covenant exists for a cleanup site, Ecology reviews site conditions about every five years to ensure the long-term effectiveness of the cleanup action.

Ecology inspected the site on February 24, 2020. The current condition of the asphalt cap at the site continues to eliminate possible exposure of people and the environment to contamination. Long-term groundwater monitoring continues on a regular basis.  

From November 5 to December 6, 2020, Ecology held a comment period to give the public an opportunity to comment on conditions at the site. No comments were received and Ecology finalized the periodic review report.

Third Periodic Review Report - Final

If you wish to view electronic documents related to this site, click on the "View Electronic Documents" link on the right under "Site Information".

The former Fort Vancouver Plywood Site is located at 901 Port Way, at the end of 8th Street and Port Way, in an industrial area along the Columbia River. The Port of Vancouver has owned the property since 1912. The site was used for industrial purposes for over 100 years. The property will continue to be used for industrial activities in the future.

The site consists of 15.8 acres that was a former plywood mill. Since at least 1955, the mill produced plywood from logs or green veneer. The plywood mill stopped operations in 1997. All the facilities (except the office building) were demolished and removed in 1997 to provide for a thorough remedial investigation and cleanup. The port demolished the remaining office building in 2013. Currently the site is used by a metal recycler and a malting facility.

Contamination was linked with industrial debris buried at the site, including concrete and brick rubble, wood, industrial trash, and boiler ash. 

The Site was divided into two sections or "Cells" to investigate contamination and for the cleanup. 

• Cell 1 is the eastern half of the site.
• Cell 2 is the western half of the site.

 Soil contaminants found at concentrations above state cleanup levels included: 

• Metals: Lead and leachable arsenic.
• Carcinogenic (cancer-causing) polyaromatic hydrocarbons (cPAHs).
• Petroleum hydrocarbons: Gasoline and diesel.

Groundwater contaminants found at concentrations above state cleanup levels included: 

• Arsenic
• Pthalates and vinyl chloride (used to make plastic)
• Oil-range total petroleum hydrocarbons

 The source of the pthalates and vinyl chloride has not been identified.

Cleanup was completed under two Agreed Orders. Cleanup actions included the following:

• Approximately 26,000 cubic yards of contaminated soil were removed and replaced with clean soil. 
• The excavated area was covered by a low-permeable asphalt cap.
• 650 tons of lead-contaminated soil were excavated and disposed offsite.
• 4,000 cubic yards of contaminated wood waste were removed and disposed offsite.

Groundwater is monitored for contaminants on a regular basis. Currently, groundwater is monitored every 18 months. Recent results show at one of the wells that vinyl chloride and oil-range petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH-O) were present in concentrations above state cleanup levels. The concentrations of vinyl chloride and TPH-O in groundwater is following a decreasing trend over time. None of the other contaminants were detected in groundwater above the laboratory detection limits.  

Following cleanup, an environmental covenant (EC) was recorded in 2000 for Cell 1 and in 2006 for Cell 2. The ECs were required due to small amounts of contaminants remaining on the Site.

Among other things, the ECs prohibits activities that could result in the release of contaminants on the Site. The covenants restrict the land to an industrial use. Groundwater may not be taken from the site for domestic or agricultural use.

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