WA UW Tacoma Branch
Facility Site ID:
1325
Cleanup Site ID:
141
Site Description
Visit the project home page for more information and the latest news about this cleanup: https://ecology.wa.gov/Spills-Cleanup/Contamination-cleanup/Cleanup-sites/Toxic-cleanup-sites/UW-Tacoma
The University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) site is on about fifty acres in south downtown Tacoma. The site includes a mix of old and current building development, ranging from new construction to structures over a century old.
This part of downtown has a long industrial legacy that caused soil and groundwater to be contaminated with:
The University of Washington Tacoma (UWT) site is on about fifty acres in south downtown Tacoma. The site includes a mix of old and current building development, ranging from new construction to structures over a century old.
This part of downtown has a long industrial legacy that caused soil and groundwater to be contaminated with:
- petroleum hydrocarbons
- polyaromatic hydrocarbons in soil
- volatile organic compounds in groundwater, especially tri- and tetrachloroethene
Ecology’s Toxics Cleanup Program is now the lead for the site and has developed a new Agreed Order to include the expanded site footprint and focus on area-wide groundwater contamination, now considered the principal environmental issue.
In the 1980s, there was a dangerous waste management facility, Arrcom Inc. at the site. They closed and Washington State took over the site along with an adjacent property in the 1990s. In 1997, UWT and Ecology signed a Model Toxics Control Act (MTCA) Agreed Order (AO) to start site cleanup. Under the terms of the AO, UWT accepts responsibility as liable party and agrees to work on remedial actions to clean up soil and groundwater at the site.
Documents 42
Legal 11
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| WA UW Tacoma Branch | 10/5/2023 | Final Potentially Liable Person Status Letter |
| UW WA Tacoma Branch - Final PLP Determination - 1920 Tacoma Ave LLC | 3/4/2020 | Final Potentially Liable Person Status Letter |
| UW WA Tacoma Branch - Final PLP Determination - 1722 Tacoma Ave LLC | 3/4/2020 | Final Potentially Liable Person Status Letter |
| UW WA Tacoma Branch - Final PLP Determination - Kissler Enterprises LP | 3/4/2020 | Final Potentially Liable Person Status Letter |
| Final 2016 UW Tacoma Agreed Order | 5/18/2016 | Agreed Order |
| AO UW SIG DRAFT | 12/14/2015 | Agreed Order |
| First Amendment to Agreed Order DE 97HW-S238 | 3/19/2013 | Agreed Order Amendment |
| First Amendment to Agreed Order No. DE 97HW-S238 Exhibit A | 7/1/2012 | Agreed Order Amendment |
| First Amendment to Agreed Order No. DE 97HW-S238 Exhibit B | 7/1/2012 | Agreed Order Amendment |
| First Amendment to Agreed Order No. DE 97HW-S238 Exhibit E | 7/1/2012 | Agreed Order Amendment |
| Agreed Order DE 97HW-S238 | 10/1/1997 | Agreed Order |
Outreach Information 4
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| Construction update mailer | 7/18/2016 | Focus Sheet |
| UW Tacoma AO Responsiveness Summary | 5/12/2016 | Responsiveness Summary |
| UW Tacoma Site Agreed Order Fact Sheet | 3/16/2016 | Fact Sheet\Public Notices |
| UW Tacoma Public Participation Plan | 3/4/2016 | Public Participation Plan |
State Environmental Policy Act 1
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| UW-Tacoma Howe Parcel SEPA Checklist | 11/7/2012 | SEPA Documents |
Technical Reports 26
| Document Title | Document Date | Document Type |
| City of Tacoma Prelim PLP response | 7/7/2023 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| UW-T RI (Draft) Part 1 | 6/30/2023 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| UW-T RI (Draft) Part 2 | 6/30/2023 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| WA UW Tacoma Branch - PLP Notice Letter; Request to Extend Response Date to July 7, 2023 | 6/21/2023 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| WA UW Tacoma Branch - Preliminary Determination of Liability for the Rel | 5/17/2023 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| UW Tacoma Campus - Request for AO Extension - DE 11081 | 9/14/2022 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| WA UW Tacoma Branch - AO RI/FS Extension Request Approval | 5/26/2022 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| UW Tacoma Campus - Request for AO Extension - DE 11081 | 12/8/2021 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| UW-T Academic Building_Birmingham Air Report 2020 | 8/11/2020 | Site Specific Technical Document - Other |
| WA UW Tacoma Branch - Request for Extension to Agreed Order No. DE11081 | 6/23/2020 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| 2020 Site Assessment Ltr Report (1920 Tacoma Ave LLC) | 3/9/2020 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| Preliminary Determination of PLP | 9/11/2019 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| Preliminary Determination of PLP | 9/11/2019 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| Preliminary Determination of PLP | 9/11/2019 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| UWT Potential Sources 3_4_5_6_7 letter | 2/27/2019 | Site Specific Technical Document - Other |
| UWT Howe Vapor Intrusion Report | 7/26/2018 | Interim Action Plans and Reports |
| UWT 2016 Field Investigation Data Report | 12/20/2017 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| Proposed Payment Plan for Ecology Charges Related to AO DE11081 | 5/16/2017 | Site Specific Administrative Document - Other (Administrative Correspondence) |
| UWT Agreed Order Work Plan (small) | 7/7/2016 | Remedial Investigation Work Plan |
| Z-1 Environmental Subsurface Investigation 2013 | 12/19/2015 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| UWT McDonald Smith Building Subsurface Investigation and GW Monitoring Report | 2/4/2015 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| UWT Urban Solutions Building Subsurface Investigation | 1/23/2015 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| 2013 Environmental Subsurface Investigation (Marv Comments and Questions) | 12/19/2014 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| 2013 Environmental Subsurface Investigation Appendix F | 12/19/2014 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| UWT 2013 Environmental Subsurface Investigation | 12/19/2014 | Remedial Investigation Report |
| Amendment1 Exhibit C Final IAWPUWT Howe parcel | 7/1/2012 | 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.
Places to see print documents
-
Southwest Regional Office300 Desmond Dr SELacey, 98503-1274Please schedule an appointment to view print documents at this location.
Contaminants 3
| Contaminant Type | Soil |
Groundwater |
Surface Water |
Air |
Sediment |
Bedrock |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other Contaminant - Base/Neutral/Acid Organics | C | C | ||||
| Halogenated Organics - Halogenated Organics | 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.