Briggs Nursery
Cleanup Completed
Cleanup at the Briggs Nursery site is completed and Ecology will remove the site from the state's Hazardous Sites List in 2019.
Ecology held a public comment period from February 19 to March 21, 2019, on its proposal to remove the site from the Hazardous Sites List. Ecology received three comments during the comment period. The public comments and Ecology's response to comments are available in the Responsiveness Summary.
Because some contamination remains in the kettles (natural depressions) at the site, an environmental covenant was filed for the kettles in 2008. With the cleanup work completed and an environmental covenant in place, conditions at the site protect people's health and the environment.
Ecology will conduct a periodic review of the site about every five years to ensure that conditions at the site continue to protect human health and the environment.
Site Description
Background And Cleanup
In 2002, Thurston County Health Department on behalf of Ecology decided a study of possible contamination was necessary based on information about pesticide use at the site.
In 2004, Ecology ranked the site as a 2 because dieldrin (a pesticide) levels in some soil samples were above state cleanup levels. A site is ranked based on its potential relative risk compared to other known contaminated sites in the state. Sites are ranked on a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being the highest potential risk. When the site was ranked, Ecology put the site on the Hazardous Sites List.
In 2004, Briggs Nursery entered into an Agreed Order (Agreed Order No. 1315) with Ecology to conduct a remedial investigation and feasibility study to find the extent of contamination and plan options for cleanup. As part of the investigation, owners tested soil, sediment, groundwater, and surface water for pesticides, metals, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and dioxins/furans.
Results of these studies showed there was no contamination of groundwater, or of nearby Ward Lake, from nursery operations.
Some areas at the site had dieldrin and PCBs contaminated soil exceeding state cleanup levels. To clean up the site, owners removed
- 20,250 tons of dieldrin contaminated soil.
- 1,811 tons of dieldrin and PCBs contaminated soil.
Following cleanup, concentration of contaminants in soil was below state cleanup levels, except for residual contamination remaining in the bottom of the kettles at the site. Kettle landforms are natural depressions created by melting ice blocks as a glacier retreats.
To eliminate possible exposure to contamination in the kettles, in 2008 an environmental covenant was filed for the site. The covenant restricts public access to the kettles and requires the owner to place fences and signs around the kettles. Thurston County is the current owner of the kettles and it is responsible for maintaining the fences and signs restricting public access to the kettle bottoms.
Ecology reviewed the cleanup work in combination with the environmental covenant that restricts access to the kettles and determined that conditions at the the site are effective in protecting people's health and the environment. Ecology held a public comment period in 2019 to provide an opportunity for the public to comment on the no further action memo and removing the site from the Hazardous Sites List. Ecology will remove the site from the list in 2019.
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 3
Environmental Covenant
Restrictions/Requirements
- Ongoing Maintenance of Remedy
Restricted Media
- Soil
Environmental Covenant
Restrictions/Requirements
- Restrict Land Use
- Restrictive Signage
Restricted Media
- Soil
Environmental Covenant
Restrictions/Requirements
- Ongoing Maintenance of Remedy
- Restrict Access
- Restrictive Signage
Restricted Media
- Soil
Documents 34
Legal 6
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Operating and Maintenance Plan | 9/2/2015 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Environmental Covenant | 2/7/2008 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Restrictive Covenant for Pumpkins Farm | 6/23/2006 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Briggs Nursery EC 5/1/2006 | 5/1/2006 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| 2006 Restrictive Covenant, EXhibit A | 1/31/2006 | Environmental Covenant; Alternative Mechanism |
| Briggs Nursery Agreed Order | 7/15/2004 | Agreed Order |
Map 2
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Briggs Nursery Map: Figure 2 Briggs Village West Layout and Work Area 1, 2 and 3 Locations | 4/4/2005 | Map |
| Briggs Nursery Maps: Figures 1a and 1b Excavation and Confirmation Sampling Plan | 4/4/2005 | Map |
Public Information 11
Technical Reports 15
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Environmental Deed Restriction | 10/1/2019 | Performance/Confirmational Monitoring Plan or Report |
| Briggs Nursery Preventative Maintenance Plan for the Kettles | 4/23/2019 | Site Specific Technical Document - other |
| Technical Memo Sub for Cleanup Action Plan and Cleanup Report | 12/1/2015 | Cleanup Action Plan |
| Briggs Nursery Cleanup Activity Timeline | 12/31/2007 | Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence) |
| Briggs Nursery Cleanup Activities 1996 - 2007 | 8/28/2007 | Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence) |
| Briggs Nursery Interim Action Work Plan Work Area 3 | 8/9/2007 | Interim Action Documents |
| Briggs Nursery interim Action Work Plan Areas 1 and 2 | 5/25/2006 | Interim Action Documents |
| Briggs Nursery Draft Remedial Investigation Feasibility Study Report Work Area 1 | 2/15/2006 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| A letter to Susan Messagee from the City of Olympia | 9/19/2005 | Site Specific Administrative Document - other (Administrative correspondence) |
| Briggs Nursery Remedial Investigation Feasibility Study Work Plan | 4/4/2005 | Remedial Investigation Work Plan |
| Briggs Nursery Interim Action Work Plan Area 1 and 2 | 4/4/2005 | Interim Action Documents |
| Briggs Nursery Final Remedial Investigation Feasibility Study Work Plan | 4/4/2005 | Remedial Investigation Work Plan |
| BRIGGS NURSERY Site Hazard Assessment | 8/1/2004 | Site Hazard Assessment Report |
| Briggs Debris Field Closure Report | 2/5/2003 | Site Specific Technical Document - other |
| BRIGGS NURSERY -- SHA | 8/1/2002 | Site Hazard Assessment Report |
Places to see print documents
-
Southwest Regional Office300 Desmond Dr SELacey, 98503-1274Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.
Contaminants 4
| Contaminant Type | Soil |
Groundwater |
Surface Water |
Air |
Sediment |
Bedrock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halogenated Organics - Polychlorinated biPhenyls (PCB) | RB | RB | ||||
| Pesticides - Halogenated Pesticides | RB | RB | ||||
| Halogenated Organics - Dioxins/Furans | RB | |||||
| Pesticides - Pesticides-Unspecified | RB | B |
- S
- Suspected
- C
- Confirmed Above Cleanup Levels
- B
- Below Cleanup Levels
- RA
- Remediated-Above
- RB
- Remediated-Below
- R
- Remediated