Block 79 East

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Site Information

Ecology negotiated a legal agreement called an Agreed Order with Block 79 LLC for the Block 79 East cleanup site (site). The order names Block 79 LLC as the Potentially Liable Person (PLP) and requires them to address contamination at the site. After a public comment period from February 14 - March 15, 2022, the following documents were finalized: 

Draft Agreed Order - legal document that requires the PLP to investigate environmental conditions, complete a Remedial Investigation (RI), Feasibility Study (FS), and a preliminary draft Cleanup Action Plan (dCAP) for the site. 

Public Participation Plan - describes how Ecology will inform the community about site activities and ways to be involved in the cleanup process. 

Read the Block 79 E Agreed Order Responsiveness Summary to:

• Read responses to all public comments received during the Agreed Order comment period;
• View a summary of the types of outreach used to inform the public.

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The site is located in Seattle’s South Lake Union neighborhood one block from Lake Union. It is made up of four King County parcels. The parcels are located within the historical extents of Lake Union and were filled in as part of regional regrading in the early part of the 1900s. The site was home to a car showroom as well as various car services from the 1920s through 2019. The original structures on the site were demolished in 2021 in preparation for redevelopment. The site currently operates as a parking lot for nearby construction.

Previous cleanup work occurred at the site in the past. 
• 1992: The removal of three underground storage tanks from the north parcel (408880-3565). The tanks were in poor condition. 

• March 2021: The removal of an underground heating oil tank from the central parcel (408880-3485). This tank was in good condition. 

• March 2021: The removal of an underground storage tank in poor condition and twelve hydraulic hoists (parcel 408880-3440).

Investigations at the site show the following hazardous substances in the soil and groundwater. These substances are above the minimum levels described in the Model Toxics Control Act: 

• Soil: Diesel, gasoline, and oil range petroleum hydrocarbons, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, total xylenes, cadmium, lead, mercury, naphthalene, 1-methylnaphthalene, benzo(a)pyrene, tetrachloroethene (PCE), and total carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)

• Groundwater: gasoline, diesel, and oil range petroleum hydrocarbons, benzene, arsenic, and vinyl chloride. 

Some of these hazardous substances were also found directly east and west of the property lines of Block 79 East. Previous investigations indicate that contaminated groundwater from adjacent sites has migrated onto Block 79 East. 

Under certain conditions, contamination below ground can become hazardous in the air at a cleanup site. This is called vapor intrusion. The following hazardous substances were detected in soil vapor studies at the site: 

• Total petroleum hydrocarbons, benzene, total xylenes, 1,4-dioxane, naphthalene, and PCE. 

The Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) is Washington’s environmental cleanup law. It
provides requirements for contaminated site cleanup and sets standards that
protect human health and the environment. Ecology implements the MTCA
cleanup process and oversees cleanups.